Sinagoge u Beogradu

Abstract

U ovom radu, kome je žiri Saveza jevrejskih opština Jugoslavije na takmičenju održanom 1996. godine dodelio nagradu, autorka na osnovu postojećih dokumenata daje pregled beogradskih sinagoga od sredine XVII veka do Drugog svetskog rata. Može se pretpostaviti da su sinagoge u Beogradu postojale pre druge polovine XVII veka, da su Jevreji i rabini živeli u Beogradu i pre toga vremena. Sudbina beogradskih sinagoga nije se razlikovala od sudbine ostalih objekata i građevina koje su u velikoj meri oštećene u ratovima ili uništene u raznim prirodnim i drugim katastrofama, a najčešće u požarima. Po pravilu, turske vlasti nisu dozvolile izgradnju novih sinagoga, već su bile prilično tolerantne u pogledu popravke i ponovne izgradnje postojećih verskih objekata. Posredno znamo za postojanje sinagoge sredinom XVII veka iz dokumenta datiranog na 21 Tevet 5432 godine, odnosno krajem 1671., u kojem se kaže da su prikupljene finansijske donacije i materijali za izgradnju nove sinagoge. Ovaj podatak ukazuje na postojanje stare, verovatno neadekvatne za broj Jevreja koji su u to vreme živeli u Beogradu. Ova sinagoga spominje se i u drugim dokumentima, a uništena je za vreme austrijske okupacije 1688-1690. godine. Nakon što su Turci ponovo ušli u Beograd, određeni broj Jevreja vratio se u grad. Tada im je dozvoljena izgradnja novog hrama, koja je završena krajem veka. Bila je to pravougaona građevina, dimenzija 36 x 8 metara, koja je bila u pravcu sever-jug. Kasnije je nazvana "El kal vježo" (El cal viejo). Reč „cal” na ladinu - jeziku beogradskih Jevreja, označava hram. Ova nova sinagoga teško je oštećena u kasnijim borbama oko Beograda između Austrijanaca i Turaka. Oštećena je i u požaru 1752. godine, zatim popravljena dodatnom pomoći Jevreja iz inostranstva, pre svega onih iz Mantove. Ponovno je oštećena 1862. godine tokom turskog bombardovanja. Krajem XIX veka pored sinagoga je podignuta mala sinagoga, zvana "Kaliziku". "El kal vježo" služio je svojoj svrsi do 1941. godine, kada je većina beogradskih Jevreja likvidirana. Zgrada je srušena posle rata. Tokom XIX veka, tokom osamdesetih godina, pored ove sinagoge sagrađena je nova, nazvana "El kal nuevo". Potpuno je uništena je tokom Prvog svetskog rata. Sve ove sinagoge bile su sefardske, jer su većinu beogradskih Jevreja, osim za vreme austrijske okupacije, činili Sefardi. Krajem XIX veka čelnici sefardske zajednice odlučili su da naprave novu veliku sinagogu na Zereku. Bilo je potrebno nekoliko godina da se to postigne. Konačno je završena sinagoga "Bet Jisrael" u ulici Cara Uroša. Kralj Petar Karađorđević I položio je kamen temeljac 10. maja 1907. godine, a kada je dovršena, bio je prisutan njenom posvećenju 7. septembra 1908. godine. Ova zgrada bila je jako oštećena u nemačkom bombardovanju Beograda 6. aprila 1941. godine. Ono što je ostalo posle rata je popravljeno i pretvoreno u Galeriju fresaka. Iako je u Beogradu bilo i aškenaskih Jevreja koji su morali imati ustanove za verske službe, nema naznaka o njihovim karakterističnim sinagogama. Kada se tokom XIX veka većina Aškenaza nastanila u Beogradu, došlo je vreme da se izgradi sinagoga - „templ”. Zgrada u delu Beograda koja se zove Dorćol pominje se kao jedna od aškenaskih sinagoga, ali kada je za to postala neprikladna 1869. godine, iznajmljena je i bila u upotrebi zgrada u Kosmajskoj ulici, br. 51, (sada ulica Maršala Birjuzova) do 1. novembra 1925. godine. Inače, još od 1911. godine počelo se sa prikupljanjem sredstava za izgradnju prave sinagoge, ali ta ideja mogla je biti ostvarena tek nakon Prvog svetskog rata. Posle prikupljanja dela novca i uzimanja zajma, izgradnja je započeta 1924. godine. Sinagoga je završena 11. novembra 1925. godine, kada je i posvećena. Tokom Drugog svetskog rata, u periodu 1941-1944, ova zgrada je služila kao bordel za nemačke vojnike. Nakon oslobođenja ponovo je posvećena. To je danas jedina danas sinagoga u Beogradu i nalazi se u ulici Maršala Birjuzova, br. 19.

In this paper, awarded by the Association of the Yugoslav Jewish Communities on the competition held in 1996, the author gives the survey of the Belgrade synagogues since the middle of XVII century until World War II based on the existing documents. One can logically presume that there were synagogues before the second half of the XVII century, as Jews and rabbis did live in Belgrade before that time, but there is no written evidence for that. The destiny of the synagogues in Belgrade was no different from the destiny of the other edifices and buildings which were extensively damaged by wars and destruction they cause, and by the various peacetime disasters, most often fire. As a rule, Turkish authorities did not allow to build new synagogues but were rather tolerant regarding the repair and rebuilding of the existing religious objects. We know indirectly about the existence of the synagogue in the mid-XVII century from the document dated on Tevet 21,5432, i.e. the end of 1671, which says that financial donations and materials were collected for the building of the new synagogue, so this points at the existence of the old one, probably inadequate for the number of Jews living in Belgrade at that time. This synagogue is also mentioned in other documents and was destroyed during the Austrian occupation 1688-1690 when the Jewish community was taken into virtual slavery. After the Turks entered Belgrade again a certain amount of Jews returned to town. They were then allowed the building of the new temple, which was finished at the end of the century. It was a rectangular building, with dimensions 36 x 8 meters, pointing in the direction north-south. It was later named "El kal vježo" (El cal viejo, "cal" being the Ladino word for temple, as Ladino was the language spoken by Belgrade Jews). This new synagogue was badly damaged in subsequent fightings over Belgrade between Austrians and Turks but was afterward repaired. It was also damaged in the fire of 1752, then repaired with additional help from the Jews abroad, primarily those from Mantua. It was again damaged in 1862 during the Turkish bombardment. At the end of the XIX century next to the synagogue was erected a small synagogue, called "Kaliziku". "El kal vjezo" served its purpose until 1941, when most Belgrade Jews were liquidated. The building was torn down after the war. In the XIX century, during the eighties, next to this synagogue was built a new one, called "El kal nuevo". It was destroyed during World War I with no traces left. All these synagogues were Sephardic, because most Belgrade Jews, except during Austrian occupation, were Sephardim. At the end of the XIX century, the leaders of the Sephardic community decided to build a new big synagogue on Zerek. It took several years to accomplish this. Finally, the synagogue "Bet Jisrael" was completed in Cara Uroša street. The King Petar Karađorđević I had laid the foundation stone on May 10, 1907, and when it was finished he was present at the consecration on September 7, 1908. This building was heavily damaged in the German bombing of Belgrade on April 6, 1941; what has remained was after the war repaired and converted into the Gallery of Fresco Paintings. Although there were also Ashkenazic Jews in Belgrade and they must have had their facilities for religious services, there are no indications of their distinctive synagogues. When during XIX century most Ashkenazim settled in Belgrade, the time came to build a synagogue - as they used to say, the "templ". A building in the part of Belgrade called Dorćol is mentioned as one of the Ashkenazic synagogues, but when it became unsuitable for that purpose in 1869 the building in Kosmajska street, no. 51, (now Maršala Birjuzova street).