A Remnant Rescued from the Flames

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Christian Herrmann under Mazovia, Synagogues

Nożyk Synagogue is Warsaw’s last synagogue situated on the left bank of Vistula river that survived World War II. It is one out of two functioning synagogues in the city. Before the war, 400 synagogues and prayer houses were at disposal of the world’s largest Jewish community. Today, Nożyk Synagogue is part of a Jewish community center.

Nożyk Synagogue, Warsaw

Graffiti next to Nożyk Synagogue, Warsaw

Continue reading →

Inside Jakob Glanzer Shul

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Synagogues

Jakob Glanzer Shul is one of the last remaining synagogues in Lviv. The building is in bad condition; an adjuncting wall already collapsed. Since years a young man fights for the preservation of the synagogue. I met him today.

Jakob Glanzer Shul

Inside Jakob Glanzer Shul

Continue reading →

Some Summer Black and Whites

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

After working a lot on my colour photos I finally found time to return to the analogue black and whites. Here is a selection of images I took in August during the trip to Ukraine and Moldova. Represented are Jewish cemeteries in Chişinău (Kishinev), Orhei and Vadul-Raşcov (Vadul Rashkov) in Bessarabia/Moldova, cemeteries in Rîbniţa (Rybnitsa) and Raşcov (Rashkov) in the break away “state” of Transnistria, as well as the former synagogue of Sniatyn in Galicia, Ukraine.

Chişinău Jewish cemetery

Orhei Jewish cemetery

Rîbniţa Jewish cemetery

Orhei Jewish cemetery

Raşcov Jewish cemetery

Vadul-Raşcov Jewish cemetery

Sniatyn synagogue

Continue reading →

Yom Kippur in Ioannina

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Balkans, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

My Cousin Vangelis and I are travelling in Epirus in the north-west of Greece. High up in the Pindos mountains, Ioannina – the regional capital – is located. The trip gave me a unique opportunity to join the Yom Kippur service in the local synagogue and to learn more about one of the most outstanding Jewish communities in Europe.

Ioannina old town, former Jewish quarter

Ioannina old town, gate to the synagogue yard

Ioannina synagogue

Preparing for Yom Kippur in Ioannina synagogue

Preparing for Yom Kippur in Ioannina synagogue

Yom Kippur in Ioannina synagogue

Ioannina Jewish cemetery

Continue reading →

A last Galician excursion

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

Since today I’m back home, but I have still to report on our last excursion, which led us into the Ukrainian borderlands with Poland, to Velyki Mosty, Belz and Uhniv.

Velyki Mosty synagogue

Velyki Mosty – mass grave site

Belz Jewish cemetery

Belz – farmers on the way home

Belz – prayer room

Belz – Catholic church

Uhniv – Catholic church

A curious goat next to Uhniv’s Catholic church

Uhniv – beit midrash and synagogue

Uhniv synagogue

Continue reading →

Return to Transnistria

Posted on August 20, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Podolia, Synagogues

Our journey to Ukraine and Moldova goes on. The wish of my friend Sylvia to visit Bessarabia gave me a good pretext to return to Chişinău (Kishinev). While our friends Marla and Jay returned to Lviv yesterday, Sylvia and I took the bus to the Moldovan capital. Today we were out for a long day trip to Transnistria, a break-away ‘state’, only aknowledged by Russia. We visited Dubăsari (Dubasari), Raşcov (Rashkov) and Rîbniţa (Rybnitsa).

Dubăsari (Dubasari) mass grave

Raşcov (Rashkov) Jewish cemetery

Raşcov (Rashkov) – ruin of a Christian church

Lenin is still alive in Transnistria

Raşcov (Rashkov) – view towards river Dniester

Raşcov (Rashkov) synagogue

Rybnitsa Jewish cemetery

Our marshrutka from Chernivtsi (Czernoeitz) to Chişinău (Chisinau)

Chişinău (Chisinau) – view from Cosmos hotel

Continue reading →

To Sadagora with the Volunteers

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Jewish Cemeteries, Northern Bukovina, Synagogues

The volunteers of SVIT Ukraine continued their work in the Jewish cemetery in Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) today. It is hard physical work and after a five hours work-day all were exhausted. But the work-camp is not only about work; it is also about experiencing the multi-ethnic past and present of Bukovina. Today we went to Sadagora – once an important Hasidic court.

Czernowitz Jewish cemetery – volunteers at work

Czernowitz Jewish cemetery – Sylvia de Swaan and Arthur Rindner

Czernowitz Jewish cemetery – Arthur Rindner praying at the grave of his grandfather

Czernowitz Jewish cemetery

Sadagora Hasidic court

Sadagora Jewish cemetery

The volunteers with Arthur

Continue reading →

To Zhovkva in Good Company

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

A new journey has begun. Over the next two weeks I will be traveling with my friend Sylvia de Swaan – a great photographer. The first week of our trip through Galicia, Bukovina and Bessarabia we will share with our friends and researchers Marla Raucher Osborn and Jay Osborn. Today we were in Zhovkva, about 30 kilometers north from Lviv.

Zhovkva synagogue

Zhovkva synagogue

Jay Osborn

Zhovkva

Zhovkva – trace of a mezuzah

Zhovkva market – formerly the Jewish cemetery

Zhovkva market – ohel at the former Jewish cemetery

Continue reading →

Riga in black and white

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Livonia (Livland), Synagogues

Finally I found time to work on the analog black and white images of the trip to Riga in February. Here are some of them: the remains of the Choral Synagogue, the Altneie Shul, the former Jewish craftsmen school and the Seilen Shul. All synagogues represented in the photos were burned down in July 1941 – often with people burned alive – and serve different purposes today.

Altneie Shul, former synagogue – now a combined Beit Midrash and apartment building

Former Jewish craftsmen school – a place of further education

Seilen Shul, a former synagogue – now part of a school building

Remains of Choral Synagogue – now a memorial

Continue reading →

From Soroca to Otaci

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

From Soroca we went further north to Zguriţa (Zguritsa) and Otaci (Ataki). In both places there are Jewish cemeteries and former synagogues. Both cemeteries have a special magic – the one due to its picturesque location, the other due to the age and the artistic quality of the gravestones.