Dr. Sergey R. Kravtsov is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Jewish Art, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Born in Lviv, Ukraine, he was trained as an architect in his native city. He received his doctoral degree in architectural history from the Institute for the Theory and History of Architecture in Moscow in 1993, and moved to Israel in 1994.
He has published about 60 essays on history of urban planning and synagogue architecture; he has authored and co-authored five books (two forthcoming), edited one book, co-produced 16 multimedia compact discs.
Gesher Galicia Luncheon*: “Galician Jewish Families: Histories and Legends” (Mon-132), 12:00-1:30 P.M.
Many prominent Galician Jewish families rooted themselves deeply in Jewish history, in local and regional cultural landscape. This was achieved by calculating and maintaining relations with other respected families; by founding and naming synagogues and charities; and by donating, inscribing, and commemorative usage of ritual objects.
The nineteenth century witnessed studies of cemetery epigraphs, Jewish biography, and critical historiography. On parallel with positivist narratives, however, Jewish family legends were constructed and circulated, particularly by the ennobled. While the positivist historiography saw these stories either as historically “true” or “false,” new approaches allow to study them as Jewish temporal adaptations of international folkloric and literary motifs.
These narratives, serving the families on their paths from the Jewish traditional to modern world, produced meaningful bonds with Polish, Austrian, and broader society. Spectacular examples of such stories are preserved in the memory of the interrelated von Mises, Nierenstein, Wahl, Herzenstein, and Lilien families.
Topics: Jewish history and culture
*Note: Attendance at a scheduled luncheon requires registration for that event and payment for the catered lunch. Kosher meals are $54 per person. Non-kosher are $44 per person.
Synagogues of Galicia as Cultural Heritage (Tues-168), 1:30-2:45 P.M.
The architectural history of synagogues in Galicia-Ruthenia is traceable from the sixteenth century. Construction of synagogues was the Jewish communities’ existential duty, a vibrant activity involving Jewish and non-Jewish agents.
Ruthenia was a hotbed of novel architectural patterns in synagogue construction, distinct and influential in general European context. This activity was continued until World War I, being enriched by architectural idioms arriving from the West and national romantic ideas generated by the “Jewish Renaissance.” The resulting built heritage, masonry and wooden, was abundant and wide-ranging in its typology, stylistics, and decoration.
It was and—despite the Holocaust, Soviet and post-Soviet losses—still is rich in its historical significance, collective and personal memory, in cultural meanings pertinent to synagogues’ types and particular edifices. Preservation of this heritage through a variety of strategies and forms is a challenge to the holders of the Galician legacy.
Topics: Jewish history and culture