Wednesday, April 7, 2010 (Part 8):The next synagogue on our tour was the Spanish Synagogue, and we actually had to walk several blocks to get there. This was the "newest" of the synagogues that we saw -- only several hundred years old. It was also the showiest. It was very beautiful with very colorfully painted and tiled walls and ceilings. There was also a very pretty chandelier, in the shape of the Star of David, in the center of the room.
The Spanish Synagogue is now a museum for items from the 20th century life in the Jewish Quarter, with primary emphasis on the Nazi occupation and impact. There were many photos, registration lists, etc. from World War II.
During the Nazi occupation, all the synagogues were closed (obviously), and the Spanish Synagogue was used as a storehouse for furnishings (e.g., pews) and items of worship taken from the others. It is not known why the Nazi's stored such items instead of destroying them. It is thought that they might have been planning a museum about the exterminated Jews, once the Nazi's achieved their goal of destroying the entire area.
As in all the synagogues, pictures were prohibited. BUT, I noticed that dozens of people were taking pictures in the Spanish Synagogue and no one was telling them to stop. So I snapped a few myself! Isn't it beautiful?
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