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UK preservation group aims to restore, revive Europe’s abandoned synagogues
Times of Israel ^ | 9 Feb 2018 | Stuart Winer

Posted on 04/11/2018 5:45:21 PM PDT by GoldenState_Rose

A British organization has launched an ambitious project aimed at restoring old, abandoned synagogues across Europe and bringing them back to community life, and commemorating communities that were wiped out in the Holocaust.

The Foundation of Jewish Heritage has identified 3,300 pre-Second World War buildings used for Jewish prayer, of which at least 19 could be brought back into use - out of an estimated total of 17,000 that were in use before the Second World War.

The remaining buildings, of which just 718 are still being used as synagogues, have been carefully catalogued based on their artistic, urban, and historical significance, as well their condition.

Two synagogues have been selected as the first to be given a new lease of life — the Old Synagogue in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales that was built in the 1870s, and the Great Synagogue of Slonim, in Belarus that was constructed in the 1640s.

Historian Simon Schama led the launch event that was attended by dozens of lawmakers from all parties.

“The present is, in the chain of memories, about human vitality, the vitality of communities,” he said “So, if you do this, you bring back not only Jewish memory, you bring what Europe was. Europe had Jewish life as much as it had Christian life so we are, in a sense, validating the entirety of our historical memory when we do this, bad memories as well as good memories, memories of a living community.”

Michael Hail, founder of the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, explained that the project is about more than just the physical constructions.

“It is not about the buildings. They are portals into the Jewish life that was there. They are Jewish heritage, but it is shared heritage, it is European heritage. They are part of the landscape.”

(Excerpt) Read more at timesofisrael.com ...


TOPICS: History; Religion; Society
KEYWORDS: cathedrals; europe; history; holocaust; israel; jewish; judaism; memory; shtetl; simonschama; synagogue; synagogues; theholocaust; theshtetl; uk; unitedkingdom; worldwarii; wwii

1 posted on 04/11/2018 5:45:21 PM PDT by GoldenState_Rose
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To: GoldenState_Rose

Restoring synagogues in London alone would require 100,000 armed Brits rising up and killing the ruling class traitors, and then mustering at least five armored divisions to bombard the slums where the Muslim invaders live.

After that’s done, then we can talk about restoring Jewish synagogues.


2 posted on 04/11/2018 7:05:17 PM PDT by sergeantdave (Teach a man to fish and he'll steal your gear and sell it)
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To: GoldenState_Rose

The replica roof a 17th century synagogue was installed at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. It is the first element of the Museum’s Core Exhibition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMlbhLlIqFg

Raise the Roof

Artists Rick and Laura Brown inspire an international team to reconstruct one of the magnificent wooden synagogues of Poland, the last of which were destroyed by Nazis during World War II. As over 300 students and artisans work with period hand tools to build the complex log structure and paint the brilliantly colored ceiling, they discover a little-known period of history when Jews and Poles worked side-by-side to create a stunning, mysterious, and profoundly meaningful building.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKbG_KXrhnc


3 posted on 04/11/2018 7:15:16 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: GoldenState_Rose

Yes, restore the synagogues as museums because soon all the Jews of Europe will be gone. One way or another. Um, again.


4 posted on 04/11/2018 7:42:18 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: Yaelle

The Churches are next since the Euro’s are committed to dying off.


5 posted on 04/11/2018 10:24:36 PM PDT by Amberdawn (If Leftists Didn't Live By Double Standards, They'd Have No Standards At All.)
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