History Behind
THE CEILING
The wooden synagogues of Eastern Europe, particularly those in Poland, were architectural and artistic masterpieces, celebrated for their intricate craftsmanship and profound spiritual significance.
Built between the 17th and 19th centuries, these large but unassuming timber structures featured extraordinary interiors, inspiring murals, and innovative construction techniques that seamlessly blended Jewish artistry with local architectural traditions.
For three centuries, these synagogues stood as the heart of their communities, embodying the faith and cultural heritage of Polish Jewry. Yet, by the end of World War II, they had been utterly destroyed by the occupying Nazi forces. Even before this devastation, tragedy struck Gwoździec’s “Old Synagogue,” where Israel and Isaac’s resplendent artwork had adorned its tent-shaped cupola for over 180 years. In 1914, inebriated Russian soldiers set fire to the synagogue, reducing it—and the entire town three days earlier—to ashes. A description of this event is found in Gwoździec Yizkor Book.
Fortunately, between 1910 and 1913, photographer and artist Alois Breyer meticulously documented the synagogue’s interior and exterior, preserving it’s memory through his camera lens. Today, these invaluable images are safeguarded in the Archives of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. With the Museum’s kind permission, they grace the front and back covers of THE CEILING, serving as poignant “endpapers” that honor what was lost.
After World War II, the legacy of these wooden synagogues might have faded into obscurity were it not for the tireless efforts of Maria and Kazimierz Piechotka. This dedicated husband-and-wife team gathered and cataloged every surviving fragment of historical documentation, ensuring that these magnificent sanctuaries—though physically gone—would never be forgotten.
THE CEILING follows two Jewish artists, Israel ben Mordechai Lisnicki and Isaac ben Yehuda Leib HaCohen, who through their combined skills and talents, bring a prayer hall to life with colors and designs drawn from nature, Torah, and Talmudic stories with symbolic and fantastical imagery. They left their names, their lineage and the name of their hometown, and quotes from the Prophet Isaiah on two prominent signature medallions.
The finished ceiling becomes an awe-inspiring masterpiece that brings joy and wonder to the Gwoździec Jewish community for generations to come.
Preparing and creating such an expansive work of art takes commitment, years of dedication and focus.
To answer the call to “engage in holy labor” is to open floodgates of inspiration and THE CEILING showcases that process from start to finish.
The Gwoździec Synagogue Ceiling and Bimah was beautifully recreated by Handshouse Studio as the centerpiece exhibition for the POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland. Learn more about Handshouse Studio at https://www.handshouse.org.
Trillium Studios award-winning documentary Raise the Roof followed the reconstruction project by Handshouse Studio, Inc. Produced by Cary Wolinsky and directed by Yari Wolinsky it is available on Amazon Prime.
Find out more at https://www.polishsynagogue.com.
Mr. Shapiro’s artwork in The Ceiling that is based on the painting of the Gwoździec Synagogue Ceiling and Bimah in the POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews
is used with the kind permission of Handshouse Studio, Inc., Norwell, Massachusetts. The Work is Copyright © 2013 by Handshouse Studio, Inc. All rights reserved.