700 YEARS - 700 SYNAGOGUES
Researching about the place in Poland, where my father came from and where my relatives lived, I found a picture of a wooden jewish Synagogue with an incredible and original desing. It was the Synagogue of Kosow Lacki, it was burned by the Germans in World War II. The Jews of the citiy were forced into the Synagogue and were burned alive.
Later, I came across the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, designed and inspired by the forms of the Wooden Synagogues of Eastern Europe.
During 700 years, 700 Synagogues were built out of wood, in Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria. They survived until the Second World War. Today remains only 7 to 10 Synagogues left intact.
In Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, there was also a wooden Synagogue.
I started the Memorial Project of the Wooden Synagogues.
Looking at the synagogues we are amazed by their beauty and originality. We are proud of the architectural and creative ability of the Jews of that era. Internally, the ornaments were extremely sophisticated with paintings, furniture, chandeliers and stained glass. The windows often had the shape of the Tablets of the Law.
In Miedzna, a village of just eight streets and 250 Jews, there was a small wooden Synagogue. At the door, there was a barrel with water to wash their hands before entering, and very serious believers, praying with great fervor, impassive to the jokes Catholic children that try to distract them with birds (wrobels). At the site of the Boznica (Synagogue in Polish) was built a bank. at the corner of the street (ulica) Bernaska; just two block away still exists the school of my father ...
ALANTA, ALSEDZIAI, ASTRAKHAN, BAKALARZEWO, BECHHOGEN, BIELSK PODLASKI, BIRZE, BOGORIA, BRZOZDOWCE, CHODOROW, CHODOROW BOZNICA, CHYROW, DOBRZYN, FELSZTYN, GABIN, GAWIDZIN, GLEBOKIE, GLINNE, GRODEK, GRODNO, GRODNO, GWOZDZIEC, JABLONOW, JANOW SOKOLSKI, JANOW TREMBOWELSKI ON THE SERET, JARMOLINCE, JARYSZEW, JEDWABNO BOZNICA, JEZIORY, JURBARKAS, KALTINIENI, KAMIENIEC, KAMIONKA STRUMILOWA, KATERYNBURG, KITAJGROD, KONSKIE, KORNIK, KOSOW LACKI, KOZANGRODEK, KURKILIAI, KUZMIR, LANCKORUN, LAUKUVA, LIPSKO, LUBAN, LUNNA WOLA, LUTOMIERSK, LVIV, LYAKHOVICHI, LYUBAN, MEDZIBOZH, MICHALPOL, MINKOWCE, MOGIELNICA, MOHYLOW PODOLSKI ON THE DNIESTER, MOYLOW ON THE DNIEPER, NASIELK, NORYNSK, NAROWLA, NOWOGROD, NOWOGRODEK, ODELSK, OLKIENNIKI, ORSZA, OSTROPOL, OSTRINA, OSTROWIEC SWIETOKRZYZKI, PILICA, POHREBYSZCZE, POKROJE, PORYCK, POWODZ, PRZCWORSK, PRZEDBORZ, RADOM, RAJGROD, REINZIKES, REZEKNO, RIEBINI, ROPCZYCE, ROZALIMAS, RZOCHOW, RUMSISKES, SEDA, SHKUDVIL, SIDRA, SIERPC, SMOTRYCZ, SNIADOWO, SNITKOWO, SOPOCKINIE, SUBATE, SUCHOSTAW, SUCHOWOLA, SUESKESNA, SZAWKIANY, SZAWLANY, TELAKI, TIRKSLIAI, TYKOCIN, USHACHI, UZLANY, VILKAVISKIS, VISKI, WARKA, WASILKOW, WILKOWISZKI, WIZUNY, WOLOCZYSKA, WOLPA, WORONOWO, WYSOKIE MAZOWIECKIE, YURBURG, ZABLUDOW, ZYDACZOW