The state has renovated the dilapidated synagogue in Kobersdorf. An event space for the Jewish legacy of Burgenland will open here in April.

Der Standard, March 15, 2022
German original: https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000133840356/einstige-burgenlaendische-synagoge-im-neuen-glanz

Diverse Jewish life has grown in Burgenland for centuries. From the “Sheva Kehilot,” the Orthodox “holy seven communities” under the protection of the Esterházy family, to Rechnitz, Schlaining or Güssing under Batthyány in the south, the state is, according to its current Landeshauptmann, Hans Peter Doskozil, "historically linked with Judaism." This is "part of Burgenland's identity.”

Of course, there is nothing left of that life itself. Only the memory and a few material remnants. Even some cemeteries were destroyed by the Nazis and their accomplices: the one in Mattersburg, for example, whose gravestones were looted as building material.

Three Synagogues
Three synagogues – schools, as the temples were also called – still exist: in Eisenstadt, Stadtschlaining, and Kobersdorf. Only the private synagogue in Eisenstadt’s “Wertheimerhaus,” home of the Jewish Museum (founded in 1972), is consecrated for sacral use, however. Schlaining housed the library of the Center for Peace and Conflict Research, which was located in the nearby castle.

The largest remaining “shul” is in Kobersdorf in central Burgenland, where it was crumbling away for decades; as if a symbol for the entire, sad history of the once-proud Sheva Kehilot community, which had existed since the 17th century until it was crushed in 1938. The shul was defiled by being turned into an SA home, which at least saved it from being blown up.

Falling into Disrepair
In 1948, the desecrated shul was returned to the Vienna Jewish Community (IKG). Their finances were not sufficient for a proper restoration. Beginning in 1976, however, piecemeal attempts were made to renovate it. In 1995, the IKG sold the house to an association that agreed to renovated it. Since it did not follow through with the renovation, however, the IKG wanted to reverse the sale but failed in court in 2011.

In 2019, the province of Burgenland acquired the desolate building and invested 3.5 million Euros to restore it as faithfully as possible – in cooperation with the Federal Office for the Protection of Monuments and the Religious Community. The synagogue was built in 1860 in neo-Romanesque style.

Restoration
The restoration is almost complete. Recently, the construction site was shown to a crowd of journalists. Claudia Prutscher, the vice president and cultural representative of the IKG, was also impressed by the meticulous work, which is based on old photos. “It’s touching, it’s really touching,” she said. However, she added a big “but” that always comes with this topic: “It also makes you a little sad, of course, that the Jewish community is so decimated, and in Burgenland in general, so much so that there is no actively living Jewish community.”

“The Kobersdorf synagogue,” says the Landeshauptmann, “is a visible sign that we are aware of our Jewish roots, Jewish tradition, and our responsibility for the victims of the Nazi era.” Kobersdorf is to become a place of refuge and coming-together, especially for the descendants of expellees. North of Jerusalem, right next to the famous Kiryat Mattersdorf, there is also the Kiryat Sheva Kehilot.

Future
At the end of April, the Kobersdorfer Schul will be opened as an event space for 140 visitors. An expert advisory board, in which the IKG is also represented, will develop an educational, research, and cultural program that is thematically oriented to the history of the site, promises the Landeshauptmann. “The building is not a cultural center in the conventional sense. With the purchase, the province of Burgenland has contractually committed itself to only allowing events to take place here that are in line with the dignity and tradition of the building.”

Even before that, the synagogue in Stadtschlaining will be opened to the public. It will add Jewish history to the Museum of Burgenland History, which is being organized as a successor to the anniversary exhibition at the castle. The exhibition on the Jewish history and culture of Burgenland is currently being set up. It will open at the end of March.

(Wolfgang Weisgram, 15.3.2022)