Historic Churches 2020

36 BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 27 TH ANNUAL EDITION The Jewish story in the 20th century became one of transitions, with massive and often tragic population loss and displacement, culminating in the catastrophe of the Holocaust. In the 19th century, nine out of ten Jews lived in Europe, today it is one out of ten. In countries such as Poland and Lithuania which were once the heartlands of the Jewish people in Europe, entire communities have largely disappeared and the architecture of the places they lived and worshipped has become the last testament to a vibrant Jewish past. If this heritage disappears, it will mean there will be no physical evidence of Jewish existence. By saving this heritage we remember, celebrate and honour these lost Jewish communities. These sites offer invaluable Natural migration of the Jewish population in Wales away from Merthyr Tydfil during the 20th century resulted in the sale of the synagogue in 1983. Presently vacant, it has been officially designated a building at risk. insights into Jewish life and its impact on wider society, and they can be used as powerful places of education. Crucially, they can help build greater understanding and empathy, while also combating the worrying tide of prejudice and intolerance which is re-emerging across Europe. Jewish heritage can be used to serve an urgent contemporary purpose . This is the view that drives the work of the UK-based Foundation for Jewish Heritage which was established to work internationally on the preservation of Jewish heritage. It has attracted distinguished support and its Trustees include Sir Simon Schama, Lord Daniel Finkelstein, Dame Helen Hyde and the Rt Hon Jim Murphy and features as Friends Sir Anish Kapoor, Lord Julian Fellowes, Stephen Fry and Simon Sebag Montefiore. It also has 57 heritage specialists serving on its International Advisory Panel. The Foundation took the early decision to focus its efforts on synagogue buildings. These are the most emblematic feature of Jewish communities and much more than simply a place of worship. The synagogue was the main public space of the Jewish community and its symbolic representation. Jews and wider society assigned the synagogues special importance as the embodiment of Jewish communal and religious life. The urban situation and exterior appearance of the synagogue often reflected the position of the Jewish community within the structure of local society, ranging from assimilation to ‘ghettoization’. Cultural assimilation became more prevalent with the Enlightenment which brought Jewish emancipation to Europe. During this period synagogues went through a major visual transformation as Jews sought to demonstrate that they were now full European citizens, often deciding that the synagogue should match the church in look and splendour. As a first task, the Foundation therefore commissioned unprecedented research to map all the historic synagogues of Europe. Importantly, this included rating each in order to identify the most important sites in greatest danger. The research identified 3,237 historic synagogue buildings remaining in Europe today, compared to 17,000 synagogues on the eve of World War II – less than one in five. Of those that had survived, 757 – nearly a quarter – were in sufficiently poor condition to be deemed at risk, with only 718 still functioning as synagogues: more than three-quarters are being used for other purposes or are abandoned. Since the main architectural characteristic of the synagogue is its large prayer hall, it is a highly adaptable building type. The survey found that those no longer serving their original function had been put to a wide variety of uses, from places of worship for other faiths to cultural, domestic, and commercial premises. Regardless, 300 former synagogues stand today abandoned. The percentage of synagogues that survived the war significantly differs from country to country and, in general, it is much lower in the east of Europe compared to the west. Especially tragic was the fate of former synagogues in countries under communist rule where many were demolished, reconfigured, or left derelict. Although the state of preservation is significantly better in the west, reduced Jewish communities have often struggled to maintain numerous synagogues. In Britain, unaffected by the Holocaust, the migration of the Jewish population from smaller to larger cities and from city centre neighbourhoods to the suburbs has left many historic synagogues neglected, sold and in some instances demolished. A prime example of this shift can be seen in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. In the 19th century Merthyr was the industrial powerhouse of Wales and its largest town. There had been a Jewish presence here since the 1830s and the construction of a synagogue in the 1870s reflected a community that was growing and prospering. Today, the building is Grade II listed, and is not only the oldest purpose-built synagogue in Wales but it is also considered to be one of the UK’s most important architecturally. However, the region’s economic decline in the 20th century impacted the Jewish community too, leading ultimately to its demise. The synagogue Ground breaking research undertaken by the Foundation for Jewish Heritage led to the production of a map charting all extant historic synagogues in Europe. Each surviving building has been rated in terms of condition to identify those most at risk.

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