Archive of Newsletters |
ARCHIVE OF NEWSLETTERS
NEWSLETTER 1998/3
The Genizah Project
As mentioned in an earlier Newsletter (2/97),
Jewish Museum staff are carrying out a systematic survey of genizot
in Bohemian and Moravian synagogues. The most valuable find to date
is the genizah that was discovered in Luže, a Czech town lying 115km
south-east of Prague. The Jewish settlement in Luže dates back to the
second half of the 16th century. There was never, however, a sizeable
local community – about 300 Jews lived here in the 19th century and
around 320 in 1930. The Jewish Community was not restored after the
Second World War.
A number of interesting items were discovered in the Luže genizah –
manuscripts, prints, textiles, wooden decorations of the Holy Ark (aron)
and phylacteries.
The written material comprises religious literature, scholarly writings,
literary (poetry and theatre) handbooks and manuals in Hebrew and Yiddish
dating from the period of the Jewish Enlightenment. These are mainly
fragments of synagogue prayer books from around the 17th century, fragments
of parchment Torah scrolls wound on rollers, scrolls of the Book of
Esther, transcriptions of mediaeval literary works, fragments of official
community records from the 18th and 19th centuries, private correspondence,
commercial records, records of scholars’ lectures and interestingly
designed community notices from the 1790s. Also of interest are the
graphic tablets with liturgical texts, which served as synagogue ornamentation,
and the paper cut-outs with blessings dating from 1793. More extensive
is the more or less preserved print fragments that mostly originate
from Czech, German and Dutch Hebrew printing offices. The majority of
them are prayer books and books of the Bible and the Talmud from the
18th and 19th centuries. More valuable are the printed mizrachim adorned
with coloured woodcuts and a printed amulet from the second half of
the 18th century. Also found in the genizah were remains of Prague Hebrew
prints from the 17th century, wood prints and decorated editions of
various religious texts (Tse’enah Ure’enah, Haggadah).
Among the most valuable finds in Luže are the calendars and coloured
traditional prints of decorative tablets used for festive occasions.
As they were designed for frequent use and not durability, however,
there are only few left in households and museums. Among the textiles,
the most remarkable are the Torah mantles from the late 17th century
(i.e. from the early period of the local Jewish community’s existence),
prayer shawls and clothing (children’s caps). After classifying and
charting the material, work began in the Museum on the conservation
and restoration of selected written, pictorial and textile items. In
this way we can prevent any further deterioration in quality and preserve
their original state. At the same time, the material is being successively
catalogued and documented.
Regional Exhibitions on Jewish themes
Regional museums in Bohemia and Moravia have recently been turning their
attention to the history and culture of local Jewish communities. In
many instances, museums are installing either temporary or permanent
exhibitions on such themes in buildings of former Jewish communities,
especially in synagogues, that are still standing. At present, the Jewish
Museum in Prague is working very closely with a number of regional institutions
throughout the Czech Republic, providing specialist help and lending
items from its collections. A number of areas where Jewish communities
are no longer in existence are now at least seeing the return of some
of the surviving liturgical objects which were confiscated and moved
to Prague by the Nazis during the Second World War. Future Newsletter
issues will introduce readers to selected museums in Bohemia and Moravia,
where similar exhibitions have been installed, and to certain Jewish
monuments outside Prague.
One of the regional museums with which the Jewish Museum in Prague is
co-operating is that of Rychnov nad Kněžnou. A Jewish settlement is
recorded as being founded in the first half of the 16th century in this
Bohemian county town, which lies 130km to the east of Prague. 216 Jews
lived here at the end of the 19th century, and by 1930 this number had
dropped to 71. As in many other areas, the Jewish community in Rychnov
was not restored after the Second World War. A Jewish cemetery, mortuary,
and synagogue (since 1995 used for exhibition purposes) have all been
preserved in this town. The synagogue was built in a Baroque Classicism
in 1787. In the Second World War it was closed and its liturgical objects,
textiles and Torah scroll were moved to the Central Jewish Museum, which
was set up by the Nazis in 1942. From the 1950s the synagogue was used
as a storehouse and a coal gas store. It was only thanks to the efforts
of the local preservation board that the building escaped demolition
during the communist regime.
The synagogue is currently in state ownership. Following complete reconstruction
and refurbishment, it was opened to the public three years ago and the
Jewish Museum of Podorlicko and a Memorial to Karel Poláček were established
here. Poláček , a native of Rychnov, is a popular Czech Jewish writer
and journalist who died at the end of the Second World War. The current
exhibition is devoted to the history and monuments of six Jewish communities
in the region. Among the exhibits are the following objects from the
collections of the Jewish Museum in Prague: Torah mantles, an original
curtain for the Torah Ark (aron), and a large Hanukkah menorah, which
is one of the most valuable objects that have been preserved. All these
exhibits were restored by specialists in Prague before being loaned.
The Spanish Synagogue
Restoration work in the Spanish Synagogue was completed at the end of
June, which means that one of the key goals of the Jewish Museum has
now been fulfilled, i.e. the reconstruction of all the historical buildings
under its management. Since 1994, the Maisel, Pinkas, Klausen and Spanish
Synagogues and the former Ceremonial Hall have all undergone complete
and systematic reconstruction and renovation. The Museum will naturally
continue to take care of these buildings, ensuring that they remain
in a good state of repair.
The Spanish Synagogue now has a completely renovated interior, i.e.
main nave, gallery and winter synagogue, in addition to a new facade,
new heating and electricity mains. The valuable historical window-panes,
murals, wooden panels and lighting fixtures have also been restored.
The original tiles have been repaired and treated with a special preparation
to increase their wear resistance. During building alterations, attention
was paid to the needs of people with disabilities, to whom both the
main nave and the synagogue gallery are now accessible.
At present, work is being completed on the restoration of the original
organ and Museum staff are preparing an exhibition to be housed in the
main nave and gallery of the synagogue. The Jewish Museum in Prague
would welcome any kind of financial assistance to ensure the successful
reopening of the Spanish Synagogue. Contributions may be sent to the
following address:
The Jewish Museum in Prague, bank account no. 195420830257/0100, Komerční
banka a.s., Spálená 51, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic.
Maisel Synagogue
The reopening of the Spanish Synagogue at the end of this year will
mark the completion of the Museum’s historical exhibition project. Its
goal is to present a comprehensive and clear survey that will introduce
the public to the history of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia from the
first settlements in this region (i.e. from the beginning of the 10th
century) to the present day. The first stop on the journey through the
history of the Jews of this region is the Maisel Synagogue, where the
first part of the exhibition (covering the period up to the end of the
18th century) was opened in May 1995. Below is a brief history of the
Maisel Synagogue, a significant monument in the care of the Jewish Museum
(for information on the permanent exhibition housed here see Newsletter
1/96).
The Maisel Synagogue stands in Maisel Street, in the centre of the original
historical Jewish Town. The street was named “Maisel” in 1901, when
new houses were developed here as part of the ghetto clearance programme.
The synagogue was built by Juda Goldschmied-Coref de Herz and Josef
Wahl and completed in 1592. In the 16th century it became one of the
most prominent synagogues of the Jewish Town in the Renaissance period.
The construction of the synagogue was financed by Mordechaj Maisel,
the Mayor of the Jewish Town, who received special permission from Emperor
Rudolf II as an exception to the ban on the building of private houses
of prayer. The synagogue was destroyed by fire in 1689 and was renovated
in Baroque style in the early 1690s. The synagogue underwent further
reconstruction in the second half of the 19th century (by architect
J. M. Müller) and in the years 1892 – 1905 in connection with the ghetto
clearance of the Jewish Town (by architect Alfred Grotte). It was this
final and extensive reconstruction that gave the synagogue its present
Neo-Gothic appearance. All that remained of the original Renaissance
layout was the tripartite nave and the upper-storey gallery for women.
Part of the permanent exhibition in the Maisel Synagogue is dedicated
to Mordechaj Maisel. This prominent Jewish personage, who is buried
in the Old Jewish Cemetery, is commemorated by a number of exhibits,
such as the curtain for the Torah Ark (aron) and a Torah mantle from
1592 which was donated by Mordechaj Maisel and his wife Frumet on the
occasion of the ceremonial inauguration of the synagogue.
During the Nazi occupation, the synagogue was used as a storehouse for
the confiscated property of Prague Jewish communities. A depository
was set up here in 1956 and an exhibition of synagogue silverware opened
in 1965. After its foundation in October 1994, the Jewish Museum in
Prague set to work on the extensive renovation of the synagogue, including
repairs to the roof, main nave and heating system, renovation of the
tiles and restoration of the historical interior features (e.g. balustrades,
windows, gallery). As part of the building work , alterations were also
made to ensure more effective use of the non-exhibition space of the
synagogue. The loft space was extended to produce a depository of synagogue
textiles and metal artefacts. There is now a gift shop in the entrance
area of the synagogue as well as a ticket-office.
The pictures (p. 5) highlight the differences between the past and present
appearance of the synagogue.
Prominent Visits
July 1998 - As part of his official visit to the Czech Republic,
the Israeli Minister of Justice, Tzachi Hanegbi, was a guest of the
Jewish Museum in Prague. He was accompanied by his wife Randy, in addition
to Tamar Gaulan, the director of the Department for Foreign Relations,
Orly Ben-Shamai, ministerial assistant and Yoram Karshi, ministerial
advisor.
Museum publications
The Jewish Museum is currently preparing a catalogue for the exhibition
Jewish Customs and Traditions, which is on display in the Klaus Synagogue
and Ceremonial Hall. The catalogue contains brief texts on separate
exhibition themes and are accompanied by over 80 colour reproductions
of selected exhibits.
For information on how to purchase the publication contact:
Jewish Museum in Prague,
Jáchymova 3,
110 00 Praha 1,
fax: 00420-2-2310681
© 2004 - 2008 Jewish Museum in Prague