And some better news from Germany (WSJ June 21, 2000)
abe kohen
Influx of East European Jews Spurs Building
And Inspires Audacious Design in Germany
By DAGMAR AALUND and DAVID WESSEL
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
KASSEL, Germany -- Germany's newest synagogue opened here three weeks ago.
It has a Bauhaus-influenced architecture that would be at home just about
anywhere in the world.
But the 21-foot-high doors of the ark that holds the Torah scrolls are
another story: They are scratched on the outside, and the glass inside is
cracked and broken, an apparent reference to the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom
in which most German synagogues were destroyed.
The Kassel synagogue and others going up in Germany to accommodate an influx
of Eastern European Jews raise delicate architectural issues: How do you
design a meaningful synagogue in the land of the Holocaust? Do you forget
history, or take pains to acknowledge it? Should Jews be confronted with
their tragic past at a regular place of worship?
Inside the doors of the ark in Germany's newest synagogue, in Kassel, the
glass is cracked as a reminder of the infamous Kristallnacht pogrom of 1938
"I don't think these buildings should be a monument to the Holocaust. But
you can't ignore it -- there must be context and traces there," says Alfred
Jacoby, the 49-year-old Frankfurt architect who designed the Kassel building
and has designed more synagogues in the past decade in Germany than anyone
else.
Since 1990, Germany's Jewish community has more than doubled to 81,000
members. Most of that increase has come from the 50,000 Jews emigrating from
Russia, the Ukraine and other former Soviet states. Germany's central
Council of Jews estimates the Jewish community could swell to 120,000 within
the next four years. Kassel's Jewish population has grown to nearly 800 from
around 80 just a decade ago.
As a result, the small synagogues used after the war aren't adequate.
Darmstadt, Heidelberg, Aachen and Offenbach have built new synagogues in the
past decade, all designed by Mr. Jacoby. Mainz selected Cologne-based
architect Manuel Herz to design its planned synagogue, although the project
appears to be running into financing problems. This month, ground will be
broken for a controversial new synagogue in Dresden designed by architects
Wandel, Hoefer, Lorch + Hirsch, based in Saarbruecken and Frankfurt.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, architects designed German synagogues as
big, stately and magnificent as the other proud buildings of the time -- as
if to say that Jews were fully integrated into German society. In Dresden,
Gottfried Semper built a Romanesque synagogue that was an integral part of
the famous "Elbe Panorama" -- destroyed in World War II -- that also
featured the 18th-century Zwinger Palace and Semper's opera house.
In the decade after the war, in contrast, new German synagogues were wary
and withdrawn, inconspicuous buildings set back from the street and hidden
behind greenery, including one in Wiesbaden designed by Mr. Jacoby's father.
The new synagogues in Germany show more confidence. In Kassel, the
synagogue's monolithic cedar facade featuring a Star of David is directly on
the street. Abstract, modern designs are coming to the fore as a way to
provide a comfortable place for worship while using symbols and metaphors to
preserve the context of history and the Holocaust.
Alfred Jacoby
Mr. Jacoby's architecture philosophy is colored by personal experience. His
parents were in a forced-labor camp in Poland. His grandparents were gassed.
In response, Mr. Jacoby is no proponent of forcing people to a graphic
confrontation with the past. "My parents are sad people. They have
nightmares and it haunts them," he explains.
Rather, Mr. Jacoby believes in an abstract approach that allows those who
choose to make out the signs of the past and those who don't to overlook
them. Citing Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, he argues that the
abstract statement of architecture is perhaps more suited to dealing with
the Holocaust than any written words or concrete artifacts of history:
"Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent."
Indeed, Mr. Jacoby's style has evolved significantly since his first
synagogue in Darmstadt, Germany, opened on Nov. 9, 1988, 50 years after
Kristallnacht. That synagogue, a postmodern building with two turrets and a
dome, was a direct reference to a historic building tradition. Since then,
his references have become less and less overt. A Heidelberg synagogue built
in 1992 relied on a symbolic reference with Hebrew letters on two massive
tablets before the building. "It came down to the essential Ten Commandments
standing on the street," Mr. Jacoby says.
His 1997 enlargement of a postwar synagogue in Offenbach, outside Frankfurt,
makes a different symbolic architectural gesture to the Holocaust. The
modest building was designed in 1956 by Hermann Zvi Guttmann, whose
architecture exemplified the unassuming synagogue style of those times.
Across the street is a grander structure that was built as a synagogue in
the early 1900s but converted by the Nazis into a movie theater. After the
war, the Jewish community sold the old building, thinking it would never be
needed again. Now it is a disco, doors plastered with posters for bands
playing hip-hop and rhythm and blues. Meanwhile, Mr. Guttmann's small
building was historically protected, meaning Mr. Jacoby had to preserve as
much of its original walls as possible in the renovation.
The solution? To architecturally mend the wounds of history, Mr. Jacoby
sheathed the 1956 building with a prow of glass, colored blue except for two
panes of clear glass at the point. Standing inside the synagogue, those
clear panes form a view directly to the red tile roof of the old synagogue
across the street.
Although Mr. Jacoby mainly relies on wordless architectural references to
the Holocaust, the glass artists who work with him sometimes make more
direct statements. In the Darmstadt synagogue, stained glass windows by
British designer Brian Clarke are red on the left side of the room,
symbolizing destruction, and blue on the right side, signaling hope. Text in
German and English refers to the chain of events starting with Kristallnacht
and states, "The consuming flames of remote and recent history have rendered
German Jewry an international symbol of suffering and sacrifice."
Synagogue in Aachen
In Kassel, the German glass artist Johannes Schreiter describes the cracks
in the glass of the ark not as explicit references to Kristallnacht but as
"ciphers for the unpredictable, for forces that man is constantly exposed
to." But Mr. Schreiter, a Christian, cautions against using synagogues to
directly confront the Holocaust. "In my experience, our fellow Jewish
citizens have more than enough Holocaust memories and traumas to cope with.
Therefore, they really don't need additional signs of the Holocaust."
Esther Hass, head of Kassel's Jewish community, sees the cracked glass as a
symbol of "the rupture in history." And though not everyone in the
congregation is a fan of the new modern architecture and the striking glass
ark, she is convinced it will prove the right combination for the place of
worship. "The ark has a real effect. At the opening ceremony, I saw how
people stood looking at it open-mouthed, saying how beautiful it is."
In Dresden, the plans to build a very modern synagogue on the historic site
on the banks of the Elbe has sparked a controversy. Some, like Massachusetts
Institute of Technology Professor Mark Jarzombek, question whether putting
up the new building amounts to paving over history -- whether the site, now
covered with war rubble, would make a stronger statement left vacant. Others
say spending close to $10 million to build a synagogue on a site complicated
by a freeway and postwar city infrastructure is unwarranted.
Nikolaus Hirsch, one of the architects who designed the strikingly modern
Dresden synagogue set to be finished at the end of 2001, argues that would
be tantamount to saying that synagogues must be relegated to the town
periphery because of what happened during the war.
The Dresden synagogue's only direct reference to the Holocaust will be in a
courtyard between the synagogue and the community center, where the ground
plan of the original synagogue will be traced in a different texture on the
courtyard floor. A wall there will also have text and a memorial to
Holocaust victims.
Apart from philosophical design questions, when it comes to building new
synagogues in Germany, architects find they must reluctantly bow to security
fears of their clients. Bulletproof glass and single entrances that allow
careful checking are still standard parts of design here. In Darmstadt, Mr.
Jacoby lost a battle against installing a fence in front of the synagogue.
He admits security remains a concern now, but he hopes for a better future:
"When I put things like single entrances in my designs, I am always hoping
they are elements you can just take out someday, like you would an air
conditioner."
Simcha Streltsov
: Since 1990, Germany's Jewish community has more than doubled to 81,000
: members. Most of that increase has come from the 50,000 Jews emigrating from
: Russia, the Ukraine and other former Soviet states. Germany's central
...
: The new synagogues in Germany show more confidence. In Kassel, the
who is building all these synagogues in all cities? one of them at
$10 mln cost? and looks like 5-10 of them total? all with fancy
architecture? MIT professors consulting?
that will be about $1000 for every Jew emigrating from USSR,
or about $5-10K for
any of them who will actually come inside those synagogues,
or $20-100K for any of them who will be an active member!
are they subsidised by German government? by WJC?
can the money be used be used to build schools instead,
or are they designated for places of worship?
--
Simcha Streltsov disclaimer, as requested by Mo-he S-rr
simc...@juno.com all punctuation marks in this article
http://cad.bu.edu/go/simon are equivalent to (-:
Albert Reingewirtz
<sim...@bu.edu> wrote:
> abe kohen (abek...@cloud9.net) wrote:
>
> : Since 1990, Germany's Jewish community has more than doubled to 81,000
> : members. Most of that increase has come from the 50,000 Jews emigrating from
> : Russia, the Ukraine and other former Soviet states. Germany's central
> ...
>
> : The new synagogues in Germany show more confidence. In Kassel, the
>
> who is building all these synagogues in all cities? one of them at
> $10 mln cost? and looks like 5-10 of them total? all with fancy
> architecture? MIT professors consulting?
>
>
> that will be about $1000 for every Jew emigrating from USSR,
> or about $5-10K for
> any of them who will actually come inside those synagogues,
> or $20-100K for any of them who will be an active member!
>
> are they subsidised by German government? by WJC?
> can the money be used be used to build schools instead,
> or are they designated for places of worship?
>
Sounds like there is money for religion in Germany. Maybe O's will move
there. What do you think?
Oliver Willandsen
"abe kohen" <abek...@cloud9.net> wrote:
> http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB961541513804556136.htm
>
The following sites might also be of interest
http://www.hagalil.com/archiv/98/02/synagoge.htm ( in German )
http://www.kah-bonn.de/ausstellungen/synagogen/0e.htm
http://www.hum.huji.ac.il/CJA/NL13-Germany.htm
http://www.jewishmuseum.com/press111106.html
http://www.amyisrael.co.il/europe/germany/
--
Oliver Willandsen
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
abe kohen
"Albert Reingewirtz" <alb...@nethere.com> wrote in message
news:210620000919138547%alb...@nethere.com...
> In article <8iqpbi$20u$1...@news3.bu.edu>, Simcha Streltsov
> <sim...@bu.edu> wrote:
>
> > abe kohen (abek...@cloud9.net) wrote:
> >
> > : members. Most of that increase has come from the 50,000 Jews
emigrating from
> > : Russia, the Ukraine and other former Soviet states. Germany's central
> >
> > : The new synagogues in Germany show more confidence. In Kassel, the
> >
> > who is building all these synagogues in all cities? one of them at
> > $10 mln cost? and looks like 5-10 of them total? all with fancy
> > architecture? MIT professors consulting?
> >
> >
> > that will be about $1000 for every Jew emigrating from USSR,
> > or about $5-10K for
> > any of them who will actually come inside those synagogues,
> > or $20-100K for any of them who will be an active member!
> >
> > are they subsidised by German government? by WJC?
> > can the money be used be used to build schools instead,
> > or are they designated for places of worship?
> >
> Sounds like there is money for religion in Germany. Maybe O's will move
> there. What do you think?
Albert, you apparently don't read Yediot out there in SD. The Satmar, the
Breslov, and other UOs have been pretending to be the survivors of ALL the
wiped out kehillot in Europe, including Eastern/Central Europe. They do this
in places like Prague where they claim that the local Jews don't follow
their "true" brand of religion, hence the Hasidim deserve everything. They
start with the cemeteries. Then the synagogues. Then any real property they
can attach. They work with Haider of Austria and other neo-fascists. Why do
you think Haider made a trip to Canada?
Abe
Joseph Bachman
>abe kohen (abek...@cloud9.net) wrote:
>: Since 1990, Germany's Jewish community has more than doubled to 81,000
>: members. Most of that increase has come from the 50,000 Jews emigrating from
>: Russia, the Ukraine and other former Soviet states. Germany's central
>...
>: The new synagogues in Germany show more confidence. In Kassel, the
>who is building all these synagogues in all cities? one of them at
>$10 mln cost? and looks like 5-10 of them total? all with fancy
>architecture? MIT professors consulting?
>that will be about $1000 for every Jew emigrating from USSR,
>or about $5-10K for
>any of them who will actually come inside those synagogues,
>or $20-100K for any of them who will be an active member!
>are they subsidised by German government? by WJC?
>can the money be used be used to build schools instead,
>or are they designated for places of worship?
Perhaps the buildings also include school facilties, as well as space that
can be used by members of the community for meetings, simchas, etc,
As to financing an expensive building, haven't you ever heard of
something called a mortgage? How do you think middle class people in the
US can afford to buy $200,000 houses in the suburbs? Cash flow may be
maintained by membership dues from the community, and also from renting
out the meeting rooms to community organizations and for simchas. As for
whether government provides any assisstance in Germany, that I don't know,
but you don't need to have $10 million on hand to build a $10 million
building. If that were the case, we'd all still be living in tents.
As to whether it's a worthwhile expense, well, there is the bean-counter
mentality loose in the States that believes that any expense in the public
realm is a waste of money, and so we are stuck with ugly, shoddidly built,
tacky, junk for our stores and offices, government buildings, and houses
of worship. Unless, of course, we're lucky enough to live in an older
town where they built those buildings 100 years ago, and they're in better
shape than the modern stuff. Come to think of it, our private houses
aren't much better.
We spend a lot of our life in buildings, I don't know why we have this
insistence that they be built as cheaply as possible. And, in the long
run, a solidly built structure that might be more expensive at first may
be cheaper in the long run.
So good for the German Jewish community, that they have pride in
themselves and think enough of the value of their worship that they're
willing to build a nice place to do it in.
Joe
Simcha Streltsov
: Perhaps the buildings also include school facilties, as well as space that
: can be used by members of the community for meetings, simchas, etc,
maybe.
: So good for the German Jewish community, that they have pride in
: themselves and think enough of the value of their worship that they're
: willing to build a nice place to do it in.
I just stumbled that "German" community (more than half those emigrants
from Russia/Ukraine who could not get to US and did not want to go to
Israel) has 75% assimilation rate. I assume that, as usual, they counted
whole families, incl. non-Jews, in this 50K number. I don't deny that they
need Jewish infrastructure - but I am afraid that their needs are different -
simple schools, books (most probably in Russian), good teachers -
I can't imagine such communities needing best architects & consultants -
furthermoire, I can not imagine them themselves raising the money and
organizing the project - thus, someone else is doing it - I am just curious -
who?
Joseph Bachman
>from Russia/Ukraine who could not get to US and did not want to go to
>Israel) has 75% assimilation rate.
Are you saying that >50% of the German Jewish community are recent
immigrants from the former Soviet Union, or that >50 percent of Jews who
immigrate into Germany are former Soviet citizens? Not that it matters,
as that means that 50% of the German Jews are not immigrants from the
east, but are rather real-live Yekkes, for what that's worth.
As to "assimilation rate" that's a pretty suspect statistic. What are
you talking about, anyway? I'm assimilated, so what? I speak English,
not Yiddish, I celebrate American holidays that don't conflict with Jewish
priciples, I participate in American politics, heck, I even work for the
government. I'm assimilated, but I'm plenty Jewsh, so what? Are the only
"real Jews" (leaving the Sefaradim and mizrachim aside for the moement)
Yiddish-speakers with black coats and hats who inists on eating overcooked
bland food? :-)
>I assume that, as usual, they counted
>whole families, incl. non-Jews, in this 50K number.
Why,"as usual?" Do we count non-jewish family members in our USA jewish
popuation statistics?
>I don't deny that they
>need Jewish infrastructure - but I am afraid that their needs are
different -
Why? Becuase they're not all frum Orthodox (or Reform, or egalitarian
Conservative) and need to be properly indoctrinated?
>simple schools, books (most probably in Russian), good teachers -
Why, becuase they're "simple"people? That's pretty condescending. For
all you know, they're capable of learnon g at the highest intellectual
level.
>I can't imagine such communities needing best architects & consultants -
Yes, but that might be what they want. Perhaps what they mainly want out
of their Jewish community is an attractive and inspiring place to pray and
hold community events and private simchas. And if they can swing the
financing, why shouldn't they go for the best? Unlike books and teachers,
and educational curricula, which get out of date in less than a
generation, a well constructed building can lest for 100's of years and
even provide the foundation for the educational services you brelieve are
so important -- after all, you need a building to hold classes, neither
student nor teacher appreciate trying to learn on a park bench while it's
raining or snowing, or the sun's beating down...And your physical
surrounding do affect your mental state. I'd rather pray, play, and learn
in a quality space rather than some junked-up rattletrap fire hazard. In
the long run, spending more money up front costs less.
>furthermoire, I can not imagine them themselves raising the money and
>organizing the project - thus, someone else is doing it - I am just
curious -
>who?
By your own admission there is a substantial fraction of German Jews who
are not recent immigrants from the east. Why shouldn't their community be
able to organize such a project? And even the immigants, once they get on
their feet, ought to be able to do so. This is really condescending to
new immigrants and their community. Surely in German Jewry there are rich
donors who could have been hit for some ofthe funds, plus foundations, and
maybe even the government (I don't know what German policy is on
supporting houses of worship, maybe there is someone from Germany in the
newsgroup who can shed some light), and then the larger numbers of merely
middle class contribute smaller amounts, and, anyway, yo don't raise the
entire sum, you raise a down payment andtake out a mortgage for the
rest....I think that most of the German Jewish community (even if many are
former Soviet citizens) have learned enough about capitalism to figure
this stuff out.
Any Germans in the newgroup who can enlighten us on the state of the
German Jewish community?
Joe
Simcha Streltsov
: Are you saying that >50% of the German Jewish community are recent
: immigrants from the former Soviet Union, or that >50 percent of Jews who
: immigrate into Germany are former Soviet citizens?
the first part, according to the original article:
>Since 1990, Germany's Jewish community has more than doubled to 81,000
>members. Most of that increase has come from the 50,000 Jews
> emigrating from Russia, the Ukraine and other former Soviet states.
: As to "assimilation rate" that's a pretty suspect statistic. What are
: you talking about, anyway? I'm assimilated, so what? I speak English,
oops, I meant intermarriage rate, I think! that's not intermarriage to
Germans, but to Russian & Ukranians, of course.
: >I assume that, as usual, they counted
: >whole families, incl. non-Jews, in this 50K number.
: Why,"as usual?" Do we count non-jewish family members in our USA jewish
: popuation statistics?
in UJA surveys - often yes - they may ask for your personal opinion
on whether you (or someone in your family?) are a Jew. In this case,
families emigrate as Jews, I very much doubt that they count ethnicity
of everyone in a family - what they have is a total number of refugees.
I am not alleging that this is the case, I am saying that it is most
probable.
: Yes, but that might be what they want. Perhaps what they mainly want out
: of their Jewish community is an attractive and inspiring place to pray and
: hold community events and private simchas. And if they can swing the
your guesses are showing that you never were interested in lives of
your bretheren arriving from fSU - then you would know better what
their real interests are. maybe you need some soul searching here.
: By your own admission there is a substantial fraction of German Jews who
: are not recent immigrants from the east. Why shouldn't their community be
: able to organize such a project? And even the immigants, once they get on
I did not say they should not - but the article did not describe
sources or reasons, and given the strange circumstances, I'd be
curious to know details. wouldn't you?
Oliver Willandsen
sim...@bu.edu (Simcha Streltsov) wrote:
> Joseph Bachman (jbac...@Radix.Net) wrote:
>
> : Are you saying that >50% of the German Jewish community are recent
> : immigrants from the former Soviet Union, or that >50 percent of
Jews who
> : immigrate into Germany are former Soviet citizens?
>
> the first part, according to the original article:
81,000
> >members. Most of that increase has come from the 50,000 Jews
> > emigrating from Russia, the Ukraine and other former Soviet states.
>
There is one overriding reason why there is Russian Jewish immigration
into Germany. Germany is one of only 3 countries where they are
accepted openly ( the other 2 being of course Israel and the US of A )
Moreover, Germany passed a law in 1991 which gives special status to
Jewish immigrants, as opposed to most other potential immigrants.
Jewish immigrant only have to prove that either their mother or father
are Jewish in order to be allowed to immigrate. They can then benefit
from a variety of funds made available by the government for language
classes, retraining, subsidized housing etc.
The problem with the established Jewish communities is of course
obvious. Many, maybe up to 50% of the immigrant will not be
consisered 'Jewish' according to halachic rules...
If you don't read German, I can summarize
http://www.hagalil.com/schweiz/rundschau/inhalt/brd.htm
> --
> Simcha Streltsov disclaimer, as requested by Mo-he S-rr
> simc...@juno.com all punctuation marks in this article
> http://cad.bu.edu/go/simon are equivalent to (-:
>
>
--
D S Levene
: >furthermoire, I can not imagine them themselves raising the money and
: >organizing the project - thus, someone else is doing it - I am just
: curious - who?
: By your own admission there is a substantial fraction of German Jews who
: are not recent immigrants from the east. Why shouldn't their community be
: able to organize such a project? And even the immigants, once they get on
: their feet, ought to be able to do so. This is really condescending to
: new immigrants and their community. Surely in German Jewry there are rich
: donors who could have been hit for some ofthe funds, plus foundations, and
: maybe even the government (I don't know what German policy is on
: supporting houses of worship, maybe there is someone from Germany in the
: newsgroup who can shed some light) and then the larger numbers of merely
: middle class contribute smaller amounts, and, anyway, yo don't raise the
: entire sum, you raise a down payment andtake out a mortgage for the
: rest....I think that most of the German Jewish community (even if many are
: former Soviet citizens) have learned enough about capitalism to figure
: this stuff out.
: Any Germans in the newgroup who can enlighten us on the state of the
: German Jewish community?
In the apparent absence of any Germans currently posting in scj, perhaps I
can offer a little information about one of the synagogues mentioned in
the article. I was in Aachen last year, and visited the new synagogue
there (and it's one of the most beautiful I have ever seen - I strongly
recommend it!). According to the people I spoke to there, it was largely
paid for by the city council - some (very minor) recompense for the old
building which was destroyed on Kristallnacht. There are indeed large
numbers of Russians in the Aachen community, which has expanded
substantially in recent years, but that has little to do with the building
of the synagogue, which was completed shortly prior to the major influx of
Russian Jews.
In general in Germany, my recollection is that religions are funded
via hypothecated taxation: one declares one's religion on one's tax
return, and religious communities are funded by the government in
proportion to the numbers of taxpayers declaring themselves for each
religion.
David Levene
Department of Classics
University of Durham
Simcha Streltsov
: Moreover, Germany passed a law in 1991 which gives special status to
: Jewish immigrants, as opposed to most other potential immigrants.
: Jewish immigrant only have to prove that either their mother or father
: are Jewish in order to be allowed to immigrate. They can then benefit
: from a variety of funds made available by the government for language
: classes, retraining, subsidized housing etc.
: The problem with the established Jewish communities is of course
: obvious. Many, maybe up to 50% of the immigrant will not be
: consisered 'Jewish' according to halachic rules...
I have no problem with Jews or their relatives emigrating from Russia
to Germany - or Uganda, for that matter. Although, they are probably
statistically even more assimilated, both halchikally and culturally,
than even those of us who come to Israel or US or Canada, does not
mean that they do not deserve respect & help.
I was simply asking why their arrival was pictured as a reason for
building activities that are not obviously not their first priority.
something is missing from the article - either they make wrong connections,
or they do not describe who the donors are, or there are some high
political motives behind this - and, if the latter is the case,
I am afraid that real needs of immigrants will be unserved despite
lots of money spent.
Oliver Willandsen
Could you elaborate a little more on those 'specific needs' ?
> --
> Simcha Streltsov disclaimer, as requested by Mo-he S-rr
> simc...@juno.com all punctuation marks in this article
> http://cad.bu.edu/go/simon are equivalent to (-:
>
>
--
Simcha Streltsov
: Could you elaborate a little more on those 'specific needs' ?
physical needs - learning language, finding jobs & satisfying jobs
other needs - hopefully, finding a welcoming Jewish community,
Jewish books in Russian, teachers & schools, after-school classes
that can teach kids something Jewish given what & who they are now.
there are other needs that need not be addressed by the Jewish
community - such as creating legal & illegal businesses with their
home countries, keeping russian culture, etc