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Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft Zürich

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Orthodox community in Zurich Switzerland

Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft Zürich
Total population
350 members
Regions with significant populations
Zürich, Switzerland
Religions
Hareidi Orthodox Judaism
Languages
Standard German (formal speeches and announcements), Swiss German (vernacular)
IRGZ Synagogue
The synagogue in 2019
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
Rite
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
OwnershipIsraelitische Religionsgesellschaft Zürich (IRGZ)
StatusActive
Location
LocationFreigutstrasse 37, Zürich
CountrySwitzerland
Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft Zürich is located in Canton of ZürichIsraelitische Religionsgesellschaft ZürichLocation of the synagogue in the Canton of Zürich
Geographic coordinates47°22′08″N 8°31′48″E / 47.36889°N 8.53000°E / 47.36889; 8.53000
Architecture
Architect(s)
  • Walter Henauer
  • Ernst Witschi
TypeSynagogue architecture
StyleArt Deco
Date established1895 (as a congregation)
Groundbreaking1923
Completed1924
MaterialsBrick

Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft Zürich (literally: Israeli Religious Society Zürich; Hebrew: עדת ישורון ציריך; commonly shortened to IRGZ), is one of two Hareidi Orthodox Jewish communities, located in Zürich, Switzerland.

Description

The community has approximately 350 members, and it has been a member of the Schweizerische Israelitische Gemeindebund (SIG, literally Swiss Federation of Israelite Communities) since 1918.

The community was founded in 1895 as an unofficial organization, and at its inception it was part of the Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich, or ICZ. Three years later, it separated from the ICZ due to disagreements over the level of religiosity. Already in 1890, Josua Goldschmidt, Josef Ettlinger and Isidor Kohn started their own minyan in Zürich. Because of their strictly Orthodox worldview, they no longer wanted to participate in the ICZ. Lepold Weill gave them a room to use in his residence, which they used to start the new community.

The community is committed to the values of neo-Orthodoxy as established by Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch in the 19th century. It is the only German-speaking community with this ideology that has existed uninterrupted for the last century. In the main shul, they are particular that prayers are pronounced using the Western European/German pronunciation of Hebrew. They use Rödelheim prayer books, and recite almost all of the piyyutim in the Western Ashkenazic rite. In the beginning of the 20th century, immigrants from Eastern Europe began to arrive in Zürich. In 1912, they started the Agudas Achim (Zürich). The later is also a Hareidi community, and they pray according to Hasidic rite. Nevertheless, since the 1960s, there is a lot of cooperation between the communities, especially in the realm of Kashrut supervision.

Facilities of the community

The community has a large synagogue on Freigutstrasse, which was designed by the architects Henauer und Witschi in the Art Deco style. There is also a community center in Brandschenkesteig, and a cemetery in the town of Fällanden. There are also schools for boys and girls closely associated with the community, that operate under separate auspices.

See also

References

  1. "Synagogue of the Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft in Zürich". Historic synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  2. "Communities". Swiss Jews.
  3. "über die IRGZ" (in German).
  4. "Zürich Israelitischer Friedhof Binz". Alemannia Judaica (in German).

External links

  Synagogues in Switzerland  
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