Maharam's Synagogue was a
synagogue in
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
, which was located on a no-longer-existing Jateczna 3 Street. The synagogue was a part of synagogical complex in ''Podzamcze''.
History
Maharam's Synagogue was built near the end of the 16th or in the beginning of the 17th century, as a building clinging to the southern wall of
Maharshal's Synagogue
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, image = Jewish Quarter Lublin 12 - 1938 Maharshal Synagogue.jpg
, image_upright = 1.4
, alt =
, caption = The former synagogue,in the Jewish quarter, in 1 ...
. The synagogue was named in honour of Lublin's rector and
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
,
Meir Lublin
Meir Lublin or Meir ben Gedalia (1558 – 1616) was a Polish rabbi, Talmudist and Posek ("decisor of Jewish law"). He is well known for his commentary on the Talmud, ''Meir Einai Chachamim''. He is also referred to as Maharam (Hebrew acronym: " ...
, who was also referred to as Maharam. The synagogue was purposed for officiating
shabbat. The two synagogues could seat 3000 prayers combined.
It is likely that sessions of the
Council of Four Lands
The Council of Four Lands ( he, ועד ארבע ארצות, ''Va'ad Arba' Aratzot'') in Lublin, Poland was the central body of Jewish authority in Poland from the second half of the 16th century to 1764. The first known regulation for the Council ...
took place within the synagogue. During
Cossack
The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
-
Muscovite
Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula K Al2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage ...
invasion on Lublin in 1655, the aggressors burnt the building down
Bałaban, chapter ''Great War (1648–1660)''
although it was quickly rebuilt. During the subsequent years the building was neglected and not renovated and in 1854, after the night of Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day' ...
, the ceiling gave away. In 1866, a long renovation was finally completed. Of the old building, only the outline of the external wall is left.
During the interwar period due to bad technical condition, an extensive recondition was planned, however, the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
broke those plans. During the war, Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
administration ordered to close the synagogue for worship purposes. Inside, existed a shelter for the poor, refugee
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. s, displaced person
Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...
s. After the disposal of Lublin Ghetto
The Lublin Ghetto was a World War II ghetto created by Nazi Germany in the city of Lublin on the territory of General Government in occupied Poland. The ghetto inmates were mostly Polish Jews, although a number of Roma were also brought in.Doris ...
, the synagogue with whole synagogical complex was blown up.
After the war, for a few years the ruins of the building weren't touched. In 1954, on order of the city's administration, they were dismantled because of building a new street, ''Aleja Tysiąclecia''. There's a granite memorial, on which is written an expression in Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
, Yiddish and Hebrew language
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
s.
In 2007, on initiative of Ośrodek Brama Gordzka-Teatr NN, a 3D model
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, ...
of Maharshal's and Maharam's Synagogues was created, after six months of work by Krzysztof Mucha.
Architecture
The brick building was erected on the plan of elongated square in west–east direction in renaissance style
Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought ...
. For the entry, one had to use staircase located in the Maharshal's Synagogue
, native_name_lang =
, image = Jewish Quarter Lublin 12 - 1938 Maharshal Synagogue.jpg
, image_upright = 1.4
, alt =
, caption = The former synagogue,in the Jewish quarter, in 1 ...
.
There is no information on the plan of the building prior to the 1656 fire, besides the outlines on the city plans from: 1783, circa 1800, 1823 and 1829. The outline from 1823 is similar to the 1920 drawing. Until today, at least a dozen photographs, drawing and plans from the interwar period remained, thanks to which both internal and external views of the synagogue are known.
The building was fragmented on two long, narrow and preceded by a vestibule, rooms: a main room for prayers, clinged to the prayers' room in Maharshal's Synagogue and a women's zone from the external side. Both of the rooms had a wooden ceiling.
On the middle of the main room for prayers, a short, 8-sided, 2-entry and surrounded by banister, the bimah. On the Eastern wall, an ark was located, with Decalogue
The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ� ...
's memorials and covered by a parochet
A ''parochet'' (Hebrew: פרוכת; Ashkenazi pronunciation: ''paroches'') meaning "curtain" or "screen",Sonne Isaiah (1962) 'Synagogue' in The Interpreter's dictionary of the Bible vol 4, New York: Abingdon Press pp 476-491 is the curtain that c ...
with the Star of David
The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles.
A derivation of the '' seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorat ...
embroidered. Besides, on this wall, a polychrome
Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors.
Ancient Egypt
Colossal statue ...
was painted as well as an unidentified picture.
Notes
Bibliography
*Maria and Kazimierz Piechotek – ''Bramy Nieba. Bóżnice murowane na ziemiach dawnej Rzeczypospolitej'' (Warsaw 1999)
*Karolina and Symcha Wajs – ''Fakty i wydarzenia z życia lubelskich Żydów'' (Lublin 1997)
*Wysok Wiesław, Kuwałek Robert – ''Lublin. Jerozolima Królestwa Polskiego'' (Lublin 2001)
*Majer Bałaban – ''Żydowskie miasto w Lublinie'' (Lublin 1991)
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Synagogues completed in 1866
Buildings and structures in Lublin
Former synagogues in Poland
Orthodox synagogues in Poland
Jews and Judaism in Lublin
19th-century religious buildings and structures in Poland