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1

JEWISH TOMBSTONES IN KURZEME: SYMBOLICS AND EXEMPLA (Die Judischen Grabdenkmale in Kurzeme (Kurland): Symbolik und Exempla)

100%
Leitane I.
Makslas Vesture un Teorija
|
2006
|
vol. 5
15-30
EN
The article explores motifs and symbols of Jewish tombstones found in Kurzeme, Western part of Latvia.
2

THE WORLD AND IMAGE OF SHTETL ('Stetl' pasaule un tels)

100%
Leitane I.
Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei
|
2007
|
vol. 6
60-77
EN
The Jewish town shtetl is organised in a special way - shaped, on the one hand, by the necessity to bring about the Jewish religious law (halakha), on the other, regardless of the many Sabbath prohibitions, to facilitate and enrich communication, the true nerve of the town and Jewish community life. The whole territory of the shtetl was divided into complex zones, each having its name, status and function. Architectural and natural components defined the structure of this complex system. First of all shtetl was arranged according to certain principles of orientation in regard to four cardinal points. If no Jewish specificity is found in the types of buildings, the 'Jewish minimum' shows in the consistent observing of cardinal points in the orientation of sacred buildings and objects. The 'East' points towards Jerusalem and Messiah was believed to arrive from the East. Synagogues were constructed with aron kodesh (the sacred closet) containing the scroll of the Torah built in the Eastern wall. The Torah was taken out during the common prayer; Jews faced the East during prayer as well. The 'East' marked the gate of the Supreme Being, but the 'West' meant the human world and human course. In regard to an already built church the synagogue was often located eastwards (often towards South-East); natural obstacles could modify such a choice, leaving the church in the 'West'. The cemetery could be situated westwards in respect to the centre of shtetl but its location/construction still abided by the cardinal points (East-West extension). Arrival of Jews in towns on the Latvian territory from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century makes one to conclude that marketplace had a decisive role in the development of shtetl. Marginalised castle forms in their turn could be reflected in the forms of local tombstones. So the basic elements of shtetl were the synagogue (meeting house, beit-ha-kneset) and cemetery (the house of eternity, beit-ha-olam) that had a special place in the metaphysical view of the world as well. In Latvia sometimes new dwelling houses or outbuildings (in Riebini, Madona, Vilaka, Viesite) are constructed on the ruins/foundations of synagogues burnt down during World War II, sometimes the places were left vacant (for instance, in Kaunata, Aglona, Bauska).
3

RASHY-TYPE SYNAGOGUES IN LATVIA (Rashy tipa sinagogas Latvija)

100%
Leitane I.
Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei
|
2008
|
vol. 7
94-101
EN
The hypothetical architectonic type of the First Temple in Jerusalem due to be reconstructed; the oldest synagogue of Germany - Worms Synagogue; synagogues and prayer houses in Ludza, Rezekne, Daugavpils and elsewhere in Latgale. The common element of these three worlds and important facts of Western European and Latvian history of art and spiritual life are under scrutiny in this article. Although the Temple and the synagogue have different functions, historical reception of the Temple secures a sort of architectonic similarity, maintaining the link of meaning between the Temple and synagogue in the form of allusion. The article stresses that Rashy-type synagogues in Latvia are most related to a certain religious trend - Hassidism. This is not so much the question of stylistic purity related to the religious trend but rather that of the self-determination of a particular religious community and relations between the synagogue and Christian stylistic paradigm, avoiding, for example, Gothic as the most pronounced style of Christian sacred architecture. These and related questions, analysed in a wide cultural-historical context, make up the problem-oriented part of this research. Rashy synagogues as a type are explored in relation to the Worms Synagogue erected by first German Jewish community. It is the necessary prime example needed to analyse subsequent models. The problematic nature of this fact of cultural history is created not just by the circumstances in which the prime example had arrived in Latvia but also by the reconstruction of the historical fact: elucidation of conditions in which synagogues were constructed and inclusion of their style in the cultural-historical town planning. All this is usually connected with ambivalent situations. The very schematisation of 'synagogue style' historically implicates the issue of Jewish identity.
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