Most popular photos - first 12 months on Flickr!

I discovered Flickr in October last year and and was amazed by the huge range of subjects, groups and information as well as pictures that immediately became available to me. Best of all its absolutely free! Partly due to my obsession with lists and statistics, I added a flag counter fairly early on which allowed me to keep track of where viewers were coming from in addition to the standard information about numbers of views that each picture receives. Nerdy I know. One year on, I would like to share my ten most viewed pictures with blog readers, with just a little information about each one. I will spread the pictures over two posts, this first one showing the 6th-10th most popular, in reverse order of course!

Below - tenth most popular picture with 87 views. This is Asmara in Eritrea. My Eritrean pictures have  proved especially popular with some having been picked up for use in online newspapers and others being used on a website to show more positive sides of Africa. I liked this curved, corner building in downtown Asmara.

Below -  also in Asmara, this beautiful modernist villa is the home of a friend of mine who looks after the synagogue in the city. This picture has received 93 views in the last twelve months and is my ninth most popular photograph on Flickr. I love the receding lines of the upper floor and those of the small windows. The windows to the side of the villa have been covered to provide protection from the extreme heat of an Eritrean summer  and believe me, it gets very hot there!

Below - taken more recently, this Marcel Janco designed modernist house in Bucharest is my eighth

most popular picture having received 95 views. I took this picture during a very memorable morning spent looking at several of Janco's remaining buildings in this much under-rated city. I especially like those lines and the porthole windows. This house located at Boulevard Hristo Botev, 34 was built in 1934. I have written about Janco's work in more detail here.

 

 

Below -  my seventh most viewed picture having received 100 visits. I love this picture taken at Shuk Mahane Yehuda in Jerusalem, Israel. I find the shuk extremely inspirational for pictures and also for provoking the imagination due to the diversity of the people, the colours, smells and sounds and not least those fabulous looking pastries that this little lad and his mum are admiring! You can read more about the shuk at a recent post here.

Below - number six in the popularity stakes, this photograph of the cafe in the Cinema Roma in Asmara has received 104 views and is probably my favourite of the pictures I took in the city. The cinema is one of a number of surviving art deco buildings in Asmara and the cafe is a real social hub, serving fantastic Eritrean coffee, alcoholic drinks and some pretty good pastries too! I managed to get a sneaky look in the auditorium too, but no pictures allowed unfortunately. Eritrea has many problems but my lasting memory of my visit is the warm hearted generosity of the people I met there.

These pictures bring back some great travel memories for me - I hope you like them. Look out for numbers 1-5 coming soon. Click on any of the pictures above to view the original.

Books, jazz and a touch of the Dada's... bit more on Bucharest

Bucharest has several very good book shops. For book fanatics, such as me, the galleried building next to the Cretulsecu Church is a little slice of heaven (note reference to cake). Entering from Calea Victoriei, you come first to a small souvenir shop linked to the church, but then comes the real treat - the flagship branch of the book shop Humanitas. Humanitas is arranged on two levels with fiction (including some English language titles), popular non-fiction including some good photographic books on Bucharest past and present, other parts of Romania and some niche art books on the ground floor. Upstairs you can browse through (mainly classical) CDs and DVDs and find text books for various courses. The ground floor also has postcards, calendars and "gifts" as well as a small but good cafe with seats on the terrace.  I spent some money here.

Next door to Humanitas, is the smaller Anthony Frost, English language book shop which holds a good range of fiction, books about Romania and some translations of Romanian writers into English. Like its neighbour, it is a friendly and welcoming place. I also spent money here!

Food is usually an important part of my travels and Bucharest was no exception. During the inter-war years, Bucharest had a thriving cafe society frequented by artists, musicians and writers. Unlike in Budapest where at least a few of the much loved cafes survived through the Communist period, this doesn't seem to have been the case here. However, the good news is that a new cafe culture is developing, with several different approaches being taken. I especially liked the Dutch owned Grand Cafe Van Gogh, adjacent to the Rembrandt Hotel (and owned by the same people) on Smardan. It is housed in a fin de siecle building, has friendly staff, interesting art on display and of course a range of good coffees, alcoholic drinks, pastries, ice creams and light meals. Its a good place to take a rest from exploring the historical Lipscani district and I stopped there a few times during my short visit.

A few doors away from Cafe Van Gogh, you can find a branch of the American owned French Bakery cafe. Again, its in an old building with (probably "new-old") nice furnishings, smiley staff and a good menu. The wild mushroom pasta went down very nicely. There are other branches around the city too.

A little away from the historical centre and further up Calea Victoriei you can find the Green Hours 22 Club. This is an interesting pace which houses a basement jazz club with nightly performances which move to the courtyard during the summer. I caught part of a concert by an Austrian group that mixed klezmer, gypsy music, jazz and funk to the enjoyment of a full courtyard. There is also a small branch of Humanitas in the courtyard as well as a tiny music store specialising in jazz. I managed to pick up two excellent Romanian jazz CDs, one by pianist Johnny Raducanu and the other by vocalist Teodora Enache. Both have been on my CD player fairly continuously since I got home. You can hear a little of Mr Raducanu's music by clicking on the video below. The cafe serves alcohol and coffee as well as salads, pastas and pizzas - although not during the performance. For a few extra lei you can have a big bowl of pistachios to eat with your drink. Be careful, they are addictive!



A little different to all of this is Caru' cu Bere, which is a Bucharest institution. Situated on Stavropoleos street, which is adjacent to Lipscani and extremely central, this huge dining hall features high Gothic vaulted ceilings and ornate decoration. In the evenings its not unusual to see a queue for tables, despite the huge capacity of the restaurant  which also offers al fresco dining in the summer. I wanted to eat inside to enjoy the loud, convivial atmosphere and appreciate the decoration, but I was unprepared for what was to take place. Whilst browsing the menu, I noticed that the restaurant provides nightly entertainment. Expecting music - perhaps a gypsy orchestra or some folk music, I was taken aback when a fanfare announced a march of about 50 hand clapping staff who were clapped and cheered by the guests before taking a bow to the left and then to the right at the end of their performance. Their faces were a picture - some smiling and clearly enjoying the fun, others looking mortified at what must have felt like their evening's dose of humiliation.

I placed my order thinking it was a short but strange show, when another fanfare announced the arrival of the first of several couples of ballroom dancers in full dinner suites and frilly frocks who proceeded to thrash around in a suitably dramatic, histrionic and borderline threatening manner. A health and safety nightmare, this was in the middle of a completely packed restaurant with many staff rushing backwards and forwards with plates of hot food and trays of drinks. The diners were loving the performance which would not have disgraced the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and a number jumped out of their seats to get a better view. This added to the challenge of serving dinner as the waiting staff had to negotiate between dancers, groups of enthusiastic viewers and eventually more tetchy diners who got to their feet to complain that they couldn't see anything because of the people who were already standing. As our friend Valentin pointed out, this was somehow appropriate in a city that had given birth to some of the biggest movers and shakers of the Dada movement. Tristan Tzara would have been inspired. Cabaret Voltaire eat your heart out.

It had to happen. There was a terrific crash, a shout, a smash of glass and a gasp from the diners. One of the dancers threw her arm back in theatrical style and knocked a full tray of drinks - mainly huge glasses of beer - from the hands of a waiter.  But guess what? The show went on, she didn't let it put her off. People moved their seats so as to allow the long suffering waiter to clear up and the evening's terror continued as the dancers separated and alighted on, I must admit, willing victims from the tables to join them on the floor. I felt a slight panic and sweat formed on my neck and upper lip whilst I wondered what suitable excuse I could make should I be picked. Thankfully I wasn't. The food? Well the food was OK - hearty portions of meaty dishes, not the best, but the star of the show is obviously the show itself. I had dessert at Grand Cafe van Gogh - familiarity sometimes breeds contentment!

Next door to Caru' ce Bere you can find a completely different experience. Negresco is housed in a building originating in the 1880's and which is signed as an historic monument by the city authority. The interior is beautiful, again with Gothic style stained glass windows and murals. More intimate (and more expensive) than its larger neighbour, Negresco has a very good menu with a range of meat dishes, some Romanian specialities such as mititei, best described as lightly spiced Romanian kebabs as well as a good range of desserts including a cinnamon flavoured creme brûlée. Much recommended.

I have already written here about Marcel Janco and his contribution to Bucharest's built legacy, but he was also a leading artist. A number of his works can be seen at the National Art Museum on Calea Victoriei which houses a huge collection of European and Romanian art from earliest times. As this was a short visit I headed directly for the Romanian art. There is a collection of religious art on the first floor of the museum which includes many wonderful icons, but the highlight is the modern Romanian art on the top floor. There is a real treasure trove here and I discovered many artists I had not come across before as well as a number of works from the Dadaists.

I loved Janco's "Peasant woman with eggs" from 1930 and his cubist inspired "Portrait of a woman" from 1934. Arthur Segal, another leading Dadaist is well represented, including with some works from his earlier period, 1909-11, most interestingly a portrait of his wife in pointillist style! I also enjoyed the sculptures of Janco's friend Milita Petrascu, who contributed to his Imobilul Jacques Costin building with a doorway relief panel, a wonderful art nouveau freeze, called Spring, dating from 1901 by Stefan Louchian and the Gauguin inspired "Nude with a bowl of flowers" from 1920 by Cecelia Cutescu-storck.

The Museum holds at least one work by Nadia Bulighin (1892-1930) - another artist I had not come across before. Her "The samovar" from 1928 held me for some time. The painting is a still life dominated by a large samovar and a glass of hot tea, perhaps symbolising physical sustenance, whilst on the wall behind there are religious images - symbolising spiritual sustenance and on the table, books  representing intellectual sustenance. What more could we want or need?

The Samovar - Nadia Bulighin

The building that houses the museum is the former Royal Palace and gives on to Piati Revolutiei. The palace, the square and indeed the whole of Calea Victoriei features strongly in Olivia Manning's "Balkan Trilogy" set in the period immediately prior to the Second World War. Its main characters are not especially sympathetic, indeed several of the diplomats are downright annoying, but the story captures the chaotic atmosphere of pre-war central Europe - the rise of fascism, virulent anti-Semitism, regimes hedging their bets on the anticipated scramble for territory and of course the resentment felt in neighbouring Hungary over the 1920 Treaty of Trianon which awarded Transylvania to Romania and which to this day remains a bone of contention. Well worth a read.

I have already written about Bucharest's modernist buildings of the 1920's and 1930's but there are many more architectural gems including some beautiful churches. Two of them stand out for me. First the Stavropoleous Church in the street of the same name. Built between 1724 and 1730 the facade is stunning with a columned portico carved with stalks, leaves and flowers whilst the interior is covered in depictions of the saints and other important historical figures of the Greek Orthodox Church. The church is very small and the interior is tiny. Its best to visit in the early evening when there are fewer visitors. I had the place almost to myself.

Finally, and just a few streets away just off University Square, is the Russian Church, dedicated to Saint Nicolae. Looking at this magnificent structure with its Russian Orthodox onion domes and brightly coloured exterior, it is easy to believe that you could be in St. Petersburg or Moscow. There are scant details available about the architect or artists who produced this masterpiece which is faced with yellow brick and green art nouveau tiling, but visiting the church was a real cultural highlight of my short time in Bucharest. I will be back.

And one last very big "thanks" to Valentin Mandache, our guide who made sure we saw everything we wanted to see on the architectural tours. You can keep up to date with him here.

Marcel Janco and Modernist Bucharest

Regular readers will know that I have a strong connection with Tel Aviv. More than that, I love Tel Aviv. One of the main reasons for this love affair is the glorious collection of Bauhaus and Modernist architecture in the city. I am very loyal and will never transfer my affections, but over the last few days, a rival has caught my eye - Bucharest.

Bucharest does not have the number of Modernist buildings that Tel Aviv boasts. Nor has Bucharest been able to care for and preserve her architectural riches in the way Tel Aviv has. But there is something very special about Bucharest's modernist jewels, many of which are in poor condition, some of which have been lovingly cared for and all of which are interesting. Some of these treasures have severe problems. They are not strong enough to stand up to the major earthquake, which many people believe is not far away. Some are in such poor condition that they may collapse without the help of an earthquake whilst others have been vandalised by low quality renovations. The ownership of several remains in dispute after decades of misappropriations by one government or another and the efforts of original owners to reclaim them can take many years and be extremely complex.

Several of the most impressive of these buildings were designed by Dadaist and architect Marcel Janco. Janco was born into a middle class Jewish family in Bucharest in 1895 and through his long life (he died shortly before his 89th birthday in Ein Hod, Israel in 1984), he achieved much in the world of art. Between 1910 and 1914 he studied art under the careful eye of Iosif Iser and at just 17 he contributed drawings and layout for Simbolul, an avant-garde magazine published by two of his high school friends - Eugen Iovanaki and Sammy Rosenstock.  Rosenstock was to later change his name to Tristan Tzara and go on to be a major figure in the Dada movement, as was Janco whose family was originally called Goldstein. Several Jewish artists Romanised their names to assimilate into Romanian society or to evade discrimination.

Janco studied maths and chemistry in Zurich before switching to architecture with Karl Moser as one of his teachers. Together with Tzara and a number of other Romanians, he founded the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich in 1916. In the same year he exhibited at the first Zurich Dada show with amongst others Giorgio de Chirico, Paul Klee and Tzara. He went on to spend time working in Paris before returning to Bucharest where in 1922 he became the artistic director and editor of Contimporanul - the most important and influential Romanian avant-garde publication of its time. Throughout the 1930's the situation for Jews deteriorated in Romania. In 1941 he emigrated to Eretz Israel with his wife and two daughters, but not before his brother in law had been tortured and killed by the Legionaries - the Romanian fascist organisation. He went on to achieve much as an artist in Israel, founded the artists village Ein Hod in 1953 and is the subject of the excellent Janco-Dada Museum in the same village.

But what of Bucharest? His remaining buildings are spread across the city. Once again, Valentin Mandache proved to be an excellent guide, leading us to each of Janco's remaining works, setting the historical and social context of the times in which they were built and answering our many questions. I will write about four of Janco's remaining Bucharest buildings, but there are several others to see.

Imobilul Frida Cohen (pictured below) is an apartment block built in 1935 and can be found at number 17 Str. Stelea Spatarul. The block has seven floors including the ground floor lobby and according to one of its residents, it was built to house the workers from the nearby synagogue. The same resident, a Mister Costin Dodu was  returning home with his morning shopping at the same time we were peeping through the locked gate at the entrance to the block. After speaking to him briefly, Valentin explained that Mr Dodu had invited us to look inside! I couldn't believe my good luck!

The striking concave facade had not prepared me for the drama of the lobby, with its tiled floors, and asymmetrical staircases on each side, one with a triangular stairwell, the other with a more squared design. The building still has its original 1935 lift which Mr Dodu and I took to the floor beneath his apartment. Unfortunately the light in the lift was not working, so it wasn't possible to see any of the fitments. His apartment had retained the original layout with two reception rooms, bedroom and kitchen. In addition to this, the function conscious Janco had designed a separate toilet and bathroom (very civilised) as well as two pantries to enable separate storage of meat and dairy foods in line with kosher requirements, supporting Mr Dodu's belief about the original residents. The flat contains a beautiful original interior glass panelled door with an art deco relief - completely gorgeous. For a short time we were back in 1930's Bucharest. Our host had assembled a collection of interesting objets d'art - he told us he likes antiques!

Mr Dodu's own story is just as interesting as his wonderful apartment. Born outside Bucharest, he first came to the city after the Second World War to attend university, but at age 20, both of his parents died and he returned home to look after his family responsibilities. There were still a large number of Jews living in his home town and one particular family decided to help him, inviting him to live in the Frida Cohen apartment on condition that he care for an elderly relative of theirs. He accepted and spent twenty years looking after the old gentleman. During this time he married and his wife also came to live in the apartment. When the old man died, his family asked Mr Dodu to stay in the apartment as thanks for his many years of service. He has since visited the former owner's family in Jerusalem and proudly displays souvenirs from the city on his wall. I am extremely grateful to him for sharing his story and allowing me into his home.

A little earlier we had met a much younger resident of another Janco building - the apartment block - Imobilul Jacques Costin, at Str Paleologu number 5. Built in 1933, it features a beautiful sculpted relief to the right of the main door (pictured above). This was carved by Milita Petrascu, a friend of Janco's and for whom he later designed a villa. The relief features wool being woven by two women - one of the products that Romania's inter-war wealth was built on. Valentin managed to get us inside the block by talking to the young man (also returning with shopping!), explaining that he had guests from London who were interested in the building. Deeply suspicious and somewhat sceptical that the building was of any importance, he allowed us into the lobby and the stair well. In Romanian, he told us that he did not like living in Romania, saying he wished he had been born in another country, that it was impossible to make progress here and that he wanted to leave. When Valentin explained the historical importance of Janco, his response was that he was dead so how could he be interesting? Contrast his feelings with those of Mr Dodu who was very proud of his city and his home. (Pictured below - Milita Petrascu's house designed by Janco)

The building is in need of restoration and would be at risk in the event of a future earthquake. It features  Janco's trademark ocean liner portholes on the main facade and on the sides of the building, an ornate front door and a beautiful narrow spiral staircase. We wandered into the basement which was in darkness but which once housed a concierge's quarters and it was still possible to see some of the original features on the interior doors. It has already suffered neglect as well as poor "modernisation" through the substituting of the original window frames with plastic replacements.Valentin explained that this is a common practice in Bucharest, that people generally lack knowledge of heritage issues and genuinely feel they are improving "old buildings".

The stunning Imobilul Bazaltin building, constructed in 1935 is located at Piata Charles de Gaulle number 2 (detail pictured below). This beautiful building must have been the showpiece of this part of the city back in the 1930's, but is now overshadowed by a variety of fairly nondescript modern steel and glass structures. The land adjacent to the Bazaltin is a large, abandoned building site, partially underwater. There are many such sites around the city, the result of the current financial crisis in Romania. Who knows when these sites will be either completed or cleared?

Janco's magnificent block originally housed a building society- not the financial type but one concerned with architecture. There were also a number of private apartments in the building which until recently housed an "exclusive" nightclub. It is currently empty and shows signs of fire damage on the ground floor. Like several other Janco buildings, the Imobilul Bazaltin features port holes and in this case interesting square windows, but for me it is the upper level of the building with the stepped roof of the main tower and the varied voluming that is the main attraction. It also features some beautiful curves which together with the tower bring to mind the much loved art deco/ modernist "ocean liner" look of some of Janco's finer buildings.

My favourite Janco building in Bucharest has to be Imobilul Solly Gold at Boulevard Hristo Botev Number 34 (pictured below). It is a three floor irregular pentagon structure, originally built as a luxury apartment block. Like the Jacques Costin building, it features a decorative panel by the main door as well as a panel giving the names of Janco as the designer and Maximilian Marcus as the builder. One side features some extremely interesting, triangular bay windows, with Janco again demonstrating experimentation and innovation with volume. Some of the original windows have been replaced with hideous plastic frames whilst at the rear of the building the whole shape of one of the windows has been changed according to the "taste" of a more recent owner. But despite this, the building is a jewel. Its corner location adds to its sense of importance. It is a little worn and in need of some care, but this building knows its a beauty. Imobilul Solly Gold was a real highlight of my time in Bucharest and I would have loved to see inside. If anyone has any pictures of the interior, I would be most interested to see them!

Janco was not the only modernist or art deco architect to grace Bucharest with beautiful buildings, but he was one of the more prolific, several have survived and we are able to identify them. The few I have highlighted here demonstrate the richness of the Bucharest of the 1930's and I know there are many more still to discover and enjoy. Yet another reason to return to the city.

You can see more pictures of Bucharest here.

Romania Romania - Jewish Bucharest

Romania was once home to over 800,000 Jews. It was a thriving, vibrant community that included musicians, architects, artists, actors, tailors, cobblers, manual workers, religious and secular communities, Zionists and assimilated Jews. Up to 380,00 were killed or caused to die during the second world war when Romania was allied to the Germans and the other Axis powers. Of those that remained in Romania after the war, a further 300,000 left primarily for Israel between 1948 and 1988, but not before former President Nicolae Ceausescu had received payment from the Israeli government for every Jew he allowed to leave. Today there are about 5,000 Romanians who either identify as, or know that they are Jewish.

This ageing remnant of a once proud community is surprisingly active. It supports a museum, three working synagogues and a community centre whilst the state supports the world famous Jewish Theatre. Last weekend I was lucky enough to not only visit some of the remaining Jewish landmarks, but also to walk through the streets of the former Jewish quarter and to meet some of the remaining community members. I could not have done this without the help and guidance of Valentin Mandache, Architectural Historian, holder of many interesting stories of Bucharest and publisher of an excellent, much followed and highly recommended blog - Historic Houses of Romania.

This was my first visit to Romania. I have been to central and eastern Europe many times, but never before to Bucharest. Its not that I wasn't curious about the city once known as Little Paris, or the Paris of the East - I was. I have enjoyed the compositions of Enescu and the gypsy inspired musical tradition of Romania. I have read the diaries of Mikhail Sebastian. I have been enchanted by the romantic sounding Romanian names - Viscopoleanu, Ionesco, Popescu, Corbu and Teodorescu. When I was a child I was fascinated to know that my name - Adrian - was not unknown in Romania, indeed in the 1970's I remember a Romanian high jumper called Adrian Proteasa - who according to Wikipedia now lives and coaches in Norway!

I am not sure why its taken me so long to visit, but I suspect its because of the undeserved bleak and grim image that Bucharest has in the west. We know about the Ceausescu regime. We know about the orphans of that period and we know that a combination of earthquakes and Communist style urban planning blighted huge tracts of the city. But many (most?) people in the west don't know that Bucharest has many treasures. There are hundreds of exquisite art deco and modernist buildings from the 1920's and 1930's. There are heart stoppingly beautiful buildings in the Neo Romanian style from the early 1900's and later, there are art nouveau buildings, beautiful parks, very good restaurants, a fast developing (reviving?) cafe scene with excellent coffee and yes, you guessed it, great cakes and ice-creams, a small but good quality jazz scene (good for me!) and some remarkably friendly and accommodating people.

But back to Jewish Bucharest. Its hard to know what to include under this subject since so many famous Bucharest residents were at leads of Jewish origin. Let's start with the living. One of the unexpected highlights of my visit came on Saturday morning when Valentin took me on a tour of the remaining Marcel Janco designed buildings of the city. This was exciting enough in itself, but as we approached the State Jewish Theatre, we were greeted by a small group of people outside the building who asked if we were interested to see inside - which of course we were. Thinking we might just get a peep at the lobby I followed the male administrator in (who turned out not to be Jewish), plus an elegant woman who Valentin discretely told me was non other than Maia Morgenstern, star and now Director of the Theatre and well-known Hollywood actress. And guess what? She took us around the building herself, including a visit to the auditorium. The theatre seats about 270 people in the stalls and the circle and I had the experience of looking out at those seats from the stage. Imagine, being invited to stand on the stage of the world famous State Jewish Theatre of Bucharest in the company of its finest actress who also happened to have taken over the job of Director a few days earlier!

Maia Morgenstern, Director of the State Jewish Theatre and Valentin Mandache, architectural historical

The theatre is much loved and cherished by the company - most of whom are not Jewish and who have to learn the Yiddish plays phonetically, being able to neither read nor or understand Yiddish! To make this even more of a challenge, each seat has built in simultaneous translation technology for the Romanian audience but the actors can sometimes hear the translation too which must be extremely off putting for them! The theatre needs investment to secure its long term future. Maia explained that her vision is for a vibrant theatre with a regular audience and that she would like to "restore" rather than "renovate" the building. This was good to hear as a number of heritage buildings have been "improved" when renovated by including plastic windows, covering up beautiful fascias or applying unattractive renderings! The theatre is one of a very few remaining venues in the world where plays are still performed in Yiddish. It is of international importance and not just to Jews, but also to theatre lovers, historians and people who care about culture and heritage. It would be good to see organisations from around the world work together with Maia and her colleagues to ensure the glittering history of the Theatre is preserved and continues.

I also met two other interesting people from the community. A young man called David, in his early twenties and working for the Jewish community in the office adjacent to the beautiful (but under restoration) Choral Temple and a very charming older lady called Hilda Grunman who I met at the Jewish Museum which is housed in the former tailor's synagogue. David wants to make aliyah (emigrate to Israel) to join some of his other family members who have already gone. He is active in the Bucharest community, working at the centre that supports older people but also taking an interest in the somewhat impressive programme for younger people which includes screenings, music events, cookery and yoga! He explained that there are a significant number of Romanian Jews who either don't want to, or are too frightened to identify as such and that the more secular activities are offered to offer a way in, or back to the community for these people.

Choral Temple main entrance

Hilda gave us a brief tour of the museum explaining a little of the long history of Romanian Jewry, its long commitment to the country, its contribution to the First World War effort, the suffering of the Second World War years and of earlier pogroms , such as in Kishniev in 1903 as well as the many achievements in the arts, sciences and business that the Jews achieved in and for Romania.  She told me she had lived in Bucharest all of her life. She had learned Hebrew as a child but hadn't spoken it in years - surprising herself at being able to answer my questions when I practised my own Hebrew! She explained that as the community is so small, many Romanian Jews "marry out" and wondered what religion her grandchildren would be in such an environment. There was not time to talk further with her but she did tell me I should come again - and I would like to!

Walking through the streets of the old Jewish quarter, I recognised the sadness of absence that permeates many cities in this part of the world that once had large Jewish communities. The appalling, irrecoverable loss is almost palpable, whilst the thought of what might have been in these cities if history had taken a different course inevitably comes to mind.

Interior of Dr. Moses Rosen Museum of Romanian History

I visited three synagogues during my time in Bucharest. I have already mentioned the former taylor's synagogue, officially called the Holy Union Temple and situated on Mamulari Street. Inaugurated in 1852, it today hosts the Dr. Moses Rosen Museum of Romanian Jewish History. The museum houses a traditional exhibition of photographs, books, documents and religious artefacts on the ground floor, including a few items relating to Marcel Janco, Max Maxy, Tristan Tzara and Ilarie Voronca. I will write more about these avant-garde artists in a later post. There is also a small Holocaust exhibition which includes harrowing photographs of victims of the Iasi pogrom of June 1941. The former women's gallery houses a collection of paintings by important Romanian Jewish artists including Iosef Iser and an early work by Reuven Rubin as well as a small display of graphic design on this floor, including theatre posters and political notices from the pre World War Two years. The synagogue itself is well cared for, appears to have undergone restoration in the last few years and is decorated with Magen Dovids, geometric and floral patterns. It is a beautiful place. It is heartbreaking that its sole (albeit important) function now is as a museum and not as a centre of Jewish communal life as it would once have been. A suggestion - the museum could raise much needed funds through a publishing programme including reproductions of some of the rich collection of photographs as postcards and posters. I have no doubt overseas visitors would buy such items. I certainly would.

Side door to the Yeshua Tova synagogue in Take Ionescu Street

The Yeshua Tova synagogue in Take Ionescu Street is a much simpler affair. "Stories and Images of Jewish Bucharest" by Felicia Waldman and Anca Ciuciu says that it was built in 1840 and extended in 1890, but the interior at least looks more recent, with yeshiva style seating, enabling Torah students to face each other in debate, what appears to be a community kitchen (with the most delicious smells of aubergines being cooked drifting into the prayer hall!) and a permanent Sukkah built on to the rear of the building for communal seders.

The Choral Temple in Sf. Vineri Street was inaugurated in 1867 and is built in the Moorish style. It is one of the largest synagogues in Europe, but I was only able to see the exterior due to restoration works being underway inside. Another reason to go back to Bucharest! There is a fourth synagogue - The Great Synagogue on Vasile Adamache Street which houses the a permanent Holocaust exhibition. Built in 1847 it was modified and extended in 1903 and 1909.

Building in former Jewish quarter, designed by Jewish architect Zilberman

Religious and community buildings are only one part of the former Jewish Bucharest. Much more numerous are the wonderful 1920's and 1930's buildings designed by Jewish architects, often for members of their community and not least those of the extraordinary Marcel Janco. And that story, together with a little about the avant-garde art scene of Bucharest in this period will appear in my next post. But first a musical treat from the recently departed Israeli singer, Yafa Yarkoni, performing a somewhat theatrical version of the Yiddish song "Romania, Romania" which tells about the happy times in this fascinating country.

For more photographs of Bucharest see here

For more information about Jewish Bucharest see the excellent book Stories and Images of Jewish Bucharest by Felicia Waldman and Anca Ciuciu published by media print in 2011 ISBN 978-606-572-001-5. Not currently listed on Amazon so contact the publishers directly if you want a copy of your own.