Lost synagogues of Eastern Europe

By Arlene Stolnitz

I have a custom of giving a gift of Judaica to Bar or Bat Mitzvah students. It might be a shofar, a kiddush cup, a hanukkiah, or an important book about Judaism. I planned to give two of these particularly special gifts to my niece and nephew, 13-year-old twins who were the children of a favored nephew who lives in Philadelphia. I was thinking of a shofar and a hanukkiah for them. I set out, as is my custom, to find a beautiful, meaningful hanukkiah for my gift.

Being a researcher at heart, I had been reading about the many synagogues in Poland, tragically lost during the Holocaust. I was fascinated and moved by all I had read! Shouldn’t I, the great-aunt of these special youngsters, be the one in the family to tell them, through example, the uniqueness and beauty of our religion? How, despite all the tragedy, have we survived throughout the ages?

I concentrated on learning about those old synagogues and discovered I could purchase a hanukkiah built in the form of a replica of those old synagogues, now lost forever. That would be just perfect, I thought. I proceeded to explore a subject which was new to me. I found the hanukkiah that spoke to me in the work of Maude Weisser, a ceramic artist from New York, now living and working in Rhode Island. The special hanukkiah she had made was created in “loving memory of the many diverse Jewish communities which existed in Europe prior to World War II.” Her model was carved in clay, molded in silicone, cast in hydrostone, then hand painted. I was happy to have found the perfect gift for one of the twins!

I was fascinated in learning about the wooden synagogues of Poland and Lithuania built between 1600 and 1800, during a time known as “The Golden Age of Polish Jewry.” It was a time of peace and prosperity for Jews living in modern-day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland.

Considered historically important, these wooden synagogues were fashioned in the Baroque style and were decorated with elaborate wall paintings. Their exquisite artwork often depicted the everyday lives of shtetl dwellers, imagined visions of Jerusalem, and Torah teachings. Much like today, these synagogues fulfilled both the religious and social roles of the Jewish communities they served.

More than 800 synagogues existed in Europe before World Wars I and II. In Poland virtually none are left. In Lithuania the few remaining are in great disrepair. Even before World War II, many of these wooden synagogues already were the victims of damage and old age, but the Nazis attempt to wipe out Eastern European Jewry completed the destruction of these great treasures of Jewish culture.

Online, I viewed the reconstruction of a full-scale replica of the Vopla Synagogue in Bilgoraj, located in Poland. Known as the most beautiful synagogue of its time, the video showed an artisan explaining the reconstruction of the structure and artwork of that now lost treasure.

I must note that on the campus of the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA are replicas of those wooden synagogues. Not as intricate as some of the ones I have read about, but they are examples of the houses of worship our forefathers prayed in.

“Lost Treasures: The Wooden Synagogues of Eastern Europe” by Bill Farran is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in learning more about the shuls of our ancestors.

How lucky I am to have learned of these lost treasures, thanks to my curiosity about bygone times! The research opened up a world I knew nothing about. And in the process, I was able to find a beautiful hanukkiah!

Arlene Stolnitz, the “Jewish Music” contributor to Federation papers for the past eight years, has started a new series focusing on Judaic Folk Art. It will appear in Federation newspapers on an irregular basis. Stolnitz, a native of Rochester, New York, is a retired educator and lives in Venice, Florida.