Viljandi house may get plaque commemorating its Jewish heritage
Estonia's Jewish Museum has asked officials in the South Estonian town of Viljandi to install a plaque on a building which prior to World War II had been a house of prayer, Sakala reported.
Estonian Jewish Museum (Eesti Juudi Muuseum) advocate Gennadi Gramberg said the building, on Kauba 3, is highly special in the context of the history of Estonia's Jewish community, not least because it is the only pre-war synagogue whose building is still standing intact.
Built in the 19th century, after World War II the building first housed a militsiya (Soviet police) station, then served as administrative offices for the town's drainage systems maintenance, then a driving school, until its current incarnation as an apartment building.
Mayor of Viljandi Jaak Pihlak (Isamaa), a historian himself, told Sakala he is supportive of the Kauba 3 house getting a memorial plaque, which may even go ahead this summer, saying "adding a memorial plaque will certainly enhance both the building and the city, as it brings this important piece of history into our awareness."
Independent Estonia between the wars is still noted for its religious tolerance, including for the country's small but vibrant Jewish community, and the building's owners at the time, the Hoff family, set aside second-floor rooms for a Jewish prayer house and community center.
As to its fate, Gramberg noted that it closed ahead of the nazi occupation of Estonia from summer 1941, but work is underway in conjunction with the Viljandi city government to fill in the gaps in its history.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
