Synagogue of Subotica, Serbia

Shabat Yitro (יתרו) Exodus 18:1-20.23

The Decalogue (The Ten Words) is read during the sixth aliyah (20:2-17).
The Ten Sayings are inscribed in two parashioth, that of Yitro and that of Va’et’hanan.

A controversy sometimes arises as to whether the faithful should stand or not during the reading. Standing up could mean giving greater importance to these Ten Words than to the rest of the Torah.

In the Synagogue of Subotica, Tablets of the Law were placed at the top of the main entrance and above the Hekhal. It is the second largest in Europe. It was designed by architects Marcell Komor and Dezső Jakab. The stained glass windows come from Miksa Róth’s workshop and the ceramics from Zsolnay. It is characteristic of the Secession-Hungarian style (current of Art-Nouveau). It is included in the list of cultural monuments of exceptional importance of the Republic of Serbia. It was renovated in March 2018.

Before World War II, the Jewish community numbered about 6,000, of whom only about 1,000 survived the Holocaust. Today, only 200 Jews live in Subotica.

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