The Mihai Eminescu Trust has over ten years completed hundreds of restoration projects. It now aims to restore as many threatened synagogues as possible and to revive the Jewish culture and history. Now, thanks to the Trust and the Spiro Ark, you may see the results of their projects by joining the TOUR OF TRANSYLVANIAN SYNAGOGUES.

SIGHIŞOARA SYNAGOGUE

Thanks to the generous support of The Rothschild Foundation and substantial funds raised by Mr David Blum, the Trust has helped in completing the restoration of the Sighişoara Synagogue. The remaining Rothschild Foundation grant has been transferred to a second synagogue in Mediaş.

MEDIAŞ SYNAGOGUE

This Synagogue lies close beside the medieval citadel walls of the town, 40 km west of Sighişoara. Built in 1896 and together with the surrounding property, the synagogue represented the crux of Jewish life in the region. The Rabbi’s house, community offices, Jewish school and Mikvah, the ritual baths, were all located on this property. When the Trust first discovered the Mediaş synagogue in 2008 it was completely abandoned and contained a large number of books, documents and religious objects thrown haphazardly around the floor. The archives (many fascinating historical documents) are now cleaned, sorted and properly stored. The most notable feature of the synagogue’s interior is the beautiful wall painting. The building suffered from high humidity and lack of maintenance, the roof was leaking and the plaster crumbling. The Trust put in place quick remedial building work to prevent further deterioration but now desperately seeks more funds for a proper restoration programme.

OTHER INFORMATION

It is hoped that the current project will expand in the coming years, not only with the restoration of the building itself, but also with the creation of a centre for local schools and communities to learn about Jewish history, religion and culture as part of a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural Transylvania.

The achievements of both Trusts are only made possible by your donations (those made in the UK qualify for Gift Aid). Contact for MET – donations@mihaieminescutrust.org / for Spiro Ark – education@spiroark.org www.mihaieminescutrust.org / www.spiroark.org Registered charities – MET no. 1107300 / Spiro Ark no.1070926

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Synagogue Tours(Revised).pdf
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