Jerusalem Synagogue

The synagogue was built between 1905–1906 by a Viennese architect and an Imperial construction supervisor Wilhelm Stiassny, as a replacement for three Synagogues (the Zigeiner, the Velkodvorská, and the New) destroyed in the years 1898-1906 during the redevelopment. Although the association which took up the challenge of building the Synagogue was founded in 1896, it took ten years before the Synagogue was inaugurated on 16 September 1906. Initially it bore the name of the Jubilee Temple of Emperor Franz Joseph to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his reign, in 1898. After WWI, the present name, the Jerusalem Synagogue, based on the street name where it stands, slowly gained ground. The street name has nothing to do with the Synagogue, however: the street is named after the Church of Jerusalem former chapel of St Henry, nearby.

The Jerusalem Synagogue is distinctive in that it is one of only eight Synagogues built to W. Stiassny’s design, where services are still held. The only interlude was during the war years 1941–1945, when it acted as a repository of seized Jewish property.

Besides its religious role, the Synagogue is a cultural and exhibition venue. The concerts regularly held here let visitors listen to the uniquely preserved original organ by Emanuel Stephen Peter.

Jindřich Waldes - Businessman, collector, patron

The exhibition, which was prepared jointly by the State Regional Archives in Prague (SOA Praha) and the National Technical Museum (NTM) to mark the 80th anniversary of the death of Jindřich Waldes in 2021, has travelled across the Czech Republic to the Jerusalem Synagogue, which is a worthy place to commemorate the fate of this important pre-war businessman and patron.

Compared to its original scope as presented at the NTM, the exhibition has been slightly modified and reduced for the conditions of the Jerusalem Synagogue. Even so, visitors will learn about the life story of Henry Waldes and the development of his company Waldes and Co., which evolved from a small workshop into a world-renowned firm with numerous production branches abroad. His company was especially famous for the production of the famous Koh-i-noor push buttons. The history and activities of the business empire of Waldes and Co. are illustrated by a wealth of visual material, such as photographs of factories around the world, products, advertisements and building plans, which have not yet been published, which the authors of the exhibition have managed to collect.

The exhibition will run at the Jerusalem Synagogue until the end of October 2023 and will be accompanied by a lecture by the two authors from SOA Prague and NTM. For up-to-date information about the accompanying events, please visit the website www.synagogue.cz and the Jerusalem Synagogue FB profile.