Modern Synagogues (original) (raw)
Related papers
Synagogue Typology in the 19th Century
Synagogues represent the longest surviving sacred building type of the Western Hemisphere with a two and a half thousand year old history. However, architecturally this continuity is more fragmented than the relatively shorter history of churches or mosques as Jewish people migrated frequently and Judaism was almost indifferent to the realm of the visual. Still, some types did develop in places of longer Jewish sojourn—antique and Byzantine synagogue types in Eretz Israel, Iberian synagogues until expulsion in 1492, Ashkenazi types in the Rhineland and Central Europe until medieval eviction and the Eastern-Central European, Polish-Lithuanian-Moravian types until modernity. Modernity, the last period of western (Christian) culture, no longer blatantly contradicted Jewish tradition as was the case in previous epochs and some cultural convergence had taken place. This and Jewish emancipation contributed to the dissolution of the last surviving tradition of Central-Eastern and East European synagogue architecture. Traditional types were replaced in the 19th century by new ones in which link between architectural style, composition of volumes, space conception, structure, decoration and many other facets of architecture were deconstructed. This paper tries to establish a system in this apparently free picking of architectural elements.
Exceptionally Jewish: Israeli Synagogue Architecture in the 1960s and 1970s
This article examines three exceptional synagogues designed in Israel in the 1960s and 1970s. It aims to explore the tension between these iconic structures and the artworks integrated into them. The investigation of each case study is comprised of a survey of the architecture and interior design, and of ceremonial objects and Jewish art pieces. Against the backdrop of contemporary international trends, the article distinguishes between adopted styles and genuine (i.e., originally conceived) design processes. The case studies reveal a shared tendency to abstract religious symbolism while formulating a new Jewish-national visual canon.
A New Orthodox Synagogue in Manhattan: Decision-Making and Design
Arts
The Lincoln Square Synagogue, the largest Orthodox synagogue built in Manhattan during the last half century, was established in 1964 but moved in 2013 to a new building nearby, designed after the firm of CetraRuddy Architects, won a design competition. The present article is based on interviews with building committee members, the rabbi, and the architects as well as on press accounts and a book about the congregation’s history. The article recounts the process of designing the building, assesses the successful results, and provides future building committee members with ideas, caveats, and evaluations of design procedures.
The Architectural Origins of the Great Early Modern Urban Synagogue
Leo Baeck InstituteYear Book, 2011
Throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, synagogues across Christian Europe were generally small and, as far as their exteriors were concerned, they adhered to prevailing norms of vernacular architecture, so as to be ‘‘invisible’’ or at least unrecognizable as houses of worship.1 This was not just a defensive measure by Jews in order to avoid unwanted attention but was also a result of the restrictions placed upon the Jewish populace by the government which required that they be inconspicuous. Synagogues are important artifacts of Jewish material culture. Their size renders them immovable and they represent a substantial investment in resources.This either requires a communal investment or a significant sum from a benevolent benefactor. Like any form of art, a statement is made through the production, visibility, and maintenance of synagogue architecture. Therefore a ‘‘great synagogue’’ constitutes a much larger, more pronounced statement. The cultural meaning of a great synagogue can be echoed, and thus reinforced, when aspects of its architectural design are duplicated elsewhere.
Italian Synagogues from 1492 to the Present
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.
The Modern Israeli Synagogue as an Experiment in Jewish Tradition
Israel as a Modern Architectural Experimental Lab, 1948–1978. , 2019
The present chapter analyses the exceptional designs of three synagogues built during Israel’s first three decades of statehood. In the reviewed period, Israeli architecture was devoted to the building of a nation and the forging of a new Jewish and Israeli identity. The architecture of several synagogues built in that period is characterized by exceptional expressive features. Such are the synagogues reviewed in this chapter: the Central Synagogue in Nazareth Illit, designed by architect Nahum Zolotov (1960–1968); the Military Officers’ School Synagogue in Mitzpe Ramon, designed by architects Alfred Neumann and Zvi Hecker (1967–1969); and the Heichal Yehuda Synagogue in Tel Aviv, designed by architect Yitzhak Toledano and structural engineer Aharon Rousso (1972–1980). Architectural historian Amiram Harlap describes these synagogues in his book, where he portrays them as expressing Jewish symbols and ideas. I maintain that Harlap’s interpretation contributed to these buildings’ later reception as canonical Israeli synagogues. The present research investigates the tension between the synagogues’ designs and their interpretations. My argument is that this tension represents the consolidation process of Jewish national identity in Israel’s formative years.
2019 Early Modern Synagogues in Central and Eastern Europe
Jewish Religious Architecture: From Biblical Israel to Modern Judaism, 2019
Original essay on synagogue architecture with insights into social and intellectual history, visual symbolism, folklore and local customs; includes section on alternative prayer spaces in Hasidism. A Leiden-Boston: Brill publication, edited by Steven Fine.
Women Design Synagogues: Gender Insights into the History of Modern Israeli Synagogue Architecture
Israel Studies, 2023
Women have been active as architects in Israel since 1921, designing projects of varied types and scales, including synagogues. The first woman to design a modern synagogue in the country was Judith Segall Stolzer, who in 1935, won a prestigious competition for Hadera’s central synagogue. A few decades later Genia Averbuch designed three synagogues in a remarkably innovative modern style. These female architects were noteworthy partners in the endeavor to develop a local style in the design of synagogues. This article engages with four synagogues designed by two of the country’s first female architects and explores their symbolic style against the built environment of the day. It examines the architectural planning process – references, concepts, and ideas – as well as the unusual commissioning of women as architects for these projects, with an emphasis on their contribution to Israeli culture, the development of a local style in modern architecture, and synagogue design.
Delivered at “Synagogue Wall Paintings: Research, Preservation, Presentation,” International Workshop, The Center for Jewish Art, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, September 13–14, 2016