Poland -- Wroclaw synagogue: restoration of interior complete

 Photo from Gazeta Wroclawska newspaper. Click HERE

Gazeta Wroclawska newspaper reports that the restoration of the interior of the historic White Stork Synagogue in Wroclaw has been completed. The article is in Polish (it translates with Google translate) but also runs pictures you can see by clicking HERE.

The synagogue is to be rededicated in May. The article states that interior furnishings will be installed in April.

I posted previous information on the restoration in December -- click HERE.

Where to eat in San Gimignano

Dear friends,

This post as the previous one is addressed to all those who are visiting Tuscany at the time. I find it worth recommending where to eat so that you are not prey to the typical bad and expensive touristy restaurants.

Today’s post is about San Gimignano, a medieval town which by no means you can leave out in your trip to Tuscany. San Gimignano is probably the best preserved medieval town throughout Tuscany with ravishing towers that are perfectly kept.

San Gimignano as all the tourist destinations has a lots of expensive and bad restaurants, therefore when you are visiting this priceless town you should eat at the restaurant La Cisterna which is right at the heart of town on the main square.


In this restaurant you can savour excellent Tuscan cuisine, simple yet with good ingredients and while you are eating you can admire the ravishing vistas of the hills of Chianti.

The following is the restaurant’s address:
Piazza della Cisterna, 23 - 53037 SAN GIMIGNANO (SI)- ITALIA - Tel. 0577 / 940328

Well friends, I hope you enjoy Tuscany¡

Warm regards

Giovanni

Second attack on Hania synagogue!

 

Pictures courtesy of the Etz Hayyim blog.

Nikos Stavroulakis writes that there has been a second arson attack at the historic Etz Hayyim  synagogue in Hania, Crete -- just ten days after vandals broke in and set the interior alight on Jan. 5. The second attack  took place just hours after Friday night services and destroyed the archives of the synagogue, gutted the offices and damaged the sanctuary.  See more pictures at the synagogue web site/blog HERE.

On the night of Friday, January 15, after more than a week of work on the sanctuary – newly scraped, primed and re-painted; the wood-work oiled with lavender and the marble floor polished – we met for Erev Shabbat prayers and Kiddush. Later we locked the synagogue and returned to our homes feeling that we had set our steps forward. Saturday morning at 3:30 AM however the Synagogue’s director was wakened by the alarm that had been set off in the Synagogue and rushed there accompanied by two helpers to find the entire main office ablaze. They began putting out the fire with the garden hose as the firemen had not yet succeeded in getting their hoses connected. When the mains were finally connected the firemen set to work – by 4:45 the fire was only smoldering and all that remained of the upper and lower office was completely gutted. Also about a third of the wooden ceiling of the Synagogue itself was burnt, the benches covered in soot and broken wood, the floor a mess – but the EHAL was not touched! Everything in the main office – e.g. two computers, complete Talmud, Midraschim, 2 sets of Rashi lexicons (Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew) plus many reference books and the entire archive of the Synagogue have all been destroyed.

By noon the Siphrei Torah along with all of the silver ornaments (rimonim, tassim, yads etc.) and a precious early 17th century illuminated Qur’an were removed to a secure location. It was a sad moment to see them being taken away from the Kal as it was a joyous moment when they had been installed in 1999. But we are determined that they will come back!