The exhibition focuses on the process of turning synagogues that inherently perform a religious function into buildings of public utility, with no religious meaning.

The authors are curious to know to what extent the new utility function of those buildings is natural to the public nowadays and to what extent it is seen as artificial, brutally forced upon those places during the World War II. They want to check how this change affects those who are today using the former synagogues, to see if they are bothered by moral dilemmas or if they feel any ethical responsibilities. The exhibition presents archival photographs of five selected synagogues (Poznań, Inowłodz, Opole, Piotrków Trybunalski, Wodzisław), juxtaposed with film material which documents their current usage and includes filmed comments from actual users.

After the vernissage (18.30) we invite everybody to a multimedia presentation by Piotr Piluk, titled: The Traces of Presence. The Jewish cultural heritage in Wielkopolska in contemporary photography, combined with the promotion of the latest issue of “Słowo Żydowskie” (The Jewish Word). Both events are part of this year’s Judaism Day celebrations.