Išnykęs kultūros paveldas: Palangos sinagogų architektūra

LTSinagoga Lietuvoje - nykstantis kultūros paveldo objektas. Dauguma žydų maldos namų buvo sunaikinti Antrojo pasaulinio karo ir pokario metais, kiti - paversti gamybinės paskirties statiniais ir pamažu nyko arba buvo perstatyti taip, kad nebepriminė savo tikrosios paskirties... Suniokotos sinagogos prarado savo semantinę prasmę, ilgus metus stovėjo apleistos, su užkaltais ar užmūrytais langais. Lietuvai atgavus nepriklausomybę, susidomėta žydų istorijos ir kultūros tyrimais. Tačiau ir šiuo laikotarpiu neišvengta sinagogų naikinimo. Didžiausi praradimai - trijų (dviejų mūrinių ir medinės) Plungės sinagogų nugriovimas. Taip pat nesuprantamas atsakingų institucijų abejingumas, stebint medinės Sedos (Mažeikių r.) ir mūrinės (barokinės) Kalvarijos (Marijampolės r.) sinagogų nykimą. Tiesa, per paskutinį dešimtmetį atliktos kelių buvusių sinagogų rekonstrukcijos - šie pastatai, populiariai tariant, „prikelti naujam gyvenimui", tačiau tikrai ne visi jie etiškai rekonstruoti ir tinkamai pritaikyti. Palangos sinagogos sunaikintos sovietmečiu; greičiausiai jų dokumentavimas ir fotofiksacija nebuvo atlikti. Šiuo straipsniu siekiama ištirti Palangos sinagogų architektūrą, nustatyti šių pastatų urbanistinius ryšius su kitais mieste stovėjusiais sakraliniais objektais. Taip pat derinti pastatų architektūros tyrimą su judaizmo religijos ypatumais ir XIX a. Lietuvoje paplitusiomis stilistinėmis architektūros tendencijomis. Remiantis archyviniais šaltiniais, istoriniais duomenimis ir ikonografine medžiaga, nustatyti išnykusių sinagogų stovėjimo vietas, išanalizuoti jų formas, atskleisti savitus bruožus ir rasti analogų Lietuvoje bei Latvijoje. Tyrimų metodai: istorinis ikonografinis, aprašomasis analitinis, lyginamasis, rekonstrukcinis (atkuriamasis). Papildomi saviti tyrimo metodai: pastatų fotografavimas ir piešiniai [p. 29-30].

ENLarge Jewish communities lived in many cities and towns of Lithuania from the second part of the 19th century to the WWII. Their lifestyle and customs differed significantly from those of the locals because they were tightly linked to the peculiarities of Judaism. Judaism is not only one of the oldest religions in the world, but also a combination of cultural, moral and social phenomena that encompasses not only religion, but also Jewish lifestyle. "The Torah" is the main source of this ethical religion containing all aspect of human life from birth to death. It contains 613 precepts and prohibitions: to adhere to the specific rules of Jewish lifestyle (Shabbat, circumcision, dietary laws, celebrations, fasting, etc.). Traditional Judaism has such institutions as a bath, with a ritual pool - mikveh and a ritual abattoir with no equivalents in Christianity. However, the synagogue and the graveyard are the main attributes of independency of the Jewish communities. The synagogue became the most important institution of Judaism after destruction of he Temple in Jerusalem. The word "synagogue" means a meeting, also Jewish place of worship and is intended for religious rite, studies and community meetings. These functions are also defined by Hebrew terms: "beit ha-tefilah" (a place of worship), "beit ha-midraš" (home for educational purposes and studies), "beit ha-kneset" (the venue of meetings). Terms in other languages were used to describe the synagogues: Polish word "bożnica" means a place of worship, Latin word "schola", German word "schule" and Russian word "школа" highlights the teaching function, whereas Russian collocation "молитвенная школа" emphasizes two functions of this building. All these terms eventually became synonyms because the terms "prayer" and "teaching" are directly related to the functions of the synagog.The terms "shul" or "shkala" were most commonly used in Lithuanian towns. Religion controlled all aspects of Jewish life. For example, Jews are prohibited from using transport on Shabbat and during celebrations and are allowed to walk a distance not greater than 1.5 km from their home. Therefore, the communities of every town requested permission to build their own synagogue or a place of worship. The synagogue was often equipped in residential house because the room in which 10 Jewish men gather to pray (minjan) can be used as the synagogue. The architecture of the synagogues differs from the architecture of other sacral buildings; it is affected by Judaism liturgy and specific functional requirements which are inherent for the Eastern shrines. In the middle of the 19th century Judaism was reformed and brought somewhat closer to Christian Protestantism by the German rabbinate. Therefore, some external differences between the church and the synagogue disappeared. Until the beginning of the 20th century the sacral buildings of other confessions directly influenced selection of the places for the synagogues: the construction laws required to build the Jewish houses of prayer at a certain distance from the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.