|
AT THE HEART of the rebuilt shtetl complex will
be a castle modeled after the ancient fortified Castle of Trakai, which
was typical of four medieval castles of the area. This magnificent stone-brick
structure, to be built on an island within a lake, will house the shtetl's
main historical center, comprising an archive and library where scholars
can pursue their research, a museum of Jewish life that will feature
both Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions and customs, and an arts center
where people will be able to participate in lectures, and see a variety
of attractions including plays, Klezmer concerts, and films.
The museum's permanent and temporary exhibits will represent all aspects
of East European Jewish life and its contributions to the world at large.
Beginning with events and personalities dating as far back as the tenth
century, when Jews began their mass migrations eastward, the exhibits
will document the great Rabbis,scholars, judges, cantors, writers and
other Jewish leaders whose influence on shtetl life was so profound,
as well as the everyday laborers and craftsmenwho kept it going; they
will show the surprisingly prominent role played by women in the shtetl;
and will trace the many historical currents, including Hasidism, Mitnaggedim,
Haskalah (the Enlightenment), and Zionism, which buffeted the shtetl
over the centuries.
These exhibits will also illuminate the ways in which the legacy of
the shtetl continues to play out in the many countries to which the
Jews of Eastern Europe emigrated, including, of course, the Land of
Israel, whose very foundations rested on their labors.
Looking down from the castle, visitors will be able to see all the buildings
that make up the shtetl complex across the water, cross the bridge and
choose their routes accordingly.
|
