Samuel Gruber | Syracuse University (original) (raw)

Papers & Articles by Samuel Gruber

Notes of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical, 2023

The author looks back on his book American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Commu... more The author looks back on his book American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Community (Rizzoli, 2003), which includes a section about Temple Beth El in Providence, Rhode Island. He discusses how the book came to be, and what went in and what was left out, and what he has learned since.

Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association Notes, 2019

Describes four synagogues and a Hillel House spanning a century of Jewish settlement and building... more Describes four synagogues and a Hillel House spanning a century of Jewish settlement and building in Providence and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and in telling their history and describing their art and architecture, the author covers major developments of Jewish art and design of the 20th century.

Archivist on a Bicycle: Jiří Fiedler edited by Helen Epstein and Wilma Iggers, 2015

Personal reminiscence about Czech researcher and archivist Jiří Fiedler, authority on Czech Jewis... more Personal reminiscence about Czech researcher and archivist Jiří Fiedler, authority on Czech Jewish communities and cemeteries, who was murdered in is home in 2014.

Tablet Magazine, Dec 24, 2014

Discusses the move of the 1893 Orthodox B'nai Abraham synagogue in Brenham, Texas to a new site a... more Discusses the move of the 1893 Orthodox B'nai Abraham synagogue in Brenham, Texas to a new site at the Dell Jewish Community Campus in Austin, and puts this is a broader preservation context.

Framing Jewish Culture: Boundaries, Representations, and Exhibitions of Ethnic Difference, Jewish Cultural Studies, Vol 4 , 2014

This essay presents episodes, mostly from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, that demonst... more This essay presents episodes, mostly from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, that demonstrate how Jews existed within the spatial framework of Rome and elsewhere in medieval Christian Italy, straddling social, economic, and spatial boundaries. Using a variety of sources to physically locate Jews in Italian urban culture allows a better understanding of the civic space available to them in Italian cities in the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. Stretching from just before the promulgation of anti-Jewish decrees at the Fourth Lateran Council until the creation of the Venetian ghetto in 1516, this was a tumultuous but transformative period of Italian and Jewish history, in which Jewish communities
settled and thrived throughout the entire peninsula.

The Forward, Jan 17, 2014

About the discovery of a 1910 synagogue mural in Burlington, Vermont painted by Lithuanian-Jewish... more About the discovery of a 1910 synagogue mural in Burlington, Vermont painted by Lithuanian-Jewish artist Ben Zion Black, and its history, symbolism and the plan for conservation and presentation.

Arnold W. Brunner (1857–1925), Albert Kahn (1869–1942), and other Jewish architects played an imp... more Arnold W. Brunner (1857–1925), Albert Kahn (1869–1942), and other Jewish architects played an important role in reviving the classical style for American synagogue design at the turn of the twentieth century, putting their stamp on American Jewish identity and American architecture. The American-born Brunner was the preferred architect of New York’s Jewish establishment from the 1880s until his death. He adopted the classical style with his third New York synagogue, Congregation Shearith Israel, dedicated in 1897, and then championed the style in his extensive public writing about synagogue design. The classical style was subsequently widely accepted nationally by Reform congregations, especially in the South and Midwest. Classicism was a mediating device, and served as a new emblem of religious and civic identity. Mixing a variety of architectural and cultural traditions, Jewish architects and their patrons created a bridge between Judaism—or Jewishness—and Americanism

Ars Judaica (Volume 7), 2011

Remembering the life and work of Polish architect and architectural historian Kazimierz Maciej Pi... more Remembering the life and work of Polish architect and architectural historian Kazimierz Maciej Piechotka who with his wife Maria reintroduced the world to the marvels of Polish wooden and masonry synagogues in a series of important books and articles beginning Boznice Drewniane (1957) published in English as Wooden Synagogues in 1959. Piechotka, who fought in the Warsaw uprising and spent eight months in a German prisoner of war camp, was also an accomplished architect.

J. Malinowski, R. Piatkowska and T. Sztyma-Knasieka, eds., Jewish Artists and Central-Eastern Europe: Art Center – Identity – Heritage from the 19th Century to the Second World War, (Warsaw: Polish Society of Oriental Art and Wydawnictwo DiG, 2010), 145-154, 2010

Hundreds of thousands of Jews from Poland came to America after 1880. Many built synagogues with ... more Hundreds of thousands of Jews from Poland came to America after 1880. Many built synagogues with details recalling synagogues in their homeland. Immigrant artisans brought motifs and methods of Poland. Many of these synagogues were small, so the relationship to Polish art was on the inside in the painted and carved decoration. Established architects also had access to Polish synagogues as sources. With publication of the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901-06) images of Polish synagogues, such as the Warsaw’s Tlomackie Street Synagogue, became part of many Jewish libraries. More Polish influence came in the 1950s. Most architects were building modern synagogues, but some looked for an architecture that was also Jewish and commemorative. The catalyst was the Piechotka’s Wooden Synagogues, published in Polish in 1957 (English edition, 1959). In the 1960s and ‘70s almost every Jewish architect was studying the book. Subsequently, references to wooden synagogues have been added to scores synagogues.

Jewish Architecture in Europe. Ed. Aliza Cohen-Mushlin and Harmen H. Thies. Petersburg: Schriftenreihe der Bet Tfila Band 6, 2010. 53-65., 2010

Throughout the Middle Ages, the synagogue developed as the central identifying institution and ph... more Throughout the Middle Ages, the synagogue developed as the central identifying institution and physical building for Jews, replacing the still yearned for but increasingly distant Jerusalem Temple as the focus of Jewish identity. Equally important, the synagogue became the symbol par excellance of the Jews and their community for the Christian (or Muslim) majority populations in the countries where Jews were settled. For Christians, the synagogue was a Jewish church, but much more so, it came to symbolize in opposition all that the church represented.

Though relatively little known today, medieval synagogues were not symbolic abstractions to the men and women of the Middle Ages. They were at the very center of their religious, social and political lives. These synagogues, which were once omnipresent across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa are now, however, sparsely preserved, and in most localities their former presence is entirely forgotten. With the exception of a few buildings that still stand, such as the so-called Rashi Synagogue in Worms, Germany; the Altneushul in Prague; and the former Great Synagogue and Samuel Abulafia Ha-Levi Synagogues in Toledo, medieval synagogues receive little attention other than from a few dedicated scholars, except when their long-buried remains are uncovered. Until recently, such discoveries were mostly accidental, but a new generation of researchers is now seeking out these remains to reveal a hidden past. In the past two decades much more evidence has become available to enhance our knowledge and understanding of medieval synagogues. Some of this information is archaeological, and even more derives from the close study of documentary evidence – in Hebrew and local languages – by historians such as Yom-Tov Assis in Spain and Ariel Toaff in Italy, to whose work I am indebted.

This information, often collected in the course of other research, can be assembled to present a fairly detailed picture of synagogue architecture, decoration and use in some places for some periods of the Middle Ages. We know the general and specific distribution of medieval synagogues, and we have physical evidence for perhaps a few dozen. This paper focuses on evidence from the Mediterranean region, especially from Southern Europe. Until the 15th century, hundreds of Jewish communities populated the Iberian and Italian peninsula, and there were Jewish communities throughout the Balkans. These places had synagogues, and many had more than one. While still little physical evidence of these buildings is known (exceptions are Trani and Sermoneta in Italy and Toledo, Cordoba and Segovia in Spain), we can reconstruct much of their appearance and some aspects of their use and significance.

In Spain and Italy there were synagogues of many sizes and plan types. Many were richly decorated. There were community synagogues, private synagogues, and synagogue organized by charitable societies. The locations of synagogue were well known, but the entrances to most synagogues were often protected by exterior courtyards, rather than face directly onto the public street. Synagogue were usually imbedded into the physical as well as the social fabric of their surrounding (Jewish) communities, and prayer halls were often part of larger complexes which includes spaces for other religious and communal functions.

While the synagogue was not a distinct architectural type, it was a functional one, and the architectural and liturgical adaptations needed to produce and protect the medieval synagogue were influential in subsequent centuries. Many of our modern notions of what a synagogue looks like, how it functions, and what it signifies are present in the Middle Ages.

The Jewish Daily Forward , Jul 2007

Review of retrospective exhibition of renowned Jewish and feminist art Ruth Weisberg at the Skirb... more Review of retrospective exhibition of renowned Jewish and feminist art Ruth Weisberg at the Skirball Museum, Los Angeles.

The Jewish Daily Forward, Dec 2004

A discussion about the art and symbolism of a new Sol Lewitt sculpture at Syracuse University.

Samuel D. Gruber Dr.. "Monumenti Storici Ebraici in Europa" Nuove Tendenze in 1990-2000: Ebrei Europei Dieci ani dopo la fine del Socialismo Reale (La Rassegna Mensile d'Israel). Ed. Ruth Ellen Gruber and Laura Quercioli Mincer. , 2002. 191-218., 2002

Reviews ten years in the developing field of historic preservation of Jewish monuments, focusing ... more Reviews ten years in the developing field of historic preservation of Jewish monuments, focusing on projects in Europe, including those of the Jewish Heritage Program of the World Monuments Fund.

Metropolis, Jun 1993

This was one of the first articles published on the state of East European synagogues after the f... more This was one of the first articles published on the state of East European synagogues after the fall of Communism and the opening of the region to western scholars and preservationists for study, travel and planning work. interesting to compare what has changed in almost a quarter century, and what has not.

Ideas of Order in the Middle Ages (Acta, 15). Ed. Warren Ginsberg. , 1990. 121-135.

Discusses the deliberate urban policies that of medieval Todi, Italy that helped create a functio... more Discusses the deliberate urban policies that of medieval Todi, Italy that helped create a functioning and beautiful medieval town through explicit laws and the careful micro-planning that utilized an incremental urbanism to create an inter-connected and integrated urban environment. Many of the medieval views visitors assume are part of an "organic" growth are actually careful projections of communal power and order.

Conference Presentations by Samuel Gruber

Future of Jewish Monuments Conference Program, 1990

In 1990, The Jewish Heritage Council of the The World Monuments Fund (WMF) organized the first e... more In 1990, The Jewish Heritage Council of the The World Monuments Fund (WMF) organized the first ever international conference about the preservation of historic Jewish sites and structures. This is the program of the three-day event that brought activists, scholars, and Jewish leaders from around the world and helped lay the foundation for the continuing movement of Jewish heritage historic preservation. WMF had established the Jewish Heritage Council in 1988 to further awareness of the significance and preservation needs of Jewish monuments.The Jewish Heritage Council, under the chairmanship of The Hon. Ronald S. Lauder, and directed by Samuel D. Gruber, was comprised of scholars and philanthropists who guided program selection and implementation. Jewish Heritage Council programs included surveys and technical reports, preservation planning, and the organization of financial and technical resources for restoration projects. The program later evolved into the ongoing Jewish Heritage Program of WMF.

Unpublished paper delivered in 1992 at the College Art Association Annual meeting, Chicago, Febru... more Unpublished paper delivered in 1992 at the College Art Association Annual meeting, Chicago, February 1992 in the session "The Destruction of Cultural Property." This paper now may be of some historical interest as it was one of the first attempts in an academic setting after 1990 to define the destruction of Jewish heritage in Eastern Europe during the Holocaust. The paper was subsequently quoted - almost verbatim - in the book "The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War." by Robert Bevan (London: Reaktion books, 2006), 50 ff.

Program for The Center for Jewish Art's International Workshop on 'Synagogue Wall Paintings: Re... more Program for The Center for Jewish Art's International Workshop on
'Synagogue Wall Paintings: Research, Preservation, Presentation,"
which will take place at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at September 13-14, 2016.

A distinctive synagogue form includes some variation of a central readers’ platform (tevah) surro... more A distinctive synagogue form includes some variation of a central readers’ platform (tevah) surrounded by columns or piers. There is early evidence for this plan at the small 15th-century synagogue of Tomar, Portugal. This paper looks at the four column tevah synagogue found in Sephardi synagogues from lands under Ottoman rule in the centuries following the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. Recent documentation in the Balkans and Turkey, as well as Syria and parts of North Africa, allows the identification of the type's distribution and the comparison of a large group of these synagogues. This allows to better determine if the type is entirely an introduction into the Muslim world, or whether it also draws on local traditions or innovations. This paper shows in what ways this type is a reminder of Sephardi architectural origins and liturgical traditions, and to what degree the form is symbolic or functional.

Notes of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical, 2023

The author looks back on his book American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Commu... more The author looks back on his book American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Community (Rizzoli, 2003), which includes a section about Temple Beth El in Providence, Rhode Island. He discusses how the book came to be, and what went in and what was left out, and what he has learned since.

Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association Notes, 2019

Describes four synagogues and a Hillel House spanning a century of Jewish settlement and building... more Describes four synagogues and a Hillel House spanning a century of Jewish settlement and building in Providence and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and in telling their history and describing their art and architecture, the author covers major developments of Jewish art and design of the 20th century.

Archivist on a Bicycle: Jiří Fiedler edited by Helen Epstein and Wilma Iggers, 2015

Personal reminiscence about Czech researcher and archivist Jiří Fiedler, authority on Czech Jewis... more Personal reminiscence about Czech researcher and archivist Jiří Fiedler, authority on Czech Jewish communities and cemeteries, who was murdered in is home in 2014.

Tablet Magazine, Dec 24, 2014

Discusses the move of the 1893 Orthodox B'nai Abraham synagogue in Brenham, Texas to a new site a... more Discusses the move of the 1893 Orthodox B'nai Abraham synagogue in Brenham, Texas to a new site at the Dell Jewish Community Campus in Austin, and puts this is a broader preservation context.

Framing Jewish Culture: Boundaries, Representations, and Exhibitions of Ethnic Difference, Jewish Cultural Studies, Vol 4 , 2014

This essay presents episodes, mostly from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, that demonst... more This essay presents episodes, mostly from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, that demonstrate how Jews existed within the spatial framework of Rome and elsewhere in medieval Christian Italy, straddling social, economic, and spatial boundaries. Using a variety of sources to physically locate Jews in Italian urban culture allows a better understanding of the civic space available to them in Italian cities in the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. Stretching from just before the promulgation of anti-Jewish decrees at the Fourth Lateran Council until the creation of the Venetian ghetto in 1516, this was a tumultuous but transformative period of Italian and Jewish history, in which Jewish communities
settled and thrived throughout the entire peninsula.

The Forward, Jan 17, 2014

About the discovery of a 1910 synagogue mural in Burlington, Vermont painted by Lithuanian-Jewish... more About the discovery of a 1910 synagogue mural in Burlington, Vermont painted by Lithuanian-Jewish artist Ben Zion Black, and its history, symbolism and the plan for conservation and presentation.

Arnold W. Brunner (1857–1925), Albert Kahn (1869–1942), and other Jewish architects played an imp... more Arnold W. Brunner (1857–1925), Albert Kahn (1869–1942), and other Jewish architects played an important role in reviving the classical style for American synagogue design at the turn of the twentieth century, putting their stamp on American Jewish identity and American architecture. The American-born Brunner was the preferred architect of New York’s Jewish establishment from the 1880s until his death. He adopted the classical style with his third New York synagogue, Congregation Shearith Israel, dedicated in 1897, and then championed the style in his extensive public writing about synagogue design. The classical style was subsequently widely accepted nationally by Reform congregations, especially in the South and Midwest. Classicism was a mediating device, and served as a new emblem of religious and civic identity. Mixing a variety of architectural and cultural traditions, Jewish architects and their patrons created a bridge between Judaism—or Jewishness—and Americanism

Ars Judaica (Volume 7), 2011

Remembering the life and work of Polish architect and architectural historian Kazimierz Maciej Pi... more Remembering the life and work of Polish architect and architectural historian Kazimierz Maciej Piechotka who with his wife Maria reintroduced the world to the marvels of Polish wooden and masonry synagogues in a series of important books and articles beginning Boznice Drewniane (1957) published in English as Wooden Synagogues in 1959. Piechotka, who fought in the Warsaw uprising and spent eight months in a German prisoner of war camp, was also an accomplished architect.

J. Malinowski, R. Piatkowska and T. Sztyma-Knasieka, eds., Jewish Artists and Central-Eastern Europe: Art Center – Identity – Heritage from the 19th Century to the Second World War, (Warsaw: Polish Society of Oriental Art and Wydawnictwo DiG, 2010), 145-154, 2010

Hundreds of thousands of Jews from Poland came to America after 1880. Many built synagogues with ... more Hundreds of thousands of Jews from Poland came to America after 1880. Many built synagogues with details recalling synagogues in their homeland. Immigrant artisans brought motifs and methods of Poland. Many of these synagogues were small, so the relationship to Polish art was on the inside in the painted and carved decoration. Established architects also had access to Polish synagogues as sources. With publication of the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901-06) images of Polish synagogues, such as the Warsaw’s Tlomackie Street Synagogue, became part of many Jewish libraries. More Polish influence came in the 1950s. Most architects were building modern synagogues, but some looked for an architecture that was also Jewish and commemorative. The catalyst was the Piechotka’s Wooden Synagogues, published in Polish in 1957 (English edition, 1959). In the 1960s and ‘70s almost every Jewish architect was studying the book. Subsequently, references to wooden synagogues have been added to scores synagogues.

Jewish Architecture in Europe. Ed. Aliza Cohen-Mushlin and Harmen H. Thies. Petersburg: Schriftenreihe der Bet Tfila Band 6, 2010. 53-65., 2010

Throughout the Middle Ages, the synagogue developed as the central identifying institution and ph... more Throughout the Middle Ages, the synagogue developed as the central identifying institution and physical building for Jews, replacing the still yearned for but increasingly distant Jerusalem Temple as the focus of Jewish identity. Equally important, the synagogue became the symbol par excellance of the Jews and their community for the Christian (or Muslim) majority populations in the countries where Jews were settled. For Christians, the synagogue was a Jewish church, but much more so, it came to symbolize in opposition all that the church represented.

Though relatively little known today, medieval synagogues were not symbolic abstractions to the men and women of the Middle Ages. They were at the very center of their religious, social and political lives. These synagogues, which were once omnipresent across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa are now, however, sparsely preserved, and in most localities their former presence is entirely forgotten. With the exception of a few buildings that still stand, such as the so-called Rashi Synagogue in Worms, Germany; the Altneushul in Prague; and the former Great Synagogue and Samuel Abulafia Ha-Levi Synagogues in Toledo, medieval synagogues receive little attention other than from a few dedicated scholars, except when their long-buried remains are uncovered. Until recently, such discoveries were mostly accidental, but a new generation of researchers is now seeking out these remains to reveal a hidden past. In the past two decades much more evidence has become available to enhance our knowledge and understanding of medieval synagogues. Some of this information is archaeological, and even more derives from the close study of documentary evidence – in Hebrew and local languages – by historians such as Yom-Tov Assis in Spain and Ariel Toaff in Italy, to whose work I am indebted.

This information, often collected in the course of other research, can be assembled to present a fairly detailed picture of synagogue architecture, decoration and use in some places for some periods of the Middle Ages. We know the general and specific distribution of medieval synagogues, and we have physical evidence for perhaps a few dozen. This paper focuses on evidence from the Mediterranean region, especially from Southern Europe. Until the 15th century, hundreds of Jewish communities populated the Iberian and Italian peninsula, and there were Jewish communities throughout the Balkans. These places had synagogues, and many had more than one. While still little physical evidence of these buildings is known (exceptions are Trani and Sermoneta in Italy and Toledo, Cordoba and Segovia in Spain), we can reconstruct much of their appearance and some aspects of their use and significance.

In Spain and Italy there were synagogues of many sizes and plan types. Many were richly decorated. There were community synagogues, private synagogues, and synagogue organized by charitable societies. The locations of synagogue were well known, but the entrances to most synagogues were often protected by exterior courtyards, rather than face directly onto the public street. Synagogue were usually imbedded into the physical as well as the social fabric of their surrounding (Jewish) communities, and prayer halls were often part of larger complexes which includes spaces for other religious and communal functions.

While the synagogue was not a distinct architectural type, it was a functional one, and the architectural and liturgical adaptations needed to produce and protect the medieval synagogue were influential in subsequent centuries. Many of our modern notions of what a synagogue looks like, how it functions, and what it signifies are present in the Middle Ages.

The Jewish Daily Forward , Jul 2007

Review of retrospective exhibition of renowned Jewish and feminist art Ruth Weisberg at the Skirb... more Review of retrospective exhibition of renowned Jewish and feminist art Ruth Weisberg at the Skirball Museum, Los Angeles.

The Jewish Daily Forward, Dec 2004

A discussion about the art and symbolism of a new Sol Lewitt sculpture at Syracuse University.

Samuel D. Gruber Dr.. "Monumenti Storici Ebraici in Europa" Nuove Tendenze in 1990-2000: Ebrei Europei Dieci ani dopo la fine del Socialismo Reale (La Rassegna Mensile d'Israel). Ed. Ruth Ellen Gruber and Laura Quercioli Mincer. , 2002. 191-218., 2002

Reviews ten years in the developing field of historic preservation of Jewish monuments, focusing ... more Reviews ten years in the developing field of historic preservation of Jewish monuments, focusing on projects in Europe, including those of the Jewish Heritage Program of the World Monuments Fund.

Metropolis, Jun 1993

This was one of the first articles published on the state of East European synagogues after the f... more This was one of the first articles published on the state of East European synagogues after the fall of Communism and the opening of the region to western scholars and preservationists for study, travel and planning work. interesting to compare what has changed in almost a quarter century, and what has not.

Ideas of Order in the Middle Ages (Acta, 15). Ed. Warren Ginsberg. , 1990. 121-135.

Discusses the deliberate urban policies that of medieval Todi, Italy that helped create a functio... more Discusses the deliberate urban policies that of medieval Todi, Italy that helped create a functioning and beautiful medieval town through explicit laws and the careful micro-planning that utilized an incremental urbanism to create an inter-connected and integrated urban environment. Many of the medieval views visitors assume are part of an "organic" growth are actually careful projections of communal power and order.

Future of Jewish Monuments Conference Program, 1990

In 1990, The Jewish Heritage Council of the The World Monuments Fund (WMF) organized the first e... more In 1990, The Jewish Heritage Council of the The World Monuments Fund (WMF) organized the first ever international conference about the preservation of historic Jewish sites and structures. This is the program of the three-day event that brought activists, scholars, and Jewish leaders from around the world and helped lay the foundation for the continuing movement of Jewish heritage historic preservation. WMF had established the Jewish Heritage Council in 1988 to further awareness of the significance and preservation needs of Jewish monuments.The Jewish Heritage Council, under the chairmanship of The Hon. Ronald S. Lauder, and directed by Samuel D. Gruber, was comprised of scholars and philanthropists who guided program selection and implementation. Jewish Heritage Council programs included surveys and technical reports, preservation planning, and the organization of financial and technical resources for restoration projects. The program later evolved into the ongoing Jewish Heritage Program of WMF.

Unpublished paper delivered in 1992 at the College Art Association Annual meeting, Chicago, Febru... more Unpublished paper delivered in 1992 at the College Art Association Annual meeting, Chicago, February 1992 in the session "The Destruction of Cultural Property." This paper now may be of some historical interest as it was one of the first attempts in an academic setting after 1990 to define the destruction of Jewish heritage in Eastern Europe during the Holocaust. The paper was subsequently quoted - almost verbatim - in the book "The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War." by Robert Bevan (London: Reaktion books, 2006), 50 ff.

Program for The Center for Jewish Art's International Workshop on 'Synagogue Wall Paintings: Re... more Program for The Center for Jewish Art's International Workshop on
'Synagogue Wall Paintings: Research, Preservation, Presentation,"
which will take place at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at September 13-14, 2016.

A distinctive synagogue form includes some variation of a central readers’ platform (tevah) surro... more A distinctive synagogue form includes some variation of a central readers’ platform (tevah) surrounded by columns or piers. There is early evidence for this plan at the small 15th-century synagogue of Tomar, Portugal. This paper looks at the four column tevah synagogue found in Sephardi synagogues from lands under Ottoman rule in the centuries following the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. Recent documentation in the Balkans and Turkey, as well as Syria and parts of North Africa, allows the identification of the type's distribution and the comparison of a large group of these synagogues. This allows to better determine if the type is entirely an introduction into the Muslim world, or whether it also draws on local traditions or innovations. This paper shows in what ways this type is a reminder of Sephardi architectural origins and liturgical traditions, and to what degree the form is symbolic or functional.

The rediscovered lost mural of the former Chai Adam Synagogue in Burlington, VT reveals a painted... more The rediscovered lost mural of the former Chai Adam Synagogue in Burlington, VT reveals a painted window onto a vanished past. Dr. Samuel Gruber, international expert on Jewish art and architecture, Murray Zimiles, painter, curator and authority on Jewish folk art, and Ann-Isabel Friedman, Director, Sacred Sites Program, New York Landmarks Conservancy discuss the cultural, artistic and religious context for this historic Jewish treasure.

Video of the first of two lectures in Burlington, Vermont on the 75th anniversary of Kristallnach... more Video of the first of two lectures in Burlington, Vermont on the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, when remembered a world destroyed from 1938-45; but we also recognized through the power of the Chai Adam mural the reality of survival, renewal, and restoration. The Chai Adam mural is a rediscovered time capsule from a Jewish history lost through the destruction of the Holocaust and the modernization of American Jews.

This illustrated talk introduces the history, art, and iconography of the mural in the context of Eastern European Judaism and the realities and aspirations of Jewish American immigrants. Today, these aspirations include the plans of Ohavi Zedek Synagogue congregants to save the mural for future generations as part of a decades- long and growing international interest in protecting and preserving Jewish art, history, and Holocaust remembrance. The mural is an unexpected survivor and will be preserved through a world-wide fundraising campaign.

Beautifully illustrated summary of the Managing Jewish Immovable Heritage conference held in Krak... more Beautifully illustrated summary of the Managing Jewish Immovable Heritage conference held in Krakow in April, 2013, for which Samuel D. Gruber was keynote speaker.

Images, 2020

Review of Synagogues in Hungary 1782–1918 Genealogy, Typology and Architectural Significance, wri... more Review of Synagogues in Hungary 1782–1918 Genealogy, Typology and Architectural Significance, written by Rudolf Klein.

Architectural Record, Mar 2014

Review of Kabbalah in Art and Architecture by Alexander Gorlin. (Pointed Leaf Press, 2013).

Tablet Magazine: A New Read on Jewish Life, Sep 2, 2009

Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (June 2000), Jun 2000

Renaissance Quarterly (Spring 1997), 313-15, 1997

Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 55:3 (September, 1996), Sep 1996

Design Book Review #19 (winter 1991), 1991

Design Book Review, 1989

Book review of volume about architecture of important medieval Central Italian monastery.

Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, XLVIII:4 (Dec. 1989), 403-405, Dec 1989

About the 1993 demolition of the 1908 Seattle Reform Temple and its replacement with a small memo... more About the 1993 demolition of the 1908 Seattle Reform Temple and its replacement with a small memorial park utilizing some elements of the destroyed building. Part of a more general discussion about how and why to save synagogue ruins.

About the painted "mazoles" (zodiac signs) in New York's Stanton Street Shul.

About the architecture, art and historic preservation of New York City's Stanton street Shul, a r... more About the architecture, art and historic preservation of New York City's Stanton street Shul, a rare "tenement shul" survivor.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments, Nov 29, 2016

About the Field of Honor monument and cemetery within Berlin's Weissensee Jewish Cemetery. Many i... more About the Field of Honor monument and cemetery within Berlin's Weissensee Jewish Cemetery. Many illustrations.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments, Nov 14, 2016

Discusses and describes progress and problems in the retrieval of gravestone fragments originally... more Discusses and describes progress and problems in the retrieval of gravestone fragments originally from the Uzupis Cemetery in Vilnius and removed during the Soviet Era.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments, Nov 10, 2016

A history and update of the ongoing restoration of the wooden synagogue at Žiežmariai, Lithuania.

History and architecture with photos of Temple B'nai Israel, Natchez, Mississippi (1905)

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments, Mar 29, 2016

Illustrated discussion of history and iconography early 20th-century wall paintings in the former... more Illustrated discussion of history and iconography early 20th-century wall paintings in the former Beit Tehilim Prayer House in Prague and questions of how the space should best be used and the painting presented.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments, Jan 25, 2016

Discusses representations of Jews, especially the representation of the Vilna Gaon, in the sculpt... more Discusses representations of Jews, especially the representation of the Vilna Gaon, in the sculpture of Vilnius, Lithuania.

Brief illustrated account of history, architecture and historic preservation of the Choral Synago... more Brief illustrated account of history, architecture and historic preservation of the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments, Dec 3, 2015

Description and analysis of Congregation Kesher Israel, James William Minick, arch. (1949). the b... more Description and analysis of Congregation Kesher Israel, James William Minick, arch. (1949). the buildings is a fine example of modern design employed by a Orthodox congregation in the years immediately following World War II.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments, Dec 2, 2015

Discussion of history and design of 19th Uzupis Cemetery (also known as the Olandų street cemeter... more Discussion of history and design of 19th Uzupis Cemetery (also known as the Olandų street cemetery and formerly as the Zaretcha Street cemetery) in Vilnius, and the course of its destruction during the Soviet period and the slow but continuing process of its rediscovery and protection.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments, Nov 22, 2015

Description and analysis of important modernist synagogue designed in early 1960s by Werner Selig... more Description and analysis of important modernist synagogue designed in early 1960s by Werner Seligmann in Binghamton, NY.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments, Nov 29, 2015

Description and analysis of Binghamton, NY's expressive modernist Temple Concord, built in 1964.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments, Nov 20, 2015

Discussion of history and current state of research, excavation and presentation of site of Great... more Discussion of history and current state of research, excavation and presentation of site of Great synagogue of Vilnius,
Lithuania.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments, Apr 16, 2015

Starting with the unusual form of the now-demolished Temple Beth El in New York (Brunner & Tryon,... more Starting with the unusual form of the now-demolished Temple Beth El in New York (Brunner & Tryon, 1891) this blogpost traces the development of the high front dome on synagogues in the late 19th and early 20th century from Torino and Berlin to Chicago and New York and back to Europe.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments, Feb 2, 2015

About American sculptor Elbert Weinberg's works Procession I and Procession II and their present-... more About American sculptor Elbert Weinberg's works Procession I and Procession II and their present-day situations.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments, Jan 26, 2015

About the old cemetery of Beth Elohim Synagogue in Charleston, South Carolina. It is the second o... more About the old cemetery of Beth Elohim Synagogue in Charleston, South Carolina. It is the second oldest Jewish cemetery in North America.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish art & Archtiecture, Jan 25, 2015

About the architecture of the Moshe Safdie-designed Harvard Hillel house in Cambridge, Massachuse... more About the architecture of the Moshe Safdie-designed Harvard Hillel house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, opening in 2014.

Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments, Jan 25, 2015

About the history and adaptive reuse of the former Gates of Prayer Synagogue in New Orleans, Loui... more About the history and adaptive reuse of the former Gates of Prayer Synagogue in New Orleans, Louisiana, built in the 1860s.

A decade ago (2004) an article advocating for the restoration of the Gustav Stickley House in Syr... more A decade ago (2004) an article advocating for the restoration of the Gustav Stickley House in Syracuse, origin point for much of the Craftsman style in architecture and home design. The project is now finally beginning (2016).

Post-Standard, The (Syracuse, NY) , Jan 2003

(Syracuse) Post-Standard , Feb 24, 2002

Lead article in Sunday Opinion Section re 19th century Abolitionist Rev. Jermaine Loguen.

The New York Times, Jul 3, 2001

Syracuse Herald American (NY), Apr 1, 2001

The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY) , Nov 12, 1999

Discussion of Syracuse's Butternut Street corridor and related issues in response to a suggestion... more Discussion of Syracuse's Butternut Street corridor and related issues in response to a suggestion by Andras Duany.

Paragraph The purpose of the Hawley-Green Street Historic District Boundary Expansion is to inclu... more Paragraph The purpose of the Hawley-Green Street Historic District Boundary Expansion is to include historic areas adjacent to the original district that were not included in the 1979 nomination but are similar in architectural character, period, and urban form. The existing district is located on the near north side of the City of Syracuse and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. That district includes 56 properties primarily located along one block of Hawley Avenue and two blocks of Green Street. Within the original district, fifty-two buildings are contributing; four are non-contributing; and six listed buildings have been lost to demolition. This nomination updates and reassesses the 1979 building list (which was incomplete) and describes an additional 133 properties, of which 108 are contributing resources. Ninety-six are homes or commercial buildings; one (Finegan Park) is a site; and eleven are carriage sheds or garages. The new boundaries (within the rough triangle created by Hawley Avenue, Lodi Street, and Wayne Street) better conform to the original description of Hawley-Green as encompassing "a variety of economic classes, ethnic heritages, and functions in close proximity."

Selected Protestant Historic Monuments and Sites in Bulgaria, 2013

Report of detailed survey of pre-Communist era buildings and sites of significance to Protestant ... more Report of detailed survey of pre-Communist era buildings and sites of significance to Protestant Christian communities in Bulgaria. the survey was mostly carried out in 2005-2006 by field researcher Stephen Lewis. Others participated and contributed to the report which was written and primarily edited by Samuel D. Gruber.

2011 published report of US Commission sponsored survey of Jewish synagogues, former synagogues a... more 2011 published report of US Commission sponsored survey of Jewish synagogues, former synagogues and cemeteries in Bulgaria carried out in 2005 and 2006, with participation of members of the Jewish community of Bulgaria. The report PDF is in two parts.

2011 published report of US Commission sponsored survey of Jewish synagogues, former synagogues a... more 2011 published report of US Commission sponsored survey of Jewish synagogues, former synagogues and cemeteries in Bulgaria carried out in 2005 and 2006, with participation of members of the Jewish community of Bulgaria. The report PDF is in two parts.

2011 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad o... more 2011 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on historic Jewish sites in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Includes information on the history and current conditions of synagogues, cemeteries, and holocaust memorials. Ivan Ceresnjes was the primary field researcher.

2010 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad o... more 2010 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on historic Jewish sites in Romania. Includes information on the history and current conditions of synagogues, cemeteries, and Holocaust memorials. A picture index is provided as a separate PDF.

Supporting images for the 2010 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of A... more Supporting images for the 2010 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on historic Jewish sites in Romania.

2010 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad o... more 2010 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on historic Muslim monuments and sites in Bulgaria. Includes information on the history of Bulgaria's Muslims, as well as history and current conditions of important sites and monuments. Stephen Lewis was the primary researcher on the project.

2009 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad o... more 2009 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on Roma historical and cultural heritage sites in Poland. Includes information on the history and current conditions of various sites, includes places of martyrdom, places of pilgrimage, settlements, cemeteries, museums, and commemorative sites

2005 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad o... more 2005 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on Jewish cemeteries, synagogues, and mass graves in Ukraine. Includes information on the history, current conditions, and preservation efforts of Jewish heritage sites.

1994 report to the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on ... more 1994 report to the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on historic Jewish monuments in the Czech Republic. Includes information on the history of Judaism in Poland, as well as information on the history and conditions of synagogues, cemeteries, ghettos, Jewish quarters, and other sites related to Jewish heritage. There are also notes on Czech preservation laws and destroyed synagogues.

1995 report to the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on ... more 1995 report to the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on historic Jewish sites in Poland. Includes information on the history of Judaism in Poland, as well as the history and current conditions of synagogues and cemeteries

Borderlands , 2023

Forward to Christian Herrmann's photo book Borderlands (Berlin: Lukas Verlag, 2023), a stunning c... more Forward to Christian Herrmann's photo book Borderlands (Berlin: Lukas Verlag, 2023), a stunning colleciton of images of abandoned and ruined Jewish sites in Eastern Europe. This introduction puts Herrmann's work in historical context - both about the history of photographing Jewish sites, and their (sometimes) documentation and preservation.

Fine, Steven, ed. Jewish Religious Architecture: From Biblical Israel to Modern Judaism (Leiden: Brill, 2019)., 2019

An overview of the development, ideals and trends in 20th-century synagogue design.

Fine, Steven, ed. Jewish Religious Architecture: From Biblical Israel to Modern Judaism (Leiden: Brill), 275-286., 2019

Discusses major trends in the development of the design of synagogues in Italy.

In Mickey Abel, ed. "Medieval Urban Planning: The Monastery and Beyond, " pp 197-217., 2017

An analysis of the small decisions taken over time to create the form and texture of a medeival ... more An analysis of the small decisions taken over time to create the form and texture of a medeival Italian town, in this case the Umbrian hilltown of Todi.

Jewish Sanctuary in the Atlantic World: A Social and Architectural History, 2014

Puts this study in context and especially discusses Jewish history and architecture in Caribbean.

The Synagogues of Central and Western Pennsylvania, 2014

Giambattista Nolli and Rome: Mapping the City before and after the Pianta Grande, 2013

This paper examines how the Ghetto of Rome was represented in the many view-plans and maps of Rom... more This paper examines how the Ghetto of Rome was represented in the many view-plans and maps of Rome from the 16th through 18th centuries, and how this mapping both tells us much about the physical appearance of the Ghetto and also how it was perceived by others in particular and presented to others more generally.

The Archaeology of Medieval Europe. Ed. Martin Carver. Aarhus University Press, 2011. 377-381.

Discusses the nature of medieval Jewish cemeteries, and review several notable excavations of Jew... more Discusses the nature of medieval Jewish cemeteries, and review several notable excavations of Jewish cemeteries, with attention to the results attained and the controversy over the excavation of Jewish graves, with Orthodox Jews view as inviolate.

The Archaeology of Medieval Europe. Ed. Martin Carver. Aarhus University Press, 2011. 340-346., 2011

Presents briefly the types of medieval Jewish buildings (synagogues, mikva'ot, etc) in Europe and... more Presents briefly the types of medieval Jewish buildings (synagogues, mikva'ot, etc) in Europe and the places and ways these buildings have been discovered, and how they have been excavated and interpreted.

The Archaeology of Medieval Europe. Ed. Martin Carver. Aarhus University Press, 2011. 312-316., 2011

An introduction to the archaeology of Jewish historic sites in Europe, especially from the Middle... more An introduction to the archaeology of Jewish historic sites in Europe, especially from the Middle Ages. The essay discusses the origin of the field of study and some of the pertinent historical, archaeological, ethical and interpretive developments and issues that have arisen since the 19th century.

The Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism & Jewish Culture. Ed. Judith R. Baskin. Cambridge University Press, 2011. 574-576., 2011

The Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism & Jewish Culture. Ed. Judith R. Baskin. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 577-579., 2011

Ebrei Piemontese (New York: Yeshiva University Museum, 2008)., 2008

History, description and analysis of synagogues of Piedmont, Italy.

Jewish Identity in Contemporary Architecture. Ed. Angeli Sachs and Edward van Voolen. Prestel, 2004. 21-31., 2004

Examines the way in which Jewish identity is expressed in the architecture of modern synagogues a... more Examines the way in which Jewish identity is expressed in the architecture of modern synagogues and other Jewish-purpose buildings, and also how these very buildings help shape contemproary Jewish identity.

Scribner's Dictionary of the Middle Ages. , 1990

Survey of the architectural aspects of medieval urbanism in Western Europe.

Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbansim

List of Illustrations, Abbreviations & Acknowledgements

Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbansim, 1998

Abstract and Table of Contents of Doctoral Dissertation (Columbia University, 1998)

Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbansim, 1998

Chapter one of Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbanism. This is a study of the Umb... more Chapter one of Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbanism.

This is a study of the Umbrian hill town of Todi, with special attention given to the town's medieval architecture and its urban form. Todi in many ways typifies the smaller independent communes that thrived in much of Italy between the late 11th and mid-14th centuries, and offers an exceptionally large selection of well-preserved houses of the 13th and 14th centuries. Todi preserves in its at first apparently chaotic plan, traces of many planning initiatives relating to trends in Italian urban planning and design. The first chapter discusses the relevant literature on medieval Italian cities with particular reference to methodology. Todi's history, topography, architecture are considered within the context of the town's overall urban scheme.

Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbansim, 1998

Chapter II reviews Todi’s history, with particular attention given to the later Middle Ages, when... more Chapter II reviews Todi’s history, with particular attention given to the later Middle Ages, when Todi was most prosperous, and its urban form was most developed.

Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbansim, 1998

Chapter III discusses Todi’s site and relationship to its territory, including the rural infrastr... more Chapter III discusses Todi’s site and relationship to its territory, including the rural infrastructure that were necessary for political and economic expansion; and focuses on the infrastructure of the city itself, tracing the development of the major topographic features within the walls, and describing the history and form of the three wall circuits and their gates.

Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbansim, 1998

Chapter IV continues the analysis of Todi's urban structure by describing the medieval streets an... more Chapter IV continues the analysis of Todi's urban structure by describing the medieval streets and neighborhoods, indicating major circulation routes and the centers of public and private life.

Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbansim, 1998

Chapter V continues the analysis of Todi's urban structure by describing the development, use and... more Chapter V continues the analysis of Todi's urban structure by describing the development, use and architecture of Todi's main piazza.

Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbansim, 1998

Chapter VI continues the analysis of Todi's urban structure by describing the water system, inclu... more Chapter VI continues the analysis of Todi's urban structure by describing the water system, including the use and disposition of fountains, wells, cisterns, sewers and drains.

Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbansim, 1998

Chapter VII reviews the literature concerning medieval Italian houses and looks closely at the h... more Chapter VII reviews the literature concerning medieval Italian houses and looks closely at the house types of Todi. An examination of some of Todi's well-preserved 13th and 14th century housing stock sheds light on one of the most important contributions of the medieval Italian town. The chapter identifies the typology of houses, details of house design, documentary evidence for ownership and use, and the process of transformation of medieval houses in subsequent centuries.

Medieval Todi: Studies in Architecture and Urbansim, 1998

Chapter VIII focuses on the details concerning the means and methods of building in medieval Todi... more Chapter VIII focuses on the details concerning the means and methods of building in medieval Todi, and evidence for the construction industry.

Brochure of exhibition with short essays about ceramic work by Jonathan Adler.

College of Charleston Special Collections, Mar 2015

Curated by Samuel D. Gruber, Sarah Glover, and Amy Lazarus, the online exhibit contains 76 items ... more Curated by Samuel D. Gruber, Sarah Glover, and Amy Lazarus, the online exhibit contains 76 items selected from the William A. Rosenthall Judaica Collection at the College of Charleston, one of the largest accessible collections of imagery related to synagogues and other aspects of Jewish life and culture around the world. The exhibit is divided into nine sections, exploring topics ranging from synagogue building and dedications to the celebration of life cycle events and festivals to the varied contributions of women. These images offer a broad understanding of the history of synagogue architecture and design, in addition to shedding light on the lives, customs, and religious practices of the people within the four walls of the synagogue.

Silent Witnesses: Migration Stories Through Synagogues Transformed, Rebuilt or Abandoned (Farmington Hills, MI, 2012), 2012

Catalog essay in Silent Witnesses: Migration Stories Through Synagogues Transformed, Rebuilt or A... more Catalog essay in Silent Witnesses: Migration Stories Through Synagogues Transformed, Rebuilt or Abandoned (Farmington Hills, MI, 2012) that deals with Jewish settlement and migration in American cities (especially New York, Boston and Cleveland) and the religious and community buildings erected and left behind in the process.

Exhibition catalogue essay in Shirley Moskowitz: a Half Century of Art (January 19-February 9, 1996). , 1996

Essay about the life and art of Shirley Moskowitz for catalog of retrospective exhibit

Message from the Chairman One of the principal missions that United States law assigns the Commis... more Message from the Chairman One of the principal missions that United States law assigns the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad is to identify and report on cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings in Central and Eastern Europe associated with the cultural heritage of U.S. citizens, especially endangered sites. The Congress and the President were prompted to establish the Commission because of the special problem faced by Jewish sites in the region: The communities that had once cared for the properties were annihilated during the Holocaust. The atheistic Communist Party dictatorships that succeeded the Nazis throughout most of the region were insensitive to American Jewish concerns about the preservation of the sites. Properties were converted to other uses or encroached upon by development. Natural deterioration was not counteracted. Vandalism often went unchecked. This report identifies and discusses Jewish cemeteries, synagogue buildings, and Holocaust mass graves located within the borders of present-day Ukraine. Many of these sites are endangered. I hope that the report will encourage preservation efforts and assist American Jews of Ukrainian descent to connect with the last remnants of their heritage in Ukraine. The Commission is also required by U.S. law to seek assurances from the governments of the region regarding the protection and preservation of these cultural heritage properties. I am pleased to note that the Governments of the United States and Ukraine entered into a Commission-negotiated agreement regarding the protection and preservation of places of worship, historic sites, cemeteries, and memorials in 1994. The agreement covers the sites identified in this report. I. INTRODUCTION: I.1 About the Survey Millions of American Jews can trace their ancestry to the Pale of Settlement, a large territory of czarist Russia where Jews were legally authorized to live throughout the 19 th century until restrictions were lifted in 1917. 1 Established after the second partition of Poland in 1793 and subsequently expanded, the Pale of Settlement included within its boundaries part of present day Poland, and much of what is now Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. According to an 1897 census, 4,899,300 Jews lived within the Pale, forming 94 percent of the Jewish population of Russia, and 11.6% of the total population of this area. Because of the substantial Jewish population, the area contains the largest concentration of Jewish historic sites in the world, despite the destruction in the Second World War and during the communist era. In 1994, the Commission released its full survey of Jewish sites within the boundaries of modern Poland, part of which was previously in the Pale. 2 A revised edition was released the following year. This report, which covers modern Ukraine, is a natural continuation of that survey. Some of the territory included, however, is located outside the Pale of Settlement, including areas open to Jewish settlement in earlier and later times. The survey includes the historic Jewish communities of Galicia-in western Ukraine, but also large areas to the east and south that have somewhat different traditions and history. In these areas, in many cases settled by Jews only in the 19 th century, large populations survived the Second World War and continue today. Despite emigration from Ukraine, several cities, including Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, and Odesa located within the Pale of Settlement, and Kharkiv, which was not, have substantial and active Jewish communities today. Of the once vast number of cemeteries, synagogues, communal buildings and other significant Jewish cultural sites, a small number function today, and only a small part of the total are even recognizable for what they once were. The Nazi destruction of Jewish buildings and cemeteries had the goal of eradicating every trace of Jewish existence. This was preceded by Soviet expropriation of many Jewish communal sites, including the destruction of cemeteries. The Nazi devastation in Ukraine was followed by a half century of neglect of most of those places that managed to survive. Government is much more open to preservation of the sites now but halting and reversing deterioration, and correcting the effects of mindless and inappropriate change, which is still an enormous task.

The House of Representatives-Senate Conference Committee on the Fiscal Year 2002 Departments of C... more The House of Representatives-Senate Conference Committee on the Fiscal Year 2002 Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriation Act directed the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad to develop a plan for the preservation and interpretation of sites associated with the lives and deeds of foreign born heroes of the American Revolution. Ten heroes were identified by name (Table I, page 13). Any others were to be determined by the Commission. The Conference, incorporating language initially stated by the Senate Appropriations Committee, also directed the Commission to deliver a preliminary survey to the Congress' Committees on Appropriations not later than July 4, 2002. This document is the preliminary survey. The preliminary survey reviewed the biographies of scores of individuals who were both foreign-born and participated to some degree in the military and political activities during the American Revolution and the founding of our country. From these, the survey identified 11 heroes (Table II, page 14) in addition to the 10 initially identified by the Senate Appropriations Committee who deserve special attention due to their contributions to American independence. The survey also identified specific sites and monuments abroad that are associated with the lives and deeds of the heroes, and noted whether these sites are currently marked in any way. At the same time, the survey also identified a number of other individuals who made notable contributions to the Revolution but who the survey did not consider to be "heroes." Some sites associated with these individuals were also identified. The identification of individuals and sites was done through the Commission's own research and through consultations with patriotic and historical organizations in Europe and the United States and with foreign governments. To put the results in perspective, it should be noted that many of the heroes included in this survey are more recognized and commemorated with monuments, memorials, and special events here in the United States than they are in their native countries.

La Rassegna Mensile Di Israel, 2002

1994 report to the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad... more 1994 report to the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on historic Jewish monuments in the Czech Republic. Includes information on the history of Judaism in Poland, as well as information on the history and conditions of synagogues, cemeteries, ghettoes, jewish quarters, and other sites related to Jewish heritage. There are also notes on Czech preservation

Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 1996