2012Synagoues in Hungary III - Set

The fifth and sixth stamps released in the series show the altars and interiors of the synagogues in Baja and Kiskunhalas. The first day covers are adorned by typical ornamental features and the buildings of the synagogues. The set of two special stamps was designed by the graphic artist Péter Nagy based on photographs taken by József Hajdú. Baja Synagogue (Baja, Munkácsy Mihály utca 9.) • The first synagogue in the market town was built between 1762 and 1765, but was burnt down in the fire that broke out in the town in 1806. The second synagogue was also engulfed in flames. The building that stands today was built between 1842 and 1845, and was inaugurated on 26 September 1845. The historic synagogue is one of Bajas most attractive neoclassical buildings. Its street facade is divided by pairs of columns with composite capitals, and the central section is surmounted by a simple tympa-num. Today it is a library and a plaque on the wall remembers the Jewish heroes who died in the First World War. The exterior has been completely restored and, as regards the interior, the spaces of the synagogue harmonise perfectly with the functions of the library. The original arrangement of space of the building has been retained, including the gallery, Torah ark and inscription, interior painting, red marble basin and the collection box built into the wall. Kiskunhalas Synagogue (Kiskunhalas, Petőfi u. 1.) • The congregation developed at the beginning of the 19th century, and the late neoclassical/early romantic synagogue was built between 1857 and 1860. The facade with the entrance is from the garden on the western side. It has an open porch with four columns and a double cornice above, surmounted by a tympanum. On the facade there is a Hebrew inscription meaning “This is the gate of the everlasting”. Next to the central door leading to the ground floor of the synagogue there are memorial plaques in honour of the martyrs from the congregation who died. The bimah, the elevated platform for reading the Torah, is in the centre of the interior and has beautifully carved railings and a tall white column at each corner. There are pairs of columns on each side of the Torah ark with a circular window above. Painting imitating a baldachin unites the decoration of the main wall. (Source: zsido.hu) The stamps in the series to date presented the New Synagogue in Szeged and the Synagogue of the Jewish Theological Seminary – University of Jewish Studies (2008) as well as the Nagykőrös Synagogue and the New Synagogue in Szolnok (2010)