To get to the Besançon, France synagogue we walked a
half-mile in a light drizzle carrying our photo gear. It had been raining for
two days. Since our next synagogue photo-shoot was in Luxembourg five days
later, giving us time for sightseeing in the interim, we scanned weather
forecasts looking for a place that didn’t promise more rain. A half-day of autobahning
put us in cool, but dry Munich, Germany. The morning after our arrival we
decided to look for a synagogue. So much for sightseeing! We were amazed to
find a stunning, ultra-modern synagogue and Jewish Community Center dominating
central Munich’s Sankt Jakob’s Platz.
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| Ohel Jakob on Sankt-Jakob-Platz |
The cornerstone of the Ohel Jakob Synagogue was laid
November 9, 2003, exactly 65 years after the Kristallnacht pogrom and
destruction of the city’s synagogues. The building’s simple geometric form and
placement in the Platz is a bold “in your face” architectural statement in the
city where Hitler attempted to kick-off his political movement with his famous
Beer Hall Putsch.
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| Interior - Ohel Jakob |
After a short explanation of our mission to photographically
preserve synagogues, permission was given to photograph Ohel Jakob later in the
day. We returned an hour later laden with photo-gear. Before the photo-shoot, we lunched at the delightful
kosher restaurant in the adjacent Jewish Community Center. Two German ladies
took seats next to us. They were fluent in English and somehow we became
engaged in conversation. They explained that although they were not Jewish they
had come to the Center for a lecture. One lady, who I shall refer to as Madame X,
said that she was interested in Jewish culture and was studying Hebrew. Madame X
stated emphatically that we should not fail to photograph the Black Synagogue
in nearby Augsburg, the town where she resides. She explained that the Black Synagogue
was unique because it was one of very few in Germany that was not destroyed
during the Shoah. We had no idea what constituted a Black synagogue but were
greatly intrigued by the possibility of documenting a rare, original, pre-World
War II German synagogue.
The non-Jewish, Hebrew-studying, Jewish-culture-immersed
Madam X said she had connections at the Augsburg (Black) Synagogue and thought
she could arrange a photo-shoot for the next day. We should call her the
following morning to confirm. By the
next morning she had arranged our photo-shoot through her Hebrew teacher and
the synagogue’s Cantor.
On our way to Augsburg, we made a short detour to the
infamous Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. This ghastly camp was one of the
earliest, serving as a model for the many that were built later. Continuing on to the Black Synagogue of
Augsburg we met the Cantor, the Hebrew teacher and Madam X. It was only as we
entered the synagogue’s sanctuary that we understood why it is referred to as
Black. Because it is!
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| Augsberg's "Black Synagogue" |
In 1913, the Augsburg Jewish community hired Fritz Landauer,
a young Jewish architect from Munich to design a new synagogue for their
burgeoning congregation. Landauer, a practitioner of modernist architecture collaborated
with Dr. Heinrich Lömpel to design a building that is often described as Art
Nouveau in style yet actually combines Moorish and Oriental details with Art
Deco forms. Ahead of their time, the synagogue’s predominantly black interior
looks like a futuristic creation by the Adams Family and Darth Vader. As we
were ogling this incredibly impressive and unique work of architectural art,
the cantor suddenly burst into song. Echoing off the marble walls and dome, his
operatic voice filled the cavernous space. His spontaneous a cappella concert
for just the four of us in this awe inspiring synagogue was a magnificent, humbling and spiritual
experience.
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| Interior view - "Black Synagogue" |
Enjoy a virtual visit to Ohel Jakob and the Black Synagogue by clicking on either synagogue name.
