The first steps towards saving the building were a photographic
assessment and documentation, carried out in 1978. That same
year efforts were carried out to realign the dome, using a hydraulic
press. The wooden roof structure was also partially rebuilt, and roof
tiles and tin coverings were partially replaced. These repairs, as
well as follow-up work, took years to complete due to the lack of
funds.
Between 1985 and 1992 the Synagogue was used as the premises for the
Public Theater (Nepszinhaz), under the
direction of avant-garde director Ljubisa Ristic. This only contributed
to the further degradation of the building. Despite
stipulations that the Theater's activities must not interfere with
the restoration, Ristic effected a number of structural changes,
including raising the floor by about 1.5 meters, adapting rooms for
workshops and storage, removing pews, and introducing movable grandstands.
Heating, plumbing and ventilation were not adequately installed. Improperly
insulated electrical cables for heating units placed under the new
floor short-circuited and caused fires several times.
In addition, performances included the use of animals in the building
and even performers urinating, in front of the former ark.
In 1987-1988, all the wall paintings on the interior of the central
dome of the synagogue were restored. The work included the plaster
floral decorations on the columns and arches of the womes's gallery
and the upper circles of the stained glass windows and semi-circular
stained glass windows on the ground floor of the central hall.
Additional insulation and repairs on some parts of the roof were also
carried out. Toilets were installed in the lateral stairwells for
the needs of the theater.
In 1989 intensive preparations for the acquisition of all elements
necessary for the reconstruction of the façade began. New façade
bricks in accordance with the original design were ordered from factories
in Osijek and Djakovo, and the Zsolnay ceramic
factory in Pecs, Hungary, which originally provided the elements,
once again manufactured all the terracotta façade decorations.
That same year, a UNESCO committee visited Subotica in order to put
the synagogue on the UNESCO World Heritage List, but the Yugoslav
wars that broke out in 1991 slowed and then completely stopped any
attempts to restore the building. The embargo on Yugoslavia during
the 1990s, the financial crisis and the lack of experts prevented
further repair work, and the condition of the
building deteriorated sharply.
Still, in 1992 the central chandelier was restored and mounted under
the central dome, and some work on insulation and drainage was carried
out in 1994.
In 1996 and then again in 2000 the World Monuments Fund placed the
synagogue on its Watch List of the world's 100 most
endangered cultural sites.
In recent years, there have been a few attempts to use the synagogue
for cultural purposes. In 1994, the sanctuary was the
site of a commemoration ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the
deportation of Subotica's Jews, and a Holocaust monument was erected
outside the building. The Synagogue was also the site of several concerts
and exhibitions, and since may 2002 it has hosted religious services
on Jewish holidays. But its poor condition largely prevents further
use.
Damage to the roof, holes in the "Rabitz" wire-lattice ceiling
in the vault and entrance zone and the damaged drain system on the
roof let water flow into the building, causing considerable damage
that threatened the parts of the building that had been restored in
the past as well as those parts of the building that were not restored.
In April 1999, thanks to a granf from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation,
four experts -- the architects Andras Roman, Tamas Fejerdi, Viktorija
Aladzic and restorer Klara Deak -- with expert help from the architects
Laslo Kiralj and Gabor Demeter, compiled a report on the present state
of the Synagogue, stating that urgent preventive measures were needed.
In December 2000, the new Jewish Heritage Grant Program of the World
Monuments Fund (WMF), sponsored by The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation,
granted $60,000 in financial aid for the repair of the most damaged
parts of the roof.
A foundation to oversee and promote restoration of the Synagogue
was established in September 2001. Called SOS Synagogue, it includes
Jewish representatives, experts on architecture and Jewish heritage,
and local political figures and is headed by Jozsef Kasza, a former
mayor of Subotica who is currently a deputy prime minister of Serbia.
Between November 2001 and April 2002, urgent repairs were carried
out to stabilize and protect the building and to prevent
further deterioration. These included roof repairs, gutter replacements/repairs
and protection of doors and windows. The
same year Gabor Demeter of the Intermunicipal Institute for Monument
Protection compiled a long-range planning study of the Synagogue revitalization.
With the recent protective measures, further deterioration has been
halted - at least for the moment, but further work must
commence as soon as possible in order to save this magnificent and
exceptionally valuable building.
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