|
Synagogues and cemeteries
Synagogues
It is difficult to determine just when the first synagogue was erected in Piotrków Trybunalski. Due to the longstanding ban that prevented Jews from living in the city, the Jewish settlement developed in Podzamcze and Wielka Wieś; building a synagogue proved problematic. Jews at that time technically belonged to the Jewish community in Rozprza, where they attended services and were buried. It is most likely that by the 16th century, and perhaps even earlier, Piotrków’s residents had already established a house of prayer, i.e. an informal synagogue along with a religious school.
By the end of the 16th century the Jewish community had to have been both numerous and well organized, which was enough to generate anxiety that eventually led to accusations of ritual murder. As a result of these accusations, the Jews were driven out the city and their buildings, including their informal synagogue, were destroyed.
Photo: A.Białkowski
The return to the Jews to was tied to rebuilding their homes and buildings. At that time a modest prayer house was rebuilt that functioned as the local synagogue. Jews were next accused of supporting the Swedes. This led to the 1658 Piotrków pogrom, which again destroyed the Jewish district along with the synagogue. Evidence of these events can be gleaned from the historical record. Nothing, however, is written about what these first buildings looked like. One can gather, especially given the lack of stability in the lives of the Piotrków’s Jewish population, that they built simple modest structures without investing much in materials. It was not known, of course, when it would be necessary to abandon one’s things residences again.
The situation changed when in 1679 the Jews of Piotrków gained official royal permission to settle and build necessary buildings, including a synagogue. In 1689 the first official synagogue was built in the area around Wielka Wieś and Podzamcze. It was destroyed in 1740 during anti-Jewish riots. The next synagogue, later known as the Little Synagogue, was financed by Herz Piotrkower in 1775. A simple rectangular two-story building with a polychrome interior was erected on Jerozolimska Street. After the Great Synagogue was built it was turned into a religious school—Bejt ha-Midrash. Currently the synagogue houses a children’s library.
Great Synagogue
The next synagogue built was the so-called Great Synagogue that was also located on Jerozolimska Street. Mojżesz Kocyn built it from 1791-1793. It was a rectangular wooden building that had two women’s galleries—one along the northern wall and the other along the southern. A vestibule was located on the western side of the building. It was crowned with a high gabled roof. It was remodeled in the middle of the 19th century. The western wall was extended by five meters and a portico was added that was flanked by a single turret on each side. his addition added another women’s gallery, which was supported by four-sided pillars. The women’s galleries were enlarged again in 1854. Originally the lone women’s gallery was located above the vestibule. The synagogue was considered one of the most beautiful in all of Europe, on account of both the great care with which its interior was furnished and its original architecture set that it apart from most sacred Jewish buildings of that time. The eastern wall contained the altar with an alcove that held the Torah. The wooden altar was a gilded structure carved from pear wood.
|
On each sides of the aron ha-kodesh stood a life-sized lion that stood on its hind legs and held a golden triple crown. An eagle sat perched with outstretched wings on top of the altar, which was also decorated with floral motifs and Hebrew inscriptions. The ark was surrounded by carved cherubs. A variety of musical instruments hung off the branches of the carved vegetation; they were modeled on those used in the Temple. The outstanding sculptor Dawid Friedlander designed both the building and the interior décor. The 19th century restoration, completed by Dawid Goldstein of Grocholice, introduced a polychrome ceiling depicting the twelve signs of the calendar, as well as the polychrome to the western wall that referenced both the Wailing Wall and the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The interior was also furnished with a bimah—an elevated platform with a reading desk, which also had a chair that was used during the circumcision ceremony for newborns.
This synagogue was plundered during various anti-Jewish riots, such as the one in 1854 provoked by the Russians. In 1868 the exterior of the synagogue was altered, including the western wall. It distinguished itself from other sacred buildings in Piotrków, and attracted the interest of those who visited the city. Even Czar Aleksander I saw it during an 1821 visit. After the renovations of 1868 the synagogue survived, without alterations to its exterior, until 1939. During the war the synagogue was severely damaged. From 1963-1967 the building had been converted into a public library, which operates to this day.
Cemetery
The Old Jewish Cemetery on Wojska Polskiego Street was the first Jewish cemetery in Piotrków, created in 1679 thanks to the privilege granted by King Jan III Sobieski. This was the result of the work of the merchant Brach Bejruch. He was also the man behind the creation of the Chewra Kadish (Funeral Society) that looked after the cemetery. This cemetery stopped being used at the end of the 18th century; the last burial took place in 1792.
Photo: A.Białkowski
In the 19th century some of the cemetery’s land was appropriated in order to build a hospital and roads (including today’s Wojska Polskiego Street). On the grounds of the former Old Cemetery, behind the synagogues, a square was established and a commemorative plaque was unveiled to mark the place.
Photo: A.Białkowski
The cemetery at 63 Spacerowa Street was created in 1791 in so-called Zagórki on 3.5 hectares of land. A brick wall with two gates surrounded the grounds. Around 3,000 graves remain in the cemetery, including the ohel of tzaddik Chaim David Barnard. The oldest tombstone dates from 1794.
Graves dating from World War II and later can also be found, including a symbolic grave of Bund members who were murdered during the war. A monument also stands in honor of the Jews of the Piotrków ghetto. Next to one of the cemetery’s gates, a memorial plaque has also been place on the wall.
You are welcome to discuss about "Synagogues and cemeteries"
|
mapa miejsc
|
)
)
)