The Monument and Art

In 2011, the Church and Israel Committee of the Protestant Municipality of Sneek organized an exhibition “Traces of Jewish Life in and around Sneek.

The accompanying website can still be found on the Internet and is particularly worth visiting: www.sporenjoodslevensneek.nl

Part of this exhibition was a contribution from the no longer existing Galerie BAS (Stichting Beeldend Aktief Sneek).

22 artists sought a formal language to represent “traces of Jewry in and around Sneek. We show you some of these artworks here For a complete overview, please refer to the website mentioned above.

The owner of the website, De Protestantse Gemeente Sneek, gave us permission to use text and images.

The Stichting Monument Synagoge Sneek is considering repeating the 2011 initiative by organizing an exhibition in collaboration with visual artists: The vanished Jewish community of Sneek.

Through our website, we will keep you informed.

Rita Vjodorowa: ‘When a shrine no longer exists, something of the sanctity of the place still remains’ according to an old Jewish proverb. Rita, a native of Ukraine, found inspiration in that saying and created the painting Imagine. Two images on top of each other: the old synagogue and the storefront that replaced it.

Rein Pol: Still life with white egg cakes from baker Pino. ‘The famous Sneeker baker’s family Pino was taken away like so many others and did not return. Therefore, as an homage I paint their delicious, also available on Sundays, white egg cakes -a still life-or is it an endless landscape…’

Janny Bruinsma: I don’t want to move. On the wall is a picture, of a Jewish girl. I recognize myself in her attitude. Imagine I was her and I had to move. For a reason I didn’t understand. My dog is not allowed to come with me. I am angry ! Where I live, thousands of yellow flowers bloom around Mother’s Day. I wear one especially for my mother. So there is a dandelion for every Jewish child! I was born in Sneek and I don’t want to move.

Rein Pol: Sunlight at Sneek Jewish cemetery. When I visited the Jewish cemetery of Sneek for inspiration, suddenly the grass and the old tombstones were lit by warm sunlight. . This changed the somber place into a place of hope and consolation… The cemetery bears its full name again: Beth Hachaim -home of life-‘