Surroundings / A `social seismograph' of the Jews
in Germany
February 25, 2004
By Esther Zandberg
Reproduced with Permisssion from ©
Haaretz Daily
At the start of the 20th century, there were 2,800 synagogues
in Germany. About 1,400 of them were destroyed or damaged during the
Nazi regime, most of these on Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass")
on November 9, 1938. However, even those that survived were destroyed
over the years to come, or were converted for other uses.
"Not only are there practically no actual synagogues
in Germany, they have also vanished from the German public's consciousness,"
writes the historian Salomon Korn in his article in the catalog of
the exhibition "German Synagogues: Virtual Reconstructions,"
which opens today at the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv.
The exhibition features 14 synagogues that were destroyed in Berlin,
Dortmund, Dresden, Frankfurt, Hanover, Kaiserslautern, Cologne, Leipzig,
Munich, Plauen and Mannheim, which have been reconstructed on computer
screen with the help of sophisticated three-dimensional reality imaging
software. The exhibition forms part of a comprehensive architectural
and historical documentation project on synagogues in Germany, which
was initiated by a group of architecture students at the Technological
University of Darmstadt.
The initiative began as a response to the burning down of a synagogue
in the north German city of Lubeck in 1994. The students sought to contend
with the issue by means of researching, documenting and reconstructing
synagogues that were destroyed in Germany. The reconstruction is based
on both archival material, of which very little remained after the destruction
of the buildings themselves, as well as on interviews with people familiar
with the synagogues and those who eye-witnessed their destruction. Led
by Marc Grellert, some 40 students took part in the project, working
under architecture Professor Manfred Koob.
The exhibition was first mounted in 2000 in Bonn and drew much interest,
say the organizers.
Since that time, the research study has continued, and embraced additional
synagogues. The focal point of the exhibition is three-dimensional imaging
films and virtual tours guided by students from Darmstadt and Tel Aviv.
The tour passes along major stations in synagogue architecture in Germany
beginning in the mid-19th century, and extending to the Nazi rise to
power. One may interpret the building styles, says Grellert in his article
in the catalog, as a "social seismograph" of the status of
the Jews in German society.
Until the Enlightenment movement in the early 19th century, synagogues
were practically hidden from sight. They were constructed on the edges
of large cities or shunted off to smaller cities. After emancipation,
large, extravagant synagogues were constructed in the centers of the
large cities and were notable for their high standard of construction,
which was not inferior to that of Christian institutions, and with a
great deal of care and attention to design.
Search for identity
The external design of the synagogues reflects the search for self-identity,
and simultaneously the longing to strike roots in German society. Korn
asserts that it is a visual expression of the new perception harbored
by the Jews of Germany during the Enlightenment movement, who saw Germany
not as a temporary exile, but as the "new Zion and Promised Land."
The longing to be part of German society, which is also reflected in
the changes in the internal structuring of the synagogue, mainly in
the transposing of the bima from its traditional location at the center
of the prayer hall to the front of the building, like the pulpit in
Christian churches.
The synagogues in Germany did not create an architectural school of
their own, and are mainly known for an eclectic design. Their style
may be divided into three main categories: Neo-Islamic style, which
according to Grellert "expressed the new Jewish self-confidence
and was intended to emphasize their independence," as exemplified
by the synagogue in Cologne that is exhibited here; a German Romanesque
style, reflecting the desire to be part of German society, as exemplified
in synagogues in Munich and Hanover; and a contemporary style, as found
in the Knesset in Plauen, which was designed in a Bauhaus style.
The physical existence of the synagogues came to an end with the Nazi
rise to power, writes Korn, and they have now become virtual. It is
what he calls an artificial reconstruction that leaves the spectator
alienated and distant in spite of the precision of detail, but this
is altogether appropriate, says Korn, the head of the Frankfurt Jewish
community. "That which the grandfathers destroyed completely their
grandchildren cannot restore, not even virtually," he says. The
virtual project "will not bring the synagogues back to the collective
memory in Germany, but it will be beneficial to architectural science
and research," writes Korn.
The research and the exhibition raise questions about the representation
of memory and memorializing at a time when the numbers of Holocaust
survivors or witnesses are dwindling.
A change has been made in the means of representation. Once we agree
that the memory of the Holocaust should pass on to the younger generations,
writes Grellert, then this necessitates the use of new attractive and
interactive methods. Grellert believes that the Internet is now the
most important agent for memory in the public realm.
So it is appropriate that the project may be found - in its entirety
- on the Internet. The site is: http://www.cad.architektur.tu-darmstadt.de/synagogen
The exhibition is being held at a time when the "new anti-Semitism"
has been linked to the political situation of Israel and its actions
in the occupied territories, concurrent with the increased interest
in an international architectural discourse on "Jewish architecture."
Numerous symposia and exhibitions on this subject have recently been
held at universities and museums in Europe and the U.S. Special interest
has been generated by the fact that numerous Jewish institutions are
being planned by architectural superstars in styles at the forefront
of contemporary architecture. The Jewish Museum in Berlin, designed
by Daniel Libeskind, is a quintessential example of this.
The exhibition at the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, the
museum is now fighting for its continued existence, and is under threat
of closure. The exhibition is being presented in cooperation with the
Federal Gallery of Germany and the German Institute for International
Relations, and is presented in cooperation with the Goethe Institute
in Tel Aviv.