Photography. By David Prince. This Land To Me: Some Call It Palestine, Others Israel - Barbara Grove...The Forgotten Photographs: The Work of Paul Goldman from 1943 - 1961...Awakening - Tal Shochat...

                          Music, dance, installation. By David Prince.
An Evening of Music and Song with Danny Maseng and Inbal Megiddo...Israeli Folk Dance with Tamar and Shmulik...MULTI-MEDIA INSTALLATION Cyclops - multi-media installation by Ohad Meromi

Steinberger Sukkah Returned to Public View After Two-Year Conservation
Early 20th Century Hand-painted Sukkah Cover by Hungarian Artist Aryeh Steinberger
 

After a two-year absence, the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust has reinstalled the beautiful and unusual Steinberger Sukkah Panel just in time for the holiday of Sukkot in October. This unique work of art was created by Aryeh Steinberger to adorn his family sukkah in Budapest, and hidden away for safekeeping during the Holocaust. The sukkah was on display in the Museum's permanent exhibition starting in 1997.  It was taken down in early 2003 for extensive conservation work. The Steinberger Sukkah is on loan to the Museum from the Lindenblatt family, descendents of Steinberger. "We are delighted to have the Sukkah lining on display again," said Dr. David G. Marwell, the Museum's Director.  "It is rare that you come across an artifact that is both historically meaningful and esthetically beautiful.  Its vibrant colors draw you in, and its incredible story keeps you there looking for more." The Steinberger Sukkah is unlike most sukkah linings you will see.  It is a hand-painted canvas depicting everyday life in Hungary alongside images of biblical events, the cycle of Jewish holidays, and the artist's idealized view of Jerusalem. The vibrant and detailed imagery surrounds panels inscribed with prayers recited during Sukkot and text from the Mishnah tractate sukkah.  Steinberger worked on this project over a period of two decades starting in the 1920s. As time passed, he replaced and refined some of its elements including his signature panel, which consisted of a picture of a lion (the Hebrew word for lion is Aryeh, the artist's first name).  Steinberger died peacefully in 1942, long before the Germans entered Hungary. In 1944, as the Nazis prepared to invade, Steinberger's grandson Andor was sent to bury the sukkah lining in the Dohany Street Synagogue in Budapest for safekeeping. Another of Steinberger's grandchildren, Piroska Lindenblatt, reclaimed the Sukkah lining following the war.  Piroska kept the canvas in her home until 1956 when, after multiple failed attempts, she was able to sneak it -- along with her children -- out of the country during the Hungarian Revolution against the oppressive communist rulers. She never let the canvas out of her sight.  Piroska proudly displayed her grandfather's sukkah in her Brooklyn home until her death in 1983, at which time it was passed to her son Jehuda. In 1990, a scout from the Museum learned of the sukkah from Paul Lindenblatt, Piroska's youngest son, while doing research in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

In 2003, the construction of the Museum's new Robert M. Morgenthau Wing necessitated the closure of the building for two months as the original museum and new wing were connected. This "dark period" provided an opportunity to remove the Steinberger Sukkah in order to conserve it and prepare it for ongoing display in the Museum.  The two-year conservation project sought to stabilize and clean the paint, resulting in more vibrant colors. The project also stabilized the textile itself, including taking out wrinkles and creases that could have developed into tears.  The family was initially reluctant to loan the Museum this priceless and enormously sentimental piece of their history.  However, in the end, Robert Lindenblatt said "for history, we felt it was our responsibility to show it to the world."  The Steinberger Sukkah now holds a place of honor as the centerpiece of the Museum's display on Jewish Life A Century Ago.  Since the Museum opened its doors in 1997, hundreds-of-thousands of visitors have marveled at the Steinberger Sukkah's beauty and learned from its history.  A low resolution image of the Steinberger sukkah lining along with a close up of one panel is included with this e-mail, high resolution images are available upon request. Please credit photos to Ardon Barhama.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, located at 36 Battery Place in Battery Park City, uses a core exhibition of more than 2,000 historic photographs, 800 historical and cultural artifacts, and 24 original documentary films to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the broad tapestry of Jewish life over the past century-before, during, and after the Holocaust. The Museum develops special exhibitions and public programs to examine more closely specific areas of Jewish history and heritage.  The Robert M. Morgenthau Wing contains the state-of-the-art Edmond J. Safra Hall, Andy Goldsworthy's Garden of Stones, catering hall, classrooms, and expanded gallery space for special exhibitions. 

Contact: Ari D. Geller,Public Relations Manager, Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Place -  New York, NY  10280, P. 646.437.4339 - F. 646.437.4341 - ageller@mjhnyc.org
 

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