Turda Synagogue

 

The Turda Synagogue was a Mozaic Orthodox (unreformed) place of worship located in the city of Turda (Cluj county), located at 24-28 Mihai Eminescu street. It was built between 1921-1926. Currently, due to lack of worshippers, it is non-functional.

Building

The synagogue is a distinctive building in the city, built in an eclectic style with some Moorish elements. The walls are made of plastered brick. The southern and northern facades are identical, each with 2 lions in bas-relief, the lion symbolizing the tribe of Judah. The hall was naturally lit through numerous windows on the ground floor and on the upper floor. The entrance was on the west facade, with the building oriented from west to east, with the apse, where the Holy Ark (Covenant Ark) was located, facing east. A black plaque with biblical commandments (Tablets of the Law) was displayed above the cornice with the Ark. The space around the Ark, slightly raised, was separated from the hall by a large semicircular arch. The bima, or the podium from which the Torah was read, was located in front of the Ark (you can still see traces of the posts today). Stairs led to the women's galleries on the upper floor. 

The synagogue was built between 1921-1926, in place of an old prayer house. In 1946, the auxiliary buildings of the synagogue housed the parish and the rabbi's residence, the community office, the servant's dwelling, and the night shelter for the poor. The slaughterhouse and butcher shop were located behind the synagogue.

An even older prayer house, of which no trace remains, was located where today the city hall is located at 28 December 1st Square.

The Jews of Turda mainly belonged to the Orthodox Mosaic current, with very few belonging to the Neolog Reform current (unlike the Jews of Cluj). Mihai Eminescu Street was the old nucleus of the Jewish neighborhood of the city.

The Jewish population numbered 175 people (48 families) in 1866; 203 people (2.1% of the city's total population) in 1870; 326 people (3.5%) in 1900; 482 people (3.5%) in 1910; 852 people (4.2%) in 1930 and 726 people (2.2%) in 1940. The number of people increased to 1805 in 1942 after Jews from surrounding areas were concentrated in Turda. After World War II, the community continued its activity, but its institutions lost their importance as the Jewish population declined as a result of emigration to Israel and other parts. Approximately 150 Jews still lived in Turda in 1971.

The community was led by rabbis, including Ben-Zion Albert Wesel (1900-1938) and Joseph Adler (1938-44). These two played a leading role among the Orthodox Jews of Transylvania.

The Synagogue (Beit Kneset) was the gathering place (beginning on Friday evening, after 6 PM, which marked the start of the Sabbath[1]) of Jewish faithful for the performance of prayers and the loud reading of sacred scrolls called Torá. The benches in the synagogue were arranged so that the faithful faced Jerusalem. Only men sat on these benches. The wall facing Jerusalem had the Holy Ark and the pulpit. In the center of the synagogue was a stage with a table, on which the sacred scrolls (Torá) were spread out. Behind the benches was a gallery for women, as in synagogues women always sit separate from men.

The last mosaic service was held here in 1986 (at least 10 men are needed to hold religious services in synagogues). Currently, only a few Jews live in Turda (at most 10 people). The synagogue is currently empty and abandoned, the interior benches were sold in 2000. The exterior walls are currently well preserved.

In the list of synagogues in Romania published in the work "Seventy years of existence. Six hundred years of Jewish life in Romania. Forty years of partnership FEDROM – JOINT," edited by the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania in 2008, it was stated that the Synagogue in Turda was no longer in use. [2]