Dear Friends:
Allow me to offer up a different point of view regarding the Great
Temple of Czernowitz. There are many Temples throughout Europe that
have been lost due to destruction and/or neglect. The only way to
save many of these temples, in the absence of a Jewish community that
would support their upkeep and repair, is to find alternate uses. I
visited a wonderful example of this four years ago in Kecskemet,
Hungary, where the local, dwindling Jewish community sold its Temple
on the downtown square to the municipality, which then converted it
into an auditorium (where my scientific conference was held), plus a
library, sitting area and a small number of city offices. The
building is magnificent, and a wonderful plaque about the town's
Temple and Jewish History is prominently displayed at the main
entrance.
If the Temple in Czernowitz hadn't been converted into a cinema, it's
walls might remain standing to this day, but little else would
survive of the building. Having a use as a cinema helps assure the
building's upkeep and maintenance.
My suggestion is to simply request of the City Council a more
prominent multi-lingual plaque with some mention of the thriving
Jewish culture that once existed in Czernowitz; the sad fate of that
community during and after WWII; and a brief history of the Temple
with possibly a listing of the Chief Rabbis who once served. If I
recall correctly, the building might only have some plaque that
mentions that the famous Cantor Josef Schmidt once sang there.
I do not feel that the building is sacred, hallowed ground. It does
have a history that ends with its terrifying burning and destruction
at Nazi hands, but many Temples have changed uses throughout history.
Some on the Lower East Side in New York are now used as churches, and
I know of at least one upstate New York synagogue that shares space
with a church. Another purchased a church building to use as a
synagogue. I find none of these situations objectionable.
Well that's speaking for myself only, and possibly I represent a
minority point of view.
Shabbat Shalom!
Bruce
Received on 2006-07-14 14:29:35
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