One of the central tasks of the Bet Tfila - Research Centre for Jewish Architecture in Europe is the recording, documentation and critical comparative research of the sacred and secular architecture of Jewish communities in Europe. The aim is to present and understand the genesis and specific nature of these buildings and institutions in the context of cultural, historical and technical-material developments.
As a German-Israeli institution of university research, it is committed to maxims of interdisciplinary and international cooperation. The results of its work are to be published in an appropriate manner in order to contribute to the preservation of Jewish cultural heritage and the expansion of general cultural-historical awareness. At the same time, young academics are to be familiarised with the complex subject matter and integrated into university teaching.
Since 1994, the Center for Jewish Art and the Institute for Architectural History have been working together with the aim of recording and systematically documenting the structurally still tangible remains of former synagogues, ritual baths and cemetery buildings in Germany and collecting evidence of the destruction and changes since 1938.
The results of these investigations are archived in Braunschweig and Jerusalem and made accessible to critical comparative research. Jewish cultural assets are endangered, they are in danger of being lost, especially in Europe, but also in North Africa, the Near East and other regions of the Jewish Diaspora. Therefore, in this time of upheaval and reorientation, the recording and documentation of these buildings and institutions is one of the most urgent tasks. The results of the investigations carried out so far show that the substance of the remains of former Jewish ritual buildings in Germany is also endangered. Deprived of their original function, they are threatened by temporary conversions or even demolition.
In view of these threats, the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been working for more than 20 years on the establishment of the Jerusalem Index of Jewish Art, a database for the worldwide recording of Jewish cultural assets of all times and regions. So far, over 200,000 objects have been recorded and systematically described. The Index is divided into the sections Ancient Jewish Art, Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts, Ritual Equipment and Synagogue Furnishings, Modern Jewish Art and Architecture of Jewish Communities.
Brunswick Research Group:
Bet Tfila - Research Centre Technische Universität Braunschweig Pockelsstr. 4 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
Tel.: +49 (0) 531 / 391 - 25 26 synagogen(at)tu-bs.de
Bet Tfila
Jerusalem Research Group:
Bet Tfila - Research Centre c/o Center for Jewish Art Hebrew University of Jerusalem Humanities Building, Mount Scopus Jerusalem 91905, Israel
Tel.: +972 (0) 25 88 22 81 Fax.: +972 (0) 25 40 01 05 cja(at)mail.huji.ac.il
