- Old Synagogue (Przemyśl)
Infobox religious building
building_name=Przemyśl Old Synagogue
caption=
location=flagicon|PolandPrzemyśl ,Poland
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religious_affiliation=Orthodox Judaism
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heritage_designation =1934
functional_status =Destroyed (1941)
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architecture_type=
architecture_style=Renaissance
facade_direction=
groundbreaking =1592
year_completed=1594
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refnum =The Old Synagogue of Przemyśl, (Polish: "Stara Synagoga w Przemyślu"), was a magnificent structure completed in 1594. It was damaged in 1939 when the Germans were retreating from the eastern bank of theSan River and destroyed by theNazis in 1941.History
Origins (1550s-1594)
The first legal regulation regarding the
Jewish community ofPrzemyśl dates fromMarch 20 ,1559 . Theprivilege , granted by KingZygmunt August , stipulates that "Jews have been living on the Jewish street in Przemyśl for a long time" have the right to settle permanently in Przemyśl and grants them trading rights. Jews were now considered under the royal jurisdiction, i.e. the waywode's court, (which is mentioned in acts of the year 1576 as the "Jews' court"). cite web
url= http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=572&letter=P&search=galicia
title= Przemysl
last= Deutsch
first= Gotthard
coauthors= Mojzesz Schorr
publisher= "Jewish Encyclopedia "] It appears from alawsuit of the year 1560 that the Jews then possessed awooden synagogue, said to have been founded by two wealthy Spanish immigrants. In 1561 the synagogue was attacked by the burghers. A year later in 1592, permission to reconstruct the synagogue from stone was granted by the chapter. The new building was designed by Bononi, an Italian builder offortification s. [cite web
url= http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Przemysl/sygagogues.htm
title= Przemysl Synagogues
last= Yeager
first= Barbara U.
coauthors= Sheila Schneider
date=1998
publisher= "ShtetLinks"] It was situated inside of city close bydefensive walls and completed in 1594.Fire (1637)
The entire
ghetto including "Jewish Street" in Przemyśl was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1637. The synagogue however remained unscathed. In 1661 the king issued a decree allowing the Jewish community to use the synagogue as collateral to borrow money. This illustrates the desperate economic situation of the Przemyśl Jewish community.Pogrom (1746)
In 1746
Jesuit students attacked the Jewish quarter, looting Jewish homes. They plundered the synagogue and demolished its interior. TheHoly Ark was destroyed and theTorah scroll s were torn up into pieces which were scattered in the streets. They also destroyed the greater part of the valuablearchive s, which contained priceless documents of the waywode's court. Only a few of the original copies of theprivilege s were saved. The extent of the damage is indicated by the fact that after tedious negotiations the Jesuits finally paid anindemnity of 15,000 Polishgulden . According to statistics of the year 1765, there were at that time about 2,418 Jews in Przemyśl.Restoration (1910-1914)
During the years 1910-1914 the building was restored under direction of
architect Tadeusz Mokłowskiego. At the end of March 1919, a festive prayer service was held at the synagogue in honour of the Paris Peace Conference and its decision regardingLand of Israel . Many people took part in the prayer. [cite web
url= http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/przemysl/prz185.html
title=Przemysl Passes Under Polish Rule
last = Altbauer
first = Yosef
date= May 1964
work= PART III PRZEMYSL JEWS (1918-1939); chapter 1
publisher= Przemysl Memorial Book]Listed building status (1934)
In 1934 the building was listed on the register of historical buildings and in 1936 a special committee, led by H. Klagsbald, was established to renew and renovate the "Great Synagogue". [cite web
url= http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/przemysl/prz193.html
title= The Nation, City and Community
last = Altbauer
first = Yosef
date= May 1964
publisher= Przemysl Memorial Book
work=PART III PRZEMYSL JEWS (1918-1939); chapter 4]Destruction (1939-1941)
In September 1939, after the
invasion of Poland byGermany and theSoviet Union , Przemyśl was divided by the German-Sovietborder which ran through the middle of the city along theSan River . When theRed Army entered the city on 26 September, the town centre found itself in the Soviet Union while theZasanie district, on the western bank of the San River, was within the borders of theNazi empire. In accordance with theRibbentrop-Molotov pact , the Germans left the eastern bank on 28 September 1939. Before their withdrawal the Germans burned down the Old Synagogue.Demolition (1956)
In 1956 the city authorities ordered the
demolition of the synagogue which had laid in ruins since 1941 when the Nazis destroyed what remained after their earlier attempt to obliterate the building. The demolition was carried out despite objections fromconservationist s who had plans to rebuild the synagogue.tructure
The stone building was
rectangular in shape, typical of the renaissance style of the time. The rectangular main hall remained the only section of the original building after a range of outhouses were added in later years. They included ayeshiva , two additional halls of prayer and offices.Gallery
References
External links
Przemyśl Jewish history timeline
* [http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Przemysl/history.shtml Przemysl: Outline of Jewish History]
Photographs
* [http://www.remembrance-reconciliation.org/Przemysl1006/index3.html Remembering Przemysl - 2006]
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