Remu'h Synagogue
1998 photo of the entrance
to Remu'h Synagogue on Szeroka street
On the western side of ul. Szeroka at
#49 is the Remu'h Synagogue which was established in 1553; it
is the smallest of the Synagogues in Kazimierz and the only one
which was being used for Jewish worship every Friday and Saturday
when I visited in 1998. The present Synagogue building was completed
in 1557 and replaced an earlier wooden Synagogue built on the
same spot.
The doorway shown in the photo above
opens into a courtyard with the actual entrance to the Synagogue
beyond it. The photo below was taken from inside the courtyard,
looking toward the other side of the door that is shown in the
photo above. The entrance to the actual synagogue is behind the
camera in the photo below. The stairs lead up to the women's
gallery.
Inside the courtyard,
looking back towards the entrance gate
October 2005 photo
of the Remu'h Synagogue
When I visited Kazimierz in 1998, there
was a restaurant owned by the American Nyssenbaum Foundation
located right next to the Remu'h Synagogue. This large upscale
restaurant had a brass mezuzah on the right-hand door frame,
which the tour guide pointed out to me. A mezuzah contains hand
written verses from the Deuteronomy on a parchment scroll. Jews
traditionally take the mezuzah with them when they move to a
new house, and it is the custom to kiss the mezuzah upon leaving
the house each day.
When I visited Kazimierz in October 2005,
there was another restaurant in the same spot; it is pictured
below. In 2005, there were large crowds of people visiting Kazimierz
and the center of the street was full of parked cars.
New restaurant next
to the Remu'h Synagogue on west side of ul. Szeroka
On my 1998 visit to Kazimierz, I was
not able to go inside the Remu'h Synagogue because it was still
being used by Jewish residents as a house of worship. In October
2005, I had to pay an entrance fee to see the interior, but I
was allowed to take the photos below.
Interior of Remu'h
Synagogue with the bimah in the foreground
Interior of Remu'h
Synagogue
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