Sukkah from Szydłowiec: one of the most important traces of Jewish material culture in Poland
In the 1920s, Nuta Ajzenberg, the owner of a tannery in Szydłowiec, commissioned the construction of a sukkah, i.e. a building erected by Jews for the Sukkot holiday, next to his house. The sukkah survived in Szydłowiec for several dozen years, and the last owners of the house donated it to the collection of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
Genesis of the sukkah and its interior
The sukkah is a temporary building erected by Jews for the festival of Sukkot (Feast of Booths, in Poland formerly known as the Feast of the Sukkahs), which commemorates the exodus of Jews from Egypt, their journey through the desert to Canaan and the protection of divine providence. In memory of these events, during the seven days of Sukkot, holiday meals are eaten in sukkahs (for more information, see Sukkot | Virtual Shtetl, accessed on 10.12.2021). Before World War II, sukkahs were built within houses, on balconies or porches, as well as in backyards. They were a natural element of the cultural landscape of Poland.
The interiors of the walls of the Sukkah from Szydłowiec are covered with colourful polychrome referring to the holiday symbolism (etrog citrus fruit, palm, myrtle and willow), in the panel above the entrance opening there is a star of David. The roof of the sukkah can be opened – it is also one of the requirements of the festive liturgy.
According to the chief curator of the POLIN collection, Renata Piątkowska, Ph.D., the sukkah from Szydłowiec is an important material trace of Jewish culture. This unusual object was in danger of being destroyed. Thanks to the involvement of many people and institutions (donors: Monica and Norbert Bekiel, the association Jewish Historical Institute in Poland, the Radom Open Air Museum and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews), it was possible to save this unique object and show it to the public.
Sukkah’s recent history
The sukkah has been in the collection of the POLIN Museum since 2008, but due to the ongoing construction, it could not be exhibited. At that time, cooperation was established with the Radom Open Air Museum, which agreed to look after it. Thanks to the help of a team of conservators from the museum in Radom, the sukkah was inventoried and dismantled. For the next six years, it was kept in the museum’s shelter. In June 2014, the return of the sukkah to the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews began. Thorough work on preserving its original appearance took three months. Then it was deposited at the State Ethnographic Museum. Currently, it can be admired at the "Celebration Time" exhibition (until 30 September 2023)
Sukkah in the digital collection
Those who cannot visit the State Ethnographic Museum or would like to see the sukkah again, can do it online at inmuseums.pl. The object was digitised with the photogrammetric technique with an accuracy of one millimetre. The measurement data was used to create a three-dimensional model that recreates the object in three dimensions. This form of digitisation allows for the most accurate image of the object and provides insight into its detailed geometry, texture, colour and state of preservation. The developed documentation will be used by professionals and specialists in the field of conservation, art history, history, architecture, as well as photogrammetry, not only as a 3D metric inventory, but also as a basis for further studies and analyses. On the other hand, the public can get to know one of the most important elements of the architectural heritage of Polish Jews. The digitisation was carried out in cooperation with specialists from the Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów and the State Ethnographic Museum.
The project “www.muzeach” is co-financed from European Funds and from the funds of the Ministry of Culture and National of the Republic of Poland. The project is implemented under the Operational Programme Digital Poland for the years 2014-2020, Priority Axis 2 “E-government and open government,” Action 2.3 “Digital availability and usefulness of public sector information,” Sub-action 2.3.2 “Digital availability of culture resources.”
