Zagreb synagogue
Encyclopedia
The Zagreb Synagogue was the main place of worship
for the Jew
ish community of Zagreb
in modern-day Croatia
, from its construction in 1867 in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
within the Austrian Empire
, until its demolition by the fascist
authorities in 1941 in the Axis
-aligned Independent State of Croatia
.
The Moorish Revival synagogue
was located on modern-day Praška Street and has been the only purpose-built Jewish house of worship in the history of the city
. It was one of the city's most prominent public buildings, as well as one the most esteemed examples of synagogue architecture
in the region.
Since the 1980s, plans have been made to rebuild the synagogue in its original location, but due to various political circumstances, very limited progress has been made. Today's main disagreements which inhibit the construction of a new synagogue are concerning involvement of Jewish organizations in the reconstruction, and the design and character of the new building.
in 1806. In 1809 the Jewish community had a rabbi
and in 1811 it had its own cemetery
. As early as 1833, the community was permitted to buy land for construction of a synagogue, but there was not enough money to finance the construction of one.
By 1855, the community had grown to 700 members and, on October 30 of that year, the decision was made to build a new Jewish synagogue. The construction committee, appointed in 1861, selected and purchased a parcel of land at the corner of Maria Valeria Street (now Praška Street) and Ban Jelačić Square
, the central town square. However, a new urban planning
scheme of 1864 reduced the area available for construction, and the community decided to buy another parcel of 1540 square metres (1,841.8 sq yd) in Maria Valeria Street, approximately 80 metres (262.5 ft) south of the original location.
, a Vienna
-born Zagreb architect, was commissioned to build the synagogue. Klein, a representative of romantic historicism
, modeled the building on the Viennese Leopoldstädter Tempel
(1858), a Moorish Revival temple designed by Ludwig Förster
that would become a prototype for synagogue design in Central Europe
. Zagreb Synagogue used the already developed round arch style (Rundbogenstil
), but did not adopt Förster's early oriental motifs.
The composition of the main facade, with its dominant drawn-out and elevated projection and the two symmetrical lower lateral parts, reflects the internal division into three nave
s. At ground-floor level the front was distinguished by the three-arch entrance and bifora, whereas the first-floor level had a high triforium
with an elevated arch and the quadrifoliate
rosettes
on the staircases.
The synagogue occupied the greater part of the plot, facing west, and receding from the street regulation-line in accordance with the rule then still enforced in Austria–Hungary, where non-Catholic places of worship could not have a public entrance from the street. The synagogue had a wider and slightly higher central nave and two narrower naves; unlike the Förster's synagogue in Vienna, it did not have a basilica
l plan.
Construction began in 1866 and was completed the following year. The synagogue was officially consecrated on September 27, 1867, in the presence of the representatives of city and regional authorities, Zagreb public figures, and many citizens. It was the first prominent public building in Zagreb's lower town, and its architecture and scale aroused general admiration and praise.
was introduced into religious service. For the small minority of Orthodox Jews
, this was intolerable, and from that point on, they held their services separately, in rented rooms.
In the 1880 Zagreb earthquake
, the synagogue suffered minor damage and was repaired the following year.
Largely due to immigration from Hungary
, Bohemia
and Moravia
, the Jewish population of Zagreb quickly grew in size: from 1,285 members in 1887 to 3,237 members in 1900, and then to 5,970 members in 1921. The synagogue became too small to accommodate the needs of the ever-growing community, and in 1923, it saw its only major adaptation, aimed at increasing the number of available seats. A 1931 plan to further increase the capacity to 944 seats was ultimately abandoned. A central heating
system was installed in 1933.
under Axis
invasion in the April War
, the Independent State of Croatia was created, ruled by the extreme nationalist
Ustaša regime. The Ustaša quickly started with the systematic persecution of the Jews, modeled after the Nazi Germany
approach, and at times even more brutal. Racial laws were introduced, Jewish property was confiscated, and the Jews were subjected to mass arrests and deportations to death camps in Croatia and abroad.
In October 1941, the newly-installed mayor of Zagreb, Ivan Werner
, issued a decree ordering the demolition of the Praška Street synagogue, ostensibly because it did not fit into the city's master plan. The demolition began on October 10, 1941, proceeding slowly so as not to damage the adjacent buildings, and was finished by April 1942. The whole process was photographed for propaganda purposes, and the photographs were shown to the public at exhibitions held in Zagreb, Dubrovnik
, Karlovac
, Sarajevo
, Vukovar
and Zemun
, as an illustration of the "solution of the Jewish question in Croatia". Film footage of the demolition was only discovered five decades later by the film director Lordan Zafranović
during research for his 1993 documentary feature, Decline of the Century: Testimony of L. Z.; only 41 seconds of the film survives. This footage was also shown in Mira Wolf's documentary, The Zagreb Synagogue 1867-1942 (1996), produced by Croatian Radiotelevision
.
The synagogue's eight valuable Torah scrolls
were saved due to an intervention by Leonardo Grivičić, an entrepreneur and industrialist who lived next door from Mile Budak
, a minister in the Ustaša government, and who was also personally close to Poglavnik
Ante Pavelić
and the Third Reich's ambassador to Croatia, Edmund Glaise-Horstenau
. Although Grivičić did not have a significant political role in the Independent State of Croatia, he was considered a person of trust. On October 9, 1941, he learned about the regime's plan to start the demolition of the synagogue on the following morning. By that evening, Grivičić secretly relayed the information to the synagogue's chief cantor
, Grüner, and during the night, the Torah scrolls were moved to safety.
Shortly after the destruction of the synagogue, the Catholic archbishop of Zagreb
Aloysius Stepinac
delivered a homily in which he said: "A house of God of any faith is a holy thing, and whoever harms it will pay with their lives. In this world and the next they will be punished.".
The only surviving fragments of the building — the wash-basin and two memorial tables from the forecourt, as well as some parts of a column — were saved by Ivo Kraus, who pulled them from the rubble shortly after the end of World War II. The wash-basin and the memorial tables are now in the Zagreb City Museum
, while the column fragments are kept by Jewish Community of Zagreb.
, and the community dropped to one-tenth of its pre-war membership. The Yugoslav
communist regime nationalized
virtually all real estate owned by the Jewish Community of Zagreb, including the plot in Praška Street. All this, combined with the new regime's general hostility toward religion, made reconstruction of the synagogue a virtually unattainable goal.
After World War II, the vacant site of the former synagogue was used as a makeshift volleyball
court. The volleyball court made way for a prefabricated
department store
building, constructed in 1959. The department store was completely destroyed in a fire on December 31, 1980, and was subsequently dismantled. Despite some earlier ideas about a permanent department store building on the same spot, and a 1977 architecture competition for its design, no construction took place. Instead, the parcel was turned into a parking lot
, which it remains to this day.
The first real reconstruction initiatives appeared only after 1986, when the Jewish Community of Zagreb began to consider a Jewish cultural center and a memorial synagogue. Two architects, Branko Silađin and Boris Morsan, both of whom participated in the failed 1977 department store competition, came forward on their own accord and contributed their ideas for a new Jewish center in Praška Street. Silađin's vision was ultimately not accepted by the Jewish community; instead, plans were being made for the construction of the cultural center and a synagogue, following an international architecture competition. However, despite support from both home and abroad, the issuance of necessary permits was either stalled or denied by the municipal government, and the project did not materialize.
, the municipal government finally greenlighted the project, and the architecture competition was planned for January 1991. However, political turmoil in the country, followed by the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Croatian War of Independence
(1991–1995), caused the project to be put on hold again.
In the meantime, the Jewish Community of Zagreb sought to legally reacquire its property. The Croatian denationalization
law was enacted in 1996, and the Praška Street parcel was finally returned to the community on December 31, 1999. By 2000, reconstruction activities were invigorated again. An investment study was submitted to the Government of Croatia and the City of Zagreb in July 2004 and revised in October 2004. The architecture competition was planned for 2005. However, a 2005 rift in the Jewish Community of Zagreb resulted in formation of a splinter Jewish community, Bet Israel, led by Ivo
and Slavko Goldstein
.
In September 2006, the Government of Croatia formed a construction workgroup. It was decided that the project, estimated at the time at HRK
173 million (US$ 30 million), would be partially financed by the Government of Croatia and the City of Zagreb, and that both Jewish organizations should be represented in the workgroup. However, the involvement of Bet Israel was deemed unacceptable by the Jewish Community of Zagreb, which is the sole owner of the Praška Street property, and which also sees itself as the sole legal representative of the Zagreb Jewish community. As a consequence, the community and its president, Ognjen Kraus, refused further participation in the project under the set conditions.
Further disagreements exist about the design and character of the new building. Facsimile
reconstruction, while feasible, is not seriously contemplated. There is a general agreement that the new building should also have a cultural as well as commercial purpose. While the Jewish Community of Zagreb envisions a modern design reminiscent of the original synagogue, the Bet Israel advocates building a replica of the original synagogue's facade
, perceiving it as having a powerful symbolism. Opinions of architects, urban planners, and art historians are also divided along similar lines. Although none of the involved parties abandoned the reconstruction, no progress has been made since 2006, and , the future of the project is uncertain.
Place of worship
A place of worship or house of worship is an establishment or her location where a group of people comes to perform acts of religious study, honor, or devotion. The form and function of religious architecture has evolved over thousands of years for both changing beliefs and architectural style...
for the Jew
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
ish community of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in modern-day Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, from its construction in 1867 in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia or Croatia Slavonia was an autonomous kingdom within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was part of the Hungarian Kingdom within the dual Austro-Hungarian state, being within the Lands of the Crown of St. Stephen or Transleithania...
within the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
, until its demolition by the fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
authorities in 1941 in the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
-aligned Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
.
The Moorish Revival synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
was located on modern-day Praška Street and has been the only purpose-built Jewish house of worship in the history of the city
History of Zagreb
Zagreb, Croatia is a city with a rich history, dating from Roman times to the present day. The oldest settlement in the urban area of the city is Andautonia, a Roman settlement in the place of today's Ščitarjevo. The name "Zagreb" is mentioned for the first time in 1094 at the founding of the...
. It was one of the city's most prominent public buildings, as well as one the most esteemed examples of synagogue architecture
Synagogue architecture
Synagogue architecture often follows styles in vogue at the place and time of construction. There is no set blueprint for synagogues and the architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. According to tradition, the Divine Presence can be found wherever there is a minyan,...
in the region.
Since the 1980s, plans have been made to rebuild the synagogue in its original location, but due to various political circumstances, very limited progress has been made. Today's main disagreements which inhibit the construction of a new synagogue are concerning involvement of Jewish organizations in the reconstruction, and the design and character of the new building.
History
Jews first permanently settled in Zagreb in the late eighteenth century, and founded the Jewish communityHistory of the Jews in Croatia
The Jewish community of Croatia dates back to at least the 3rd century AD, although little is known of the community until the 10th and 15th centuries. The community, over 20,000 strong on the eve of World War II, was almost entirely destroyed in the Holocaust. After the WWII half of the survivors...
in 1806. In 1809 the Jewish community had a rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and in 1811 it had its own cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
. As early as 1833, the community was permitted to buy land for construction of a synagogue, but there was not enough money to finance the construction of one.
By 1855, the community had grown to 700 members and, on October 30 of that year, the decision was made to build a new Jewish synagogue. The construction committee, appointed in 1861, selected and purchased a parcel of land at the corner of Maria Valeria Street (now Praška Street) and Ban Jelačić Square
Ban Jelacic Square
Ban Jelačić Square is the central square of the city of Zagreb, Croatia, named after ban Josip Jelačić. The official name is Trg bana Jelačića...
, the central town square. However, a new urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
scheme of 1864 reduced the area available for construction, and the community decided to buy another parcel of 1540 square metres (1,841.8 sq yd) in Maria Valeria Street, approximately 80 metres (262.5 ft) south of the original location.
Design and construction
Franjo KleinFranjo Klein
Franjo Klein was one of the most important architects in the period of an early and mature historicism in Croatia and the most prominent architect in Zagreb in the 1860s and 1870s.-Early work in Vienna and Bjelovar:...
, a Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
-born Zagreb architect, was commissioned to build the synagogue. Klein, a representative of romantic historicism
Historicism (art)
Historicism refers to artistic styles that draw their inspiration from copying historic styles or artisans. After neo-classicism, which could itself be considered a historicist movement, the 19th century saw a new historicist phase marked by a return to a more ancient classicism, in particular in...
, modeled the building on the Viennese Leopoldstädter Tempel
Leopoldstädter Tempel
The Leopoldstädter Tempel was the largest synagogue of Vienna, in the district of Leopoldstadt. It was also known as the Israelitische Bethaus in der Wiener Vorstadt Leopoldstadt. It was built in 1858 in a Moorish Revival style by the architect Ludwig Förster...
(1858), a Moorish Revival temple designed by Ludwig Förster
Ludwig Förster
Ludwig Christian Friedrich Förster was a German-born Austrian architect.Ludwig Förster studied in Munich and Vienna. He founded the Allgemeine Bauzeitung in 1836...
that would become a prototype for synagogue design in Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. Zagreb Synagogue used the already developed round arch style (Rundbogenstil
Rundbogenstil
Rundbogenstil , one of the nineteenth-century historic revival styles of architecture, is a variety of Romanesque revival popular in the German-speaking lands and the German diaspora....
), but did not adopt Förster's early oriental motifs.
The composition of the main facade, with its dominant drawn-out and elevated projection and the two symmetrical lower lateral parts, reflects the internal division into three nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
s. At ground-floor level the front was distinguished by the three-arch entrance and bifora, whereas the first-floor level had a high triforium
Triforium
A triforium is a shallow arched gallery within the thickness of inner wall, which stands above the nave of a church or cathedral. It may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, or it may be located as a separate level below the clerestory. It may itself have an outer wall of glass rather than...
with an elevated arch and the quadrifoliate
Quadrifolium
The quadrifoliumis a type of rose curve with n=2. It has polar equation:r = \cos, \,with corresponding algebraic equation^3 = ^2. \,Rotated by 45°, this becomesr = \sin \,...
rosettes
Rosette (design)
A rosette is a round, stylized flower design, used extensively in sculptural objects from antiquity. Appearing in Mesopotamia and used to decorate the funeral stele in Ancient Greece...
on the staircases.
The synagogue occupied the greater part of the plot, facing west, and receding from the street regulation-line in accordance with the rule then still enforced in Austria–Hungary, where non-Catholic places of worship could not have a public entrance from the street. The synagogue had a wider and slightly higher central nave and two narrower naves; unlike the Förster's synagogue in Vienna, it did not have a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
l plan.
Construction began in 1866 and was completed the following year. The synagogue was officially consecrated on September 27, 1867, in the presence of the representatives of city and regional authorities, Zagreb public figures, and many citizens. It was the first prominent public building in Zagreb's lower town, and its architecture and scale aroused general admiration and praise.
19th and early 20th century
With the new synagogue, an organOrgan (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
was introduced into religious service. For the small minority of Orthodox Jews
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
, this was intolerable, and from that point on, they held their services separately, in rented rooms.
In the 1880 Zagreb earthquake
1880 Zagreb earthquake
The 1880 earthquake which struck Zagreb was a 8.0 magnitude earthquake which occurred on 9 November 1880. Its epicenter was in the Medvednica mountain north of Zagreb...
, the synagogue suffered minor damage and was repaired the following year.
Largely due to immigration from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, the Jewish population of Zagreb quickly grew in size: from 1,285 members in 1887 to 3,237 members in 1900, and then to 5,970 members in 1921. The synagogue became too small to accommodate the needs of the ever-growing community, and in 1923, it saw its only major adaptation, aimed at increasing the number of available seats. A 1931 plan to further increase the capacity to 944 seats was ultimately abandoned. A central heating
Central heating
A central heating system provides warmth to the whole interior of a building from one point to multiple rooms. When combined with other systems in order to control the building climate, the whole system may be a HVAC system.Central heating differs from local heating in that the heat generation...
system was installed in 1933.
Demolition during World War II
During the 1941 collapse of the Kingdom of YugoslaviaKingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
under Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
invasion in the April War
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
, the Independent State of Croatia was created, ruled by the extreme nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
Ustaša regime. The Ustaša quickly started with the systematic persecution of the Jews, modeled after the Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
approach, and at times even more brutal. Racial laws were introduced, Jewish property was confiscated, and the Jews were subjected to mass arrests and deportations to death camps in Croatia and abroad.
In October 1941, the newly-installed mayor of Zagreb, Ivan Werner
Ivan Werner
Ivan Werner was a Croatian politician in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Independent State of Croatia who served as the mayor of Zagreb from 1941 to 1944...
, issued a decree ordering the demolition of the Praška Street synagogue, ostensibly because it did not fit into the city's master plan. The demolition began on October 10, 1941, proceeding slowly so as not to damage the adjacent buildings, and was finished by April 1942. The whole process was photographed for propaganda purposes, and the photographs were shown to the public at exhibitions held in Zagreb, Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
, Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Vukovar
Vukovar
Vukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, and the biggest river port in Croatia located at the confluence of the Vuka river and the Danube. Vukovar is the center of the Vukovar-Syrmia County...
and Zemun
Zemun
Zemun is a historical town and one of the 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
, as an illustration of the "solution of the Jewish question in Croatia". Film footage of the demolition was only discovered five decades later by the film director Lordan Zafranović
Lordan Zafranovic
Lordan Zafranović is currently "the most controversial Croatian cineaste".-First films:After receiving a degree in literature and visual arts at the University of Split, Zafranović enrolled at the famous FAMU in Prague where he studied film directing and where he eventually graduated in 1981...
during research for his 1993 documentary feature, Decline of the Century: Testimony of L. Z.; only 41 seconds of the film survives. This footage was also shown in Mira Wolf's documentary, The Zagreb Synagogue 1867-1942 (1996), produced by Croatian Radiotelevision
Croatian Radiotelevision
Croatian Radiotelevision is a Croatian public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite...
.
The synagogue's eight valuable Torah scrolls
Sefer Torah
A Sefer Torah of Torah” or “Torah scroll”) is a handwritten copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, the holiest book within Judaism. It must meet extremely strict standards of production. The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Torah reading during Jewish services...
were saved due to an intervention by Leonardo Grivičić, an entrepreneur and industrialist who lived next door from Mile Budak
Mile Budak
Mile Budak was a Croatian Ustaše and writer, best known as one of the chief ideologists of the Croatian clerofascist Ustaše movement, which ruled the Independent State of Croatia, or NDH, from 1941-45 and waged a genocidal campaign against its Serb, Roma and Jewish minorities, and against Croatian...
, a minister in the Ustaša government, and who was also personally close to Poglavnik
Poglavnik
Poglavnik was the title used by Ante Pavelić, leader of World War II Croatian fascist movement Ustaše and of the Independent State of Croatia between 1941 and 1945.-Etymology and usage:...
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelic
Ante Pavelić was a Croatian fascist leader, revolutionary, and politician. He ruled as Poglavnik or head, of the Independent State of Croatia , a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia...
and the Third Reich's ambassador to Croatia, Edmund Glaise-Horstenau
Edmund Glaise-Horstenau
Edmund Glaise-Horstenau was an Austrian officer in the Bundesheer, last Vice-Chancellor of Austria before the 1938 Anschluss, and general in the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War.- Life :Born in Braunau am Inn the son of an officer, Glaise-Horstenau attended the Theresian Military...
. Although Grivičić did not have a significant political role in the Independent State of Croatia, he was considered a person of trust. On October 9, 1941, he learned about the regime's plan to start the demolition of the synagogue on the following morning. By that evening, Grivičić secretly relayed the information to the synagogue's chief cantor
Hazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
, Grüner, and during the night, the Torah scrolls were moved to safety.
Shortly after the destruction of the synagogue, the Catholic archbishop of Zagreb
Archdiocese of Zagreb
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb is the central archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb. It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, and the present archbishop is Josip Bozanić....
Aloysius Stepinac
Aloysius Stepinac
Aloysius Viktor Stepinac , also known as Blessed Aloysius Stepinac, was a Croatian Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Zagreb from 1937 to 1960. In 1998 he was declared a martyr and beatified by Pope John Paul II....
delivered a homily in which he said: "A house of God of any faith is a holy thing, and whoever harms it will pay with their lives. In this world and the next they will be punished.".
The only surviving fragments of the building — the wash-basin and two memorial tables from the forecourt, as well as some parts of a column — were saved by Ivo Kraus, who pulled them from the rubble shortly after the end of World War II. The wash-basin and the memorial tables are now in the Zagreb City Museum
Zagreb City Museum
Zagreb City Museum or Museum of the City of Zagreb located in 20 Opatička Street, was established in 1907 by the Association of the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon . It is located in a restored monumental complex of the former Convent of the Poor Clares, of 1650...
, while the column fragments are kept by Jewish Community of Zagreb.
Reconstruction efforts
1945–1990
Only one in five Croatian Jews survived World War II. Between 1948 and 1952, nearly one half of the surviving members of Jewish Community of Zagreb opted for emigration to IsraelAliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
, and the community dropped to one-tenth of its pre-war membership. The Yugoslav
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
communist regime nationalized
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
virtually all real estate owned by the Jewish Community of Zagreb, including the plot in Praška Street. All this, combined with the new regime's general hostility toward religion, made reconstruction of the synagogue a virtually unattainable goal.
After World War II, the vacant site of the former synagogue was used as a makeshift volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
court. The volleyball court made way for a prefabricated
Prefabrication
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located...
department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
building, constructed in 1959. The department store was completely destroyed in a fire on December 31, 1980, and was subsequently dismantled. Despite some earlier ideas about a permanent department store building on the same spot, and a 1977 architecture competition for its design, no construction took place. Instead, the parcel was turned into a parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
, which it remains to this day.
The first real reconstruction initiatives appeared only after 1986, when the Jewish Community of Zagreb began to consider a Jewish cultural center and a memorial synagogue. Two architects, Branko Silađin and Boris Morsan, both of whom participated in the failed 1977 department store competition, came forward on their own accord and contributed their ideas for a new Jewish center in Praška Street. Silađin's vision was ultimately not accepted by the Jewish community; instead, plans were being made for the construction of the cultural center and a synagogue, following an international architecture competition. However, despite support from both home and abroad, the issuance of necessary permits was either stalled or denied by the municipal government, and the project did not materialize.
1990–present
By the autumn of 1990, after the first democratic elections in CroatiaCroatian parliamentary election, 1990
Parliamentary elections were held in Croatia on 22 April 1990, with a second round of voting on 6 May. The first free elections since multi-party politics were introduced, they resulted in a victory for the Croatian Democratic Union, which won 55 of the 80 seats...
, the municipal government finally greenlighted the project, and the architecture competition was planned for January 1991. However, political turmoil in the country, followed by the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
(1991–1995), caused the project to be put on hold again.
In the meantime, the Jewish Community of Zagreb sought to legally reacquire its property. The Croatian denationalization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
law was enacted in 1996, and the Praška Street parcel was finally returned to the community on December 31, 1999. By 2000, reconstruction activities were invigorated again. An investment study was submitted to the Government of Croatia and the City of Zagreb in July 2004 and revised in October 2004. The architecture competition was planned for 2005. However, a 2005 rift in the Jewish Community of Zagreb resulted in formation of a splinter Jewish community, Bet Israel, led by Ivo
Ivo Goldstein
Dr. Ivo Goldstein is a Croatian historian.He received his PhD in history at the University of Zagreb. Since 2001 he is a full professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb...
and Slavko Goldstein
Slavko Goldstein
Slavko Goldstein is a Croatian Jewish historian, writer and publisher.Goldstein family was originally from Tuzla, but Slavko spend his childhood in Karlovac wherehis father Ivo was notable bookseller...
.
In September 2006, the Government of Croatia formed a construction workgroup. It was decided that the project, estimated at the time at HRK
Croatian kuna
The kuna is the currency of Croatia since 1994 . It is subdivided into 100 lipa. The kuna is issued by the Croatian National Bank and the coins are minted by the Croatian Monetary Institute....
173 million (US$ 30 million), would be partially financed by the Government of Croatia and the City of Zagreb, and that both Jewish organizations should be represented in the workgroup. However, the involvement of Bet Israel was deemed unacceptable by the Jewish Community of Zagreb, which is the sole owner of the Praška Street property, and which also sees itself as the sole legal representative of the Zagreb Jewish community. As a consequence, the community and its president, Ognjen Kraus, refused further participation in the project under the set conditions.
Further disagreements exist about the design and character of the new building. Facsimile
Facsimile
A facsimile is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of reproduction by attempting to replicate the source as accurately as possible in terms of scale,...
reconstruction, while feasible, is not seriously contemplated. There is a general agreement that the new building should also have a cultural as well as commercial purpose. While the Jewish Community of Zagreb envisions a modern design reminiscent of the original synagogue, the Bet Israel advocates building a replica of the original synagogue's facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, perceiving it as having a powerful symbolism. Opinions of architects, urban planners, and art historians are also divided along similar lines. Although none of the involved parties abandoned the reconstruction, no progress has been made since 2006, and , the future of the project is uncertain.