Schalom-Haus Schönebeck
The SCHALOM House is a former synagogue in Schönebeck (Elbe) . It comes from the early days with Moorish-Saracen style elements and has been the church of the Evangelical Free Church of Schönebeck since 1986. The building is a historical monument. In the anteroom, a star of David with the Hebrew and German inscription "Jesus" indicates the roots of Christianity in Judaism. The octagonal dome is crowned by a cross with four stars of David.
history
In 1372 a Jewish community in the city was first mentioned. In 1820 the first synagogue was built, Steinstrasse 9. In 1876 the synagogue was destroyed by floods.
On September 1, 1877, this second synagogue was inaugurated “To the glory of God”. The Jewish community consisted of around 100–120 Jews from Schönebeck, Groß Salze, Gommern and Westerhüsen. On 9/10 November 1938, during the Reichspogromnacht , National Socialists stormed the church, desecrated it and destroyed the interior. In 1941 the synagogue was confiscated and used as a storage room for the Junkers aircraft factory .
From 1946 to 1983 the house was used as an employment office, museum, furniture sales point and since 1966 as a gym. On February 3, 1983, the synagogue was bought by the Evangelical Free Church Community of Schönebeck from the synagogue community in Magdeburg. In the years 1983 to 1986 a restoration and reconstruction took place, mostly in-house and with state support.
On November 11, 1983 the dome was crowned with the cross and on the 3rd / 4th. May 1986 the inauguration "To the glory of God".
The synagogue
The restoration was carried out true to the original on the outside, the reconstruction on the inside related to the municipal functions. The interior architecture and the creative work including the triptych were carried out by Edgar and Marga Drechsel, Zwickau. The use of a lot of glass contributes to transparency, openness and a clear, bright and harmonious overall impression. The three large murals, made in Javanese wax batik, a porcelain dove, the glass pulpit and the altar table form an ensemble in the center of the worship space. Images and the dove proclaim the great salvation facts:
Incarnation of the Son of God Jesus, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension as well as Pentecost and the presence of God in the Holy Spirit. The artists also used early Christian number symbolism in the design , among other things the Hebrew numerical value for "SHALOM" results from the recurring numbers 3-7-6 . The interior design was completed in 1993 with the installation of a Kreienbrink organ.
Evangelical Free Church Congregation
The community has existed in Schönebeck since 1932. When the community movement in Germany emerged over 150 years ago, from which this free church emerged, it differed from the large regional or national churches of that time in its consistent advocacy of individual freedom of belief and conscience and personal belief, separation and mutuality Independence from church and state and for the waiver of church taxes in favor of voluntary donations. The local church should be fully self-reliant. Anyone who is baptized by immersion according to the model of the New Testament to confess their faith in Jesus Christ becomes a member of an Evangelical Free Church congregation . Baptism is performed in public worship.
The Schönebecker community has created a sign for its SCHALOM house, which symbolizes "dove - column - water". The dove refers to the Holy Spirit, who after Christ's ascension is God's gift for all people who open up to God. As a symbol for the temple, the column (in the sign is a capital , a column end) is at the same time a symbol for the synagogue and for the community. The water indicates baptism (with the three stylized waves pointing to the Trinity of God, in whose name a baptism occurs). The Signum wants to connect the origin (synagogue) and the present purpose (proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and Bringer of Peace).
The logo expresses that the SCHALOM house, as a former synagogue, became a symbol of Judeo-Christian understanding 50 years after the synagogues were desecrated. Judy Urmann, a Jewish woman from Denver (USA) who emigrated from Schönebeck in 1941, visited her hometown and the SCHALOM house in July 1987. In a letter dated October 21, 1987, she wrote: “I was surprised how wonderfully the former synagogue has been prepared and that it is being used again as a place of worship. The last time I saw her was when I was eleven on November 10, 1938. All the windows were broken, the doors were open and there was raging inside ... I am very pleased with the name SCHALOM House. You have our blessing for this. I wish your congregation and the SCHALOM House the very best. ”The name“ SCHALOM House ”expresses the purpose and origin of this house. Shalom (Hebrew peace ) is also a common Israeli greeting.
Web links
Coordinates: 52 ° 1 ′ 4.8 ″ N , 11 ° 44 ′ 22.5 ″ E