From July 29 - August 9, visitors to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews were able to observe the installation of the painted bimah to the close-to-scale replica of a 17th-century wooden synagogue. The reconstructed synagogue, based on one that stood for centuries in Gwoździec, Poland, forms the centerpiece of the new Museum's Core Exhibition, and will be formally unveiled to the public during the Museum's Grand Opening in 2014.
Over the course of two weeks, the public was invited to observe an international team of volunteers, led by Handshouse Studio of Massachusetts, recreates the polychrome decorations of the Gwoździec synagogue bimah using only the tools and techniques of the period. This unique educational method of recovering heritage by building it has been used in the construction of the entire synagogue replica, from timber frame to painted ceiling panels.
The bimah is a special platform which is usually elevated and located in the center of a synagogue. During services, portions of Torah and prayers are read while standing on the bimah. In the Core Exhibition, the bimah will stand under the ornately decorated ceiling of the replica roof of the Gwoździec synagogue, which was recreated by volunteers and experts during construction and painting workshops in 2011 and 2012.
An Open House was held on August 7, featuring talks by Handshouse Studio co-founders, Rick and Laura Brown, on the Gwoździec Re!construction Project, and Piotr Kowalik of the Museum's Education Department on the function and symbolism of the bimah.
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