There are places that epitomize the destruction: Six writers share the location in which they touch the Churban
The door swings open, and we step over the wooden threshold from the sunny Swiss village into another world: an ornate, perfectly preserved shul. I’m taken by surprise by the hushed, rarefied air of the sanctuary, so beautiful and so old, now silent from the echoes of sung and whispered prayers.
We walk forward down the aisle on the stone floor. Everything still stands in place: an impressive aron kodesh painted blue and gold, a pulpit in marble, an ample bimah in the center. Sconces filled with tall white candles hang down….
Above the aron, the morning sun streams in through a circular stained glass window. The ceiling rises above us…. The shul has been recently repainted and is in beautiful condition; all that’s missing is the congregation. It’s an emptiness that tugs at the heart.
—“Swiss Accounts,” by Riki Goldstein, Mishpacha, November 6, 2019
I grew up in the embrace of a beautiful shul where my family had strong roots. This gave me a sense of familiarity and belonging in shul, and a deep attachment to the davening.
Create a free account to keep reading.
