Special Report from the International Survey of Jewish Monuments

International Survey of Jewish Monuments Helps Restoration of Ber Sonnenberg Monument, Warsaw

The restoration of one of the finest funerary monuments in Europe, the tomb of Berek Sonnenberg, also known as Dov Baer Shmulovitch, is nearing an end after many years.  A recent grant from the International Survey of Jewish Monuments will help speed the process.

Sonnenberg was the son of Shmul Zbytkower (d. 1822), the founder of the Bergsohn family in Warsaw, an  ancestor of French philosopher Henri Bergson.  The large monument, situated in Warsaw's Okopowa cemetery, contains two remarkable bas-reliefs created by the Jewish artist David Friedlander.  One relief depicts a river and cargo boats signifying the trade of the deceased and a walled city with towers, houses, including a synagogue, bet midrash (study house) and windmill, while on the horizon a palace, which the ancestors of the deceased received as a gift from the last king of Poland, Stanislaus Augustus, with whom they traded.  The district of Warsaw represented was known as Szumulowizna.  Prominently displayed is the walled Jewish cemetery of the district, where Zbytkower is buried.

The other relief on the reverse side of the tomb shows the Tower of Babel and a grove of trees, on whose branches are hung musical instruments, recalling the passage from Psalm 137, "By the waters of Babylon, where we sat down, we wept, when we remembered Zion."

The Sonnenberg monument was sorely neglected during the post-War years and under Communist rule.  Repairs to the structure were organized by the Citizen's Committee for the Protection of Jewish Monuments in the late 1980s.  Raising the needed funds (approximately $44,000) was slow, but progress was made.

Funds came from some the Remembrance Foundation, from the regional conservator of monuments and from a few foreign donors.

Prior to conservation work the monument was fully documented and photographed and a plan was made for dismantling the structure.  Stone and paint samples were taken and analyzed.  Then, the structure was dismantled. All the rotting iron and lead elements were removed,  and the old crumbling brick foundation was replaced.

The elements were reinforced before cleaning and salt was removed from the stone.  Cavities in the stone were filled and missing pieces of stone were replaced.  A new reinforced concrete foundation was laid upon which the structure was reassembled, introducing horizontal insulation, joining the elements with brass braces and bolts; filling up the remaining cavities with mastic; and installing anchors to hold the wooden roof.

A fire, however, determined to be arson, further damaged the structure in September 18, 1993,causing the need for further repairs.  The fire caused extensive cracking, particularly of the marble.  The desk which carried the inscription was impossible to repair and had to be replaced.  The wooden roof had to be removed.  All the stone elements were weakened, and had to be reinforced.  The stone elements had to be mounted anew, fixing the brass joints once again.  An entirely new roof had to be made.

Now, over a decade since work began, and almost six year since the fire, the work is nearing an end.  To speed the process, the International Survey of Jewish Monuments has contributed $800 for repairs to the roof in this final phase.  Jan Jagielski of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, who has been the force behind the project, says that an additional US$ 2000 is still needed to complete all the repairs to the monument.  According to ISJM president Samuel Gruber "scores of other important monuments await conservation in the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery.  There is a lifetime of work still to do there, in fact, it could take many lifetimes.  We all have to help."

Additional contributions can be made through ISJM, a U.S. based not-for-profit organization dedicated to the documentation and protection of historic Jewish sites worldwide.  U.S. tax-deductible donations may be sent to ISJM, 123 Clarke Street, Syracuse, NY 13210.  Checks should include the note "Sonnenberg Monument."
 

(This report is provided as a free service of ISJM.  This material may be used without charge with proper acknowledgment to the author. Clips of all articles which use ISJM materials should be sent to ISJM, 123 Clarke St., Syracuse, NY 13210)