Stabilizing Przysucha Synagogue in Poland
Seven years ago the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ) became the owner of the eighteenth-century synagogue in Przysucha, a small town between Krakow and Warsaw. In 2009, FODZ began efforts to revitalize the historic building in order to serve the needs of visiting Jewish groups and the local community.
The Przysucha synagogue has exceptional historical and artistic value as one of very few and also the largest (650 square meters) surviving baroque synagogue in Poland. Erected between 1764 and 1777, it has an impressive prayer hall with a vaulted ceiling supported by a four-piered bimah. The aron kodesh and its decorative stuccowork have also survived, as have some other interior painted decorations. Additional photographs of the synagogue and a virtual tour of the sanctuary can be found on FODZ's website.
At the end of the eighteenth century, Przysucha was one of the most important centers of the Chassidic movement in Poland and several famous movement leaders lived there. The most important of them were Abraham of Przysucha (d. 1806); Jacob Yitzhak ben Asher (1766–1813), known as the Holy Jew of Przysucha and credited with being the first propagator of Chassidism in Central Poland; and the latter’s disciple Reb Simcha Bunem (1784–1827). Their ohalim (a structure built over a Jewish grave as a sign of that person’s prominence), constructed in the 1980s at the local Jewish cemetery, is frequently visited by Chassidim from all over the world.
On the eve of the World War II, Jews constituted over 60% of the town’s population. All of Przysucha’s Jews were killed during the war, and the synagogue was severely damaged. Immediately after the war, the Statue Treasury took over the building and used it as storage space, causing major damage to the sanctuary. Later there was a general attempt to renovate it, which caused major structural damage to the building, as the bimah—which is a vital part of the vaulted ceiling support—was cut off from the foundations.
From 2008 to 2009, FODZ carried out emergency renovations and completed a conservation plan for the synagogue. In 2012, we carried out essential work on the building’s foundations. In 2013, FODZ completed restoration work on the building’s roof.
Between June and October 2014, the third stage of the renovation of the synagogue took place. The work included stabilization of the building’s façades by removing inappropriate additions from a prior renovation project, using matching natural stone to fill in any façade gaps, re-pointing the façade, and consolidating the existing stone. The project was supported by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as well as the Taube Philanthropies, the Cahnman Foundation, World Monuments Fund, and FODZ.
After the completion of the restoration, the synagogue will be open for Jewish groups and available for religious and cultural purposes.
We are very proud what has been achieved until now, but it is still long way until we will be able to celebrate victory. The next major challenge is raising funds for the renovation of the interior.