Raising of the ornate roof in the museum on 12.02.2013. Photo: Magda Starowieyska / MHPJ
The handcrafted replica of the roof of an original 17th-century synagogue is the first complete structural element within the long-awaited museum, and a major focal point of its core exhibition
It took nearly 400 academics and conservation experts from all over the world ten years to re-create the ornate roof of an ancient synagogue from the town of Gwoździec. Decorated with paintings done by hand using traditional methods similar to those of the original, the roof proves an extraordinary example of Jewish sacral architecture in Poland. The original synagogue is no longer standing, and the replica was finally installed on the 12th of March 2013, viewable from several levels of the main gallery.
Raising the roof
As confirmed by Robert Supeł, the executive director of the museum's main exhibition of the museum, the choice of the Gwoździec synagogue to serve as the model for the museum's roof was not incidental. "The wooden synagogue flourished most richly over the second half of the 17th century", he explained, "with regard to the scale and quality of this type of architecture". The synagogue in Gwoździec, built in 1640, was one of three of the oldest wooden synagogues for which blueprints were still accessible at the beginning of the 20th century. It held a particular significance in this type of architecture as its construction included the first two-storey "tent-like" structure.
The replica of the roof is made up of more than 300 elements, 29 sections of the synagogue’s roof and 13 sections of the roof top. The ornamentation of the ceiling makes use of various themes, from zodiac signs to scenes of mythical animals, flowers and fruits, depictions of the Holy Land and the Leviathan. It had originally been painted by renowned Jewish painters of the era, such as Mordechaj Lissitzki of Jaryczów. The paintings were restored by Itzchaka ben Yehuda of Jaryczów in 1729. As Karol Maszkowski wrote in his book Bożnica drewniana w Gwoźdźcu [Wooden Synagogue in Gwoździec,1890] the polychrome of the synagogue gave an impression of "a carpet".
In replicating this effect, each panel was first waterproofed and covered with a special gesso undercoat. Then a template for the designs was designated on the surface and painted with paints made of natural pigments, water and rabbit-skin glue. Drawings by Karol Maszkowski and Alois Breier and the contribution of scholars, including Maria and Kazimierz Piechotek and Thomas Hubek, made it possible to reconstruct the original structure as faithfully as possible.
In the synagogues of Poland, as noted by Maria Piechotka of several academic works on the subject with her husband, Kazimierz Piochotek, such ornate polychromes were rare. Most synagogues featured geometric patterns and inscriptions, as the religion forbids creating effigies of living things found in the natural world. As Pietchotka explains, "Polish Jews of the former eastern territories created remarkable forms of art (...) They found a formula for depicting certain religious laws in symbols of plants and animals". She emphasised that, outside of Poland, similar polychromes of this type can only be found in southern Germany - in so-called Polish synagogues of the 18th century.
International effort
The reconstruction project involved volunteers from around the world, coming mainly from Poland, the U.S., France, Germany and Israel. The volunteers first participated in workshops in old synagogues throughout Poland, such as Wrocław, Kraków, Kazimierz Dolny, Sejny and Sanok. An educational and cultural programme was set up to familiarise them with the history of Polish Jews and the purpose of their project. The wooden structure of the roof was constructed in the space of an open-air museum.
Work on the polychrome ornamental replica was initiated in 2011 and led by Rick and Laura Brown of Handshouse Studio in Massachusetts, which specialises in historical reconstruction and education on the subject. Additional support came from the Jewish Historical Institute Association and the Timber Framers Guild, with private financing from Irene Pletka in Australia.
Synagogue in Gwoździec
The first mention of Jewish settlers in the town in southern Polish was in 1635. A 1765 census shows 541 Jews living there at the time - about 60 percent of the population. The synagogue, built in 1640, was the heart of Jewish life in Gwoździec. It was 15 meters high, with the roof constituting 9 meters of that height. The synagogue was burned during the First World War. During the interwar period efforts were launched to rebuild it, but it was destroyed during the Second Worl War.
Opening ceremonies
The official opening of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews is planned for early 2014. The Core Exhibition is to present more than a thousand years of Jewish life in Poland through a chronological and thematic narrative. Prepared by a team of more than 30 graphic designers, architects and other artists based on the initial concept of British firm Event Communications and carried out under the supervision of Mirosław Nizia, the exhibition is based on primary sources, iconography, documents and multimedia researched by 130 academics. It is a journey through forests full of legends, bustling streets, cafes and private homes.
Warsaw receives a preview of the museum during the official commemorative events of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising on the 19th of April. Each year, events begin at the Monument of Ghetto Heroes, with Polish and foreign dignitaries in attendance, along with war veterans and survivors. At this year's 70th anniversary of the Ghetto Uprising, the President of Poland will be joined by the President of Israel.
The museum, though not yet complete, will play a major role between the 19th-21st of April, with an educational programme, the launch of a lecture series and workshops. Visitors can view the progress of the museum's construction, while participating in more than 30 events - art projects, Hebrew and Yiddish language workshops, history presentations and walking tours of what was once the Warsaw Ghetto.
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising started on the 19th of April 1943. The operation in the Ghetto was a desperate one, a fight to oppose the Nazi's final deportation of all Polish Jews in the ghetto to death camps including Treblinka. It was the most extensive Jewish revolt of the Second World War, located in a sealed-off area of the city that had held between 300,000-400,000 Jews. The Nazis crushed the Uprising on the 16th of May, carrying out plans to liquidate the ghetto and destroying the Great Synagogue of Warsaw. 13,000 Jews were killed in the ghetto during the uprising. Most survivors were captured - about 50,000 people - and sent to their deaths.
The museum is located in the heart of the old Jewish quarter, of which one part became the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940. Far from a traditional museum, it aims to be multimedia narrative museum and cultural centre that gives an entirely new perspective on the Jewish presence on Polish lands, covering many centuries of social and cultural life, recalling the past while building upon a viable future of cooperation between the nations.
See more on the Museum of the History of Polish Jews: www.jewishmuseum.org.pl
See more on the commemorative events of the 70th Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: www.getto.waw.pl
See more on Jewish Culture in Poland at the Virtual Shtetl: www.sztetl.org.pl
Editor: Agnieszka Le Nart
Source: based on information compiled by Mikołaj Gliński on the Polish version of Culture.pl, from PAP, www.sztetl.org.pl, www.jewishmuseum.org.pl