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| 5 11 2007 |
100th Birthday, but nothing to celebrate |
| 5 November 2007
AN IMPORTANT BIRTHDAY, BUT IS IT HAPPY? Today marks the 100th anniversary of the former Neue Synagoge in Poznan. Poznań Synagogue Project (PSP) has suggested and, when possible, implemented ways of motivating and discovering good ideas for the future of the historic synagogue. We have also undertaken to work to make the best idea, once it is revealed, into a reality of which everyone can be proud for generations to come. The Union of [Orthodox] Jewish Congregations in Poland (ZGWŻ) and its local "filia" in Poznań have stubbornly insisted that they and only they have the right to decide what happens to the synagogue. But their ideas are notably out-of-date, mediocre (often worse than mediocre), dependant on cronyism, and dumbed-down by provincialism. Such ideas as a Jewish Cultural Center in a city with, at most, 150 Jews, or a Center for Dialogue between Christians and Jews in a city with three such institutions, all well established and only one of them thriving, within driving distance, are certain to fail to accomplish what is needed. What is needed is a sustainable project not relying on fickle government largesse, a project that brings credit to all the stakeholders through both its methods and its results, and that attracts, educates, illuminates, and inspires for generations to come. PSP still holds its oft-repeated suspicion that the true goal of the ZGWŻ in Poznań, based on long-standing commitments between it and the WJRO in Israel, is to force the Poznań property into liquidation. The WJRO and ZGWŻ have a dubious “financing” agreement to preserve Jewish properties in eastern Poland (with its strong traditions of piety) by selling off Jewish properties in western Poland (where the traditions are often more worldly). Money left over, and there is hoped over time to be a great deal of it, is siphoned out of Poland and sent to Israel through a Polish shell foundation controlled by the WJRO, where hard-right elements believe that all Jewish patrimony wherever sited rightfully belongs to and should be used for the benefit of Israel. Hard-right former Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is a vocal advocate of this position and has close ties to the WJRO. Asking the local Jewish communities what they want has not been a hallmark of this program, and there is essentially no transparency in it. Jews who disapprove of the program – for example, Jakub Szadaj (Gdansk), Bolesław Szenicer (Warsaw), and Andrzej Beryt (Poznań) -- have been smeared, removed from positions of influence and authority, and marginalized. Jews who prefer their own communities, cities, and histories, over those of Israel, are routinely labeled backward and benighted. The ZGWŻ’s most hurtful insult to such people has often been to suggest that they “are not really Jewish.” The power of this insult to silence complaints has been astonishing. With the continuing implementation of this strange “property management” arrangement, which valorizes some Jews and some Jewish history over others, there is no incentive to preserve the synagogue and every incentive to do nothing about it as it continues to decay to a point where nothing can be done with it except demolition and sale of the property. The land underneath the synagogue is among the best located land in central Poznań; estimates of its value for development begin at about $3,000,000 and rise to about three times that much – making it the most valuable land parcel in the ZGWŻ’s portfolio of restituted properties. Unfortunately, the ZGWŻ does not understand or appreciate either the concept "stakeholder," or the concept "win-win solution." It works entirely on the principle of “zero-sum game.” A win for Christians must be a loss for Jews; a win for German Jews must be a loss for Polish Jews, and so on. Until someone manages to convince them that there is more at stake than their provincial attachment to control of an historically important building that can in almost no sense be called theirs, the chances for the future of the synagogue are bleak. When built, it was a German modern orthodox synagogue with close ties to Berlin. Its congregants, rabbis, benefactors, and designers were all German Jews, most of whom left the area (many forcibly) in the years immediately following First World War, when Poland, in part through a violent anti-German uprising centered in Poznań, was reestablished and the city of Posen became again the city of Poznań. PSP argues that today’s German Jews have a moral claim to the building at least equal to the legal claim of today’s Polish Jews. Incidentally, not one of the members of the Poznań “filia” has an historic attachment to Poznań that goes back to the period when the synagogue was built. All the Jews in the “filia” (or their families) came to Poznań later, most of them from much farther east, often as a result of deliberate efforts to repopulate western Poland after one or the other World War. However, in spite of the obvious equities of doing so, the ZGWŻ and its local “filia” have not so far been willing to share the building with their German co-religionists. Until those in charge of the future of the synagogue include international experts in the appropriate disciplines (not merely hollow figureheads) from Germany, Israel, the English-speaking world, as well as representatives of all the Jewish communities of Poland, PSP will continue to argue that there is insufficient transparency, accountability, and democracy surrounding the Poznań synagogue. We hope the 101st birthday will bring greater cause for celebration. -- Andrew Hingston |
| 22 07 2007 |
ZGWŻ Plan for Synagogue: Totally Inadequate |
| July 3rd and 4th, the "Filia" of the ZGWZ released its plans for the Poznań synagogue by publishing them in the local edition of Gazeta Wyborcza. PSP immediately recognized that the ZGWŻ had delivered a proposal of of jaw-dropping mediocrity, relying totally on local talent, howing no imagination, and taking no risks at all. We therefore began a campaign of 'naming and shaming' the people responsible for such mediocrity. In particularly, we have called for the local architects (Stefan Bajer and Krzysztof Kwiatkowski), who have never produced a remarkable design for anything, to withdraw their plans and to call for an international compeition. So far, they have not done so, and Stefan Bajer has turned down invitations to meet with PSP. |
| 21 07 2007 |
Anti-Jewish Graffiti Painted on Poznań Synagogue |
| Someone recently painted an intentionally hurtful anti-Jewish graffito on the southeast corner of the former "Neue Synagoge" in Poznan.
As soon as we noticed it, PSP made a suggestion for cooperative action to the Poznan "Filia" of the ZGWŻ, which controls the building. Here is the text of PSP's suggestion, made in an email to the "Filia": Poznan, Friday 29 July 2007. Dear Poznan Filia of the ZGWZ -- I imagine you will have seen the ugly words and image painted on the side of the former synagogue. I don't know when they were painted; I first saw them last night about 6 pm. PSP would like to clean this mess up as soon as possible. Furthermore, we would like to clean it up in a manner that promotes a sense of community spirit and makes this sort of thing less likely in future. Our proposal is to involve the children of the neighborhood in painting a mural. We don't expect it to be a great work of art, but that is not the point. We believe that children who have participated in the creation of something -- and who have had fun while doing it -- will not deface it. We also believe that their parents and siblings will not deface it either. Finally, it's an opportunity for people to work together on something on which we all agree. We may not agree on much, but we do agree on this -- and it's a good chance to show others that even those who disagree strongly can work together for the benefit of the community. I am sure that I can arrange for any necessary money -- and for paint, brushes, etc. -- to be donated. I undertake to do that as soon as you invite PSP to help. Please call me as soon as possible. My mobile number is +48.502.349.753. Szabat Szalom. (I will try to get this translated and sent before sunset. But if you can read this in English, then please don't wait to receive the Polish version.) -- Andrew Hingston Poznań Synagogue Project Poznań, Poland |
| 18 06 2007 |
First Phase of Competition for Bright Ideas has ended. |
| In January 2007 PSP launched its competition to solicit bright ideas from young Polish-speaking people regarding the future of the Poznan Synagogue. From 15 January until 15 June, when the competition ended, we received more than 13,000 "hits" on the website, many specific enquiries about the competition, and numerous submissions. The exams are now in the hands of the judges. It may take a few weeks for them to reach their decisions. When they do, we will make an announcement. Of course, we will notify the winners directly. We will also publish the winning essays, together with any essays that we find worthy, on the website. Many thanks to all of you who competed, and to all of you who contributed. |