02-11-2021
Spatial Design

Dutch Design Daily

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Studio 212 Fahrenheit www.212F.nl

Thuis

By 02-11-2021

In 1940 the Jewish community in Groningen consists of 3,000 members. The Stars of David in this ‘Thuis’ (‘Home’) work of art symbolize their presence in this synagogue and in society.

The Jews disappear from public life, the moment the German occupier starts excluding and persecuting them. In August 1943 the Dutch Israelite Community Groningen is dissolved, followed by the closure of the synagogue in December. The ‘Razzia’ list of 1942 contains 3,064 names, including people who have gone into hiding. The majority of the Jewish community is deported to transit camp Westerbork and subsequently to the concentration and extermination camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bergen-Belsen and Theresienstadt where they are murdered.

It is unknown how many Jews have returned to Groningen after the liberation. The numbers vary between 188 and 256. This small group starts rebuilding their life. Together they form the Jewish Community. They are the Stars of David that light up ‘Home’. Their home will never be the same again.

Just like the Holy Ark directly opposite in this synagoge, the art object ‘Home’ is made of brass. One by one the Stars of David have been manually secured to the walls. The light on the inside of the cube symbolizes life and the preservation and meaning of the Jewish identity.

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