Month: September 2024

Nitzavim-Vayelekh:
Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20 and Deuteronomy 31:1-30, Isaiah 61:10–63:9

Nitzavim-Vayelekh (נִצָּבִים – standing and וַיֵּלֶךְ – he went): This double Torah portion presents Moses gathering the people of Israel before their entry into the Promised Land. He urges them to choose life and renew their covenant with God. It also marks the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua, emphasizing the choice between blessing and curse. The Haftarah ⁽¹⁾ announces the return from exile and the comfort of the people of Israel.

Isaiah 56:7
I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and other sacrifices will be accepted on my altar.
וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל-הַר קָדְשִׁי, וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי–עוֹלֹתֵיהֶם וְזִבְחֵיהֶם לְרָצוֹן, עַל-מִזְבְּחִי:
For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.
כִּי בֵיתִי, בֵּית-תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל-הָעַמִּים.”

This last part of the verse is engraved in gold letters on the lintel of the Enschede synagogue, built in 1928 by architects Anthonie Pieter Smits and Cornelis van de Linde⁽²⁾. The synagogue is a remarkable work of modernist style, inspired by the designs of Karel de Bazel⁽³⁾. With its clean lines and innovative use of materials, it is hailed as one of the most beautiful in the Mediene⁽⁴⁾.
In 1730, the drost⁽⁵⁾ of the Twente region authorized Jewish families to settle in Enschede. In 1913, the decision was made to build a new synagogue, as the community numbered about 1,200 members. The plans were completed in 1919, but construction began in 1927. By 1928, the synagogue, with a capacity of 600 people, was completed. The stained glass and mosaics were the work of Lambert Lourijsen ⁽⁶⁾.
During the war, like many communities, the Jews of Enschede were victims of Nazi persecution. The building, occupied by the Sicherheitsdienst ⁽⁷⁾, remained intact. After the war, the synagogue was immediately reused as a place of worship.
In 1996, all one hundred stained glass windows were restored by artist Annemiek Punt (8). From 2001 to 2004, a major restoration campaign was undertaken. The building is currently managed by the Twente Dutch-Israelite Municipality ⁽⁹⁾.

⁽¹⁾ Isaiah 61:10–63:9: The last of the Haftarot of Consolation, celebrating redemption and comfort for the people of Israel after Tisha B’Av.
⁽²⁾ Anthonie Pieter Smits (1884-1957) and Cornelis van de Linde (1884-1959): Dutch architects who frequently collaborated, notably on the Enschede synagogue.
⁽³⁾ Karel de Bazel (1869-1923): A Dutch architect known for his Art Deco and modern style, and the originator of the plans for the Enschede synagogue.
⁽⁴⁾ One of the most beautiful in the Mediene (één van de mooiste van de Mediene): The term Mediene refers to Jewish communities outside major historical cities like Amsterdam.
⁽⁵⁾ The drost or drossaard was, in the Netherlands, an administrative and judicial official responsible for regional management.
⁽⁶⁾ Lambert Lourijsen (1885-1950): A Dutch artist and master stained glass artist, creator of the stained glass windows and mosaics in the Enschede synagogue.
⁽⁷⁾ The Sicherheitsdienst (SD) was the security and intelligence organization of the Schutzstaffel (SS).
⁽⁸⁾ Annemiek Punt is a Dutch artist specializing in stained glass.
⁽⁹⁾ The Twente Dutch-Israelite Municipality (Nederlandse Israëlitische Gemeente Twente) is the religious organization managing local Jewish institutions and preserving Jewish heritage in the Twente region.

Ki Tavo: Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8 and Isaiah 60:1-22

The parasha Ki Tavo (כי תבוא – when you enter) begins with the commandments concerning the declaration of the first fruits and offerings. It also details the blessings promised for obedience to the commandments and the curses that will follow disobedience.

Deuteronomy 28:12
יִּפְתַּח ה’ לְךָ אֶת אוֹצָרוֹ הַטּוֹב אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם לָתֵת מְטַר אַרְצְךָ בְּעִתּוֹ וּלְבָרֵךְ אֵת כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶךָ וְהִלְוִיתָ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים וְאַתָּה לֹא תִלְוֶה.
The Lord will open for you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands.

In the New Synagogue on Oranienburger Street, light enters through skylights. Inaugurated in 1866, it was designed by architects Eduard Knoblauch and Friedrich August Stüler⁽¹⁾. Partially destroyed during the pogroms of 1938⁽²⁾, it remained in ruins until 1980. Inspired by Moorish architecture, with elements reminiscent of the Alhambra in Granada, its golden dome, visible from afar, is one of its most distinctive features. Inside, the synagogue features elaborate decorations and colorful stained glass windows that let in soft light.
Today, it houses the Centrum Judaicum, established in 1995 by the Jewish community in collaboration with authorities and cultural organizations to preserve and promote Jewish heritage.

(1) Eduard Knoblauch (1801-1865) and Friedrich August Stüler (1800-1865) were renowned German architects. Trained at the Berlin Academy of Architecture under Karl Friedrich Schinkel, they are known for their neoclassical and eclectic styles. They both died shortly before the synagogue’s inauguration.
(2) The November 1938 pogroms, known as “Kristallnacht” (the Night of Broken Glass), were a series of violent attacks orchestrated by the Nazis against Jews in Germany, resulting in the destruction of synagogues and the deaths of hundreds of people.

Ki Tetze, Deuteronomy 21:10 – 25:19 and Isaiah 54:1-10 ¹

In the parashah Ki Tetze (כי תצא — when you go out), Moses sets out a series of laws governing social life, including family relations, workers’ rights, and rules of warfare, as well as the obligation to build a guardrail on rooftops.

Deuteronomy 22:8
When you build a new house, you shall make a guardrail for your roof.
כִּי תִבְנֶה בַּיִת חָדָשׁ, וְעָשִׂיתָ מַעֲקֶה לְגַגֶּךָ

The Itzkhak Elchanan² Synagogue, better known as the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem, was inaugurated in 1982. Built on the site of a synagogue destroyed during the 1948 War of Independence, it is located in the heart of Jerusalem, on King George Street, and can accommodate around 1,400 people. It was designed by architect Alexander Friedman in a monumental ³ neoclassical style. The roof is topped with a dome surrounded by a stone balustrade. This dome dominates the prayer hall and is adorned with stained glass windows. A large stained glass window ⁴ rises above the Holy Ark. The balustrade of the women’s gallery, made of carved wood, is decorated with geometric patterns and traditional Jewish symbols.
The synagogue was designed as an Ashkenazi synagogue, but the seating arrangement resembles that of Sephardic synagogues, symbolizing the unity ⁵ of the Jewish people.

¹ The haftarah for Ki Tetze is the same as for No’ah. Its themes are redemption and consolation.
² Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spector (1817-1896) was a prominent rabbi of the Russian Empire (Lithuania and Belarus), renowned for his exceptional Talmudic knowledge and influential rulings.
³ Monumental: The façade measures 40m wide by 30m high.
⁴ The stained glass windows are a tribute to European synagogues destroyed during the Holocaust, and are the work of Regina Heim and David Pinsky.
⁵ To further reinforce this unity, beside the choir are two chairs reserved for Israel’s chief rabbis, Ashkenazi and Sephardic, and facing them, two more chairs bearing the emblems of the State, reserved for the Prime Minister and the President.

Shoftim (שופטים – Judges) Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9 and Isaiah 51:12 – 52:12.

The Torah deals with the establishment of a fair judicial system, prohibits idolatry, and sets out the laws of war. It also highlights the conditions for the creation of cities of refuge (19:1-13) to protect involuntary manslayers.

Deuteronomy 19:2
שָׁלוֹשׁ עָרִים, תַּבְדִּיל לָךְ: בְּתוֹךְ אַרְצְךָ–אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, נֹתֵן לְךָ לְרִשְׁתָּהּ.
You shall set aside three cities for yourself in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

The United Brethren Synagogue of Hebron¹
Around 1880, to escape persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe, a dozen Ashkenazi Jewish families formed a small community in Hebron, Connecticut. In 1940, Izzy Turshen² designed a building on land donated by Benjamin Kassman. The synagogue³, completed in September 1941, is in the Neo-Georgian style and incorporates Art Deco elements while remaining an example of rural architecture. Frescoes of scenes from Israel are painted on the walls.

¹ In Joshua 20:7, the city of Hebron is specifically designated as one of the cities of refuge.
² Also known as Ira Turshen, an American Jewish artist born in Russia.
³ Visit the United Brethren Synagogue on the site: Synagogues 360.