“The celebrations opened with an inspired concert of the Agada Jewish vocal ensemble. Prof. Heni Lorer revealed the mystery of the traditional Jewish holidays such as Pesach (Passover), Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year, which is in September), Hanukkah (the holiday of light), Shabbat (the day-off on Saturdays) etc. The documentary film of Mario Krastev ‘100 years Sofia Synagogue – the Home of Tolerance’ was screened as well. It explores the history of the Jewish temple downtown Sofia which is the biggest in the Balkans and the third largest in Europe following the synagogues in Budapest and Amsterdam.”

The Sofia Synagogue was built on designs by prominent Austrian architect Friedrich Gruenanger and boasts of both exterior and interior splendor and of incredible acoustics. In 1955 it was declared monument of culture. Its architecture mixes Spanish-Mauritanian with Byzantine styles, while at the same time it fully complies with the rules of the Jewish monotheistic religion. The roof (at a height of 33 m) is six-domed and has six towers with 12 six-pointed stars pointing to the East, to Jerusalem. The prayer hall is impressive with unique frescos, soft lighting and snug interiors lined with natural and artificial marble and with artistic terracotta ornamentation. The gigantic metal chandelier is a masterpiece, made on order in Vienna. The Aron Akodesh (the receptacle that keeps the Torah scrolls) faces the main entrance.

To honor the synagogue’s centenary the National Gallery of Foreign Art in Sofia opened an exhibition with previously non-displayed works by Bulgarian Jewish artists including Jules Pasquin, David Perets, Eliezer Alsheh, Marko Behar, Sultana Surozhon, Mordohai Bentsion, Solomon Benun, Sami Dizherano-Sabin, Jacques Avdala and Ioan Leviev. Apart from paintings, the display also features wall bronze reliefs dated in 1896 by sculptor Boris Shats. The works come from the archives of the National Art Gallery, the Sofia City Gallery, the National Gallery of Foreign Art, from Shalom archives and from private collections.

Other important events were held too to mark the Sofia Synagogue’s centenary. Bulgaria Hall gave a standing ovation to the symphony orchestra of the Sofia Philharmonic with soloist Vesko Panteleev Eschkenazy and conducted by Maxim Eschkenazy. The roundtable at Sofia University commemorating the salvation of Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust proceeded quite emotionally. An exhibition was mounted with archive photographs of saved Jews from the registers of the Centropa Foundation based in Vienna. One of the highlights in the celebrations was the photo-documentary exhibition “The Sofia Central Synagogue: a spiritual symbol of Bulgarian Jewry” organized by the Jewish History Museum, Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Library and Archives State Agency. It revisits the construction and consecration of the synagogue.

Written by: Patricia Nikolova
Translated by: Daniela Konstantinova