Rebuilding the Gwozdziec Synagogue 2012

Join us in our latest filmmaking adventure!

Gwoździec, a magnificent 300 year-old wooden synagogue -- a symbol of the vitality of Jewish culture in Poland -- was burned to the ground during the Nazi occupation. A once-in-a-lifetime historic building project, bringing students and skilled craftspeople together to reproduce the architectural gem, is happening in Poland this summer. We need to raise $55,000 to tell the story of this replication on film.

The project is already underway, but we need funds to send our film crew to Poland this summer to finish shooting! We hope you can help and we have a variety of incentives to say thank you. Please donate on Kickstarter!

Kickstarter is all-or-nothing-funding: if we don't reach our goal of $55,000 by May 4th, we get none of the money we've raised! Backers will not have their credit cards charged if we don't reach our goal. So please let all your friends know that they can help now.

Thank you to all who contributed or increased their pledges. This is wonderful news! Now we are on the home stretch! To see how much we have left to raise, go to our Kickstarter page and please, get a friend to help close the deal.

Museum of the History of Polish Jews

The Museum of the History of Polish Jews, in collaboration with Handshouse Studio, is rebuilding components of an exquisite 17th-century wooden synagogue. This historic structure will be set within the stunning architectural space of the modern building being planned. The Museum is under construction on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto facing the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising monument, and is scheduled to open in 2013. For more information and an application, click here.

We are offering workshops in Poland to create an 85% scale replica of the timber roof structure and polychrome wooden ceiling from the now lost 17th century wooden Gwoździec Synagogue. The completed roof structure will be installed in the new Museum of the History of Polish Jews and become a major part of the permanent core exhibition, set within the stunning architectural space of the Museum's modern building.

Hear the Description

Bell Tower A team of carpenters from the US and UK built an 18th century timber framed Polish Bell Tower using traditional tools and techniques. Also, Mass Art faculty and students designed and constructed an iron cupola large enough to cast a 300-pound iron bell while using a traditional 19th century American bell mold. Read more.