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{{Short description|Synagogue in Austria}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Orphan|date=July 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox religious building
{{more citations needed|date=May 2021}}
| name = New Synagogue of Graz
| native_name =
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| image = WRBaier11 1096.jpg
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| architect = Jörg and Ingrid Mayr
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The '''New Synagogue of Graz''' is a ] congregation and ], located on David-Herzog-Place, on the right bank of the ] in the ], in the city of ], ]. The synagogue serves the Jews of Graz, ], ], and southern parts of ].


The congregation was established in 1868 and built its initial synagogue in 1895 on this site. Destroyed by the ]s in 1938 on ], the depleted congregation used temporary premises until the current building was completed in 2000.
]
The '''New Synagogue of Graz''', is a ] ] in the city of ], ]. Within the city, it is located on David-Herzog-Place, on the right bank of the ] in the ]. The synagogue serves the Jews of Graz, ], ], and southern parts of ].


== History == == History ==
=== The Old Synagogue ===
Before the ], the synagogue in Graz was the cultural and religious center of the city's 2000 Jews. Its defining feature was a 30 meter high dome on top of the building. The synagogue was destroyed on ], like the majority of Jewish sites in Germany and occupied Nazi territories at the time.
{{Infobox religious building
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| image = Synagoge in Graz.jpg
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| functional_status = '''Destroyed'''
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| architect = Maximilian Katscher
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Jews first settled in Graz in the latter part of the 13th century. Expelled in 1439, Jews returned from 1447, however it took until 1868 to officially form a congregation. The community ten grew rapidly, partly because of economic factors and by 1934 there were over 1,700 Jews in Graz. The congregation built a large school by 1892 and the inaugural synagogue was completed.<ref name=JVL>{{cite web |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/graz |title=Graz, Austria |work=Jewish Virtual Library |publisher=The Gale Group |year=2007 |access-date=26 May 2024 }}</ref> Designed by Maximilian Katscher in the ] style, the imposing square brick building was topped by a ] ], {{convert|30|m}} high.<ref name="5TJT">{{cite news |author=Baum, Naomi |url=https://www.5tjt.com/a-tale-of-two-synagogues/ |title=A Tale Of Two Synagogues |work=5TJT |publisher=The 5 Towns Jewish Times |date=11 September 2014 |access-date=26 May 2024 }}</ref>

Despite significant local ],{{efn|Graz earned special infamy in its eagerness to become the first ] city in Austria. That is, a town completely rid of its Jews.<ref name="5TJT"/>}} there was a large influx of Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe in the wake of ]. During the rise of ] in the latter part of the 1930s, Graz was a center of ], leading to the social serration of Jews.<ref name=JVL/>

Immediately after the '']'', the Jewish cemetery was desecrated. The members of the community board were arrested and released after prolonged negotiation. The congregation made payment of 5,000,000 ] to ] so the 600 Jews could emigrate to ]. However, before that plan was put into effect, on '']'' the synagogue was completely destroyed by explosives and fire. More than 300 Jews were taken to ], and released several months later. Of the 1,600 Jews in Graz on ''Kristallnacht'', 417 emigrated. In June 1939, only 300 remained in Graz; most were sent to ] and then to the death camps.<ref name=JVL/>

=== The New Synagogue ===
After ], 110 Jews settled in Graz. There were 420 in 1949 and 286 in 1950.<ref name=JVL/> In 1952, the Jewish community of Graz, dissolved in 1940, was re-founded. The community covers the ] of ], ] and the districts of ], ] and ] in ]. A small synagogue in a communal center built on the site of the synagogue ruins was consecrated in 1968. A Jewish community of fewer than 100 members remained at the beginning of the 21st century.

In 1983, artist Fedo Ertl approached the Jewish community with the suggestion of clearing the foundation of the former synagogue site, but this suggestion was rejected due to fears of an Antisemitic reaction from city officials. Ertl found that some of the bricks from the synagogue were reused as early as 1939 in the construction of a garage on Alberstraße.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://offsite.kulturserver-graz.at/werke/911 |title=Mahnzeichen 1938/83 |work=Offsite Graz |lang=de-at |date=1983 |access-date=26 May 2024}}</ref>

On October 21, 1998, all parties in Graz's Municipal Council unanimously resolved to reconstruct the synagogue. This decision was taken following the intervention of the then-president of the local Jewish community, Kurt David Brühl.{{cn|date=May 2024}}

]s from Graz, Jörg and Ingrid Mayr, who had already been put in charge of a memorial for the destroyed ] of Graz, worked with Ertl's plans.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Binder |first=Dieter A. |title=Architektur. vergessen - Jüdische Architekten in Graz |publisher=Böhlau |year=2011 |isbn=978-3205784722 |editor-last=Senarclens de Grancy |editor-first=Antje |pages=66 |chapter=Jüdisches Graz - Grazer Juden? - Eine Spurensuche in der Zweiten Republik |editor-last2=Zettelbauer |editor-first2=Heidrun |lang=de-at }}</ref>

Approximately 9600 bricks of the former synagogue were reused in the new building, after being washed by over 150 students of the local state high school in Lichtenfelsgasse, the local vocational technical school, and the Grazbachgasse school of commerce, who worked for over 10,000 hours. A steel black ], constructed on the site of the synagogue in 1988, was incorporated in the project and is now found under the ]. The new building was primarily made from brick, reinforced concrete and glass. The cube and sphere create a central space for the synagogue and help it stick out in its exterior appearance.<ref name="National Fund">{{cite web |url=https://spotlight.anumuseum.org.il/austria/contemporary-era/synagogues/ |title=Synagogues in Graz |work=Jewish Communities of Austria |publisher=National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism |date=n.d. |access-date=17 March 2024 |language=English }}</ref>


The new synagogue followed the blueprints of the old synagogue, but on a smaller scale than its predecessor, as the Jewish community of Graz numbered about a hundred members, compared to the 2000 members before World War II. The synagogue was consecrated and opened on November 9, 2000, the anniversary of ].<ref name="National Fund"/>
After the war, only about 150 Jews existed in Graz. In 1952, the Jewish community of Graz, dissolved in 1940, was re-founded. The community covers the ] of ], ] and the districts of ], ] and ] in ].


==== Architecture and conception ====
The site of the former synagogue remained a vacant lawn until 1988. The city of Graz erected a commemorative ] in the form of a black obelisk, which was later included in the construction of the new synagogue..
While the building is largely ], the design of the synagogue does recall several general aspects of the synagogue destroyed by the Nazis.<ref name="5TJT"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://spotlight.anumuseum.org.il/austria/synagogue/synagogues-in-graz/ |title=Synagogues in Graz |work=Jewish Communities of Austria |publisher=Museum of the Jewish People |date=n.d. |access-date=26 May 2024 }}</ref>


In the middle of the sanctuary rests a glass '']'' where the ] is read. Behind the Bimah is the ] where the ] are stored. This space is dominated by a glass dome supported by twelve metal pillars (representing the ]) and creating a ]-shaped ] on the ceiling. The clear blue glass is meant to invoke the unobstructed skies. Hebrew prayers are engraved into the glass through ].{{cn|date=May 2024}}
In 1983, artist Fedo Ertl approached the Jewish community with the suggestion of clearing the foundation of the former synagogue site, but this suggestion was rejected due to fears of an antisemitic reaction from city officials. Ertl found that some of the bricks from the synagogue were reused as early as 1939 in the construction of a garage on Alberstraße.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://offsite.kulturserver-graz.at/werke/911|title=Offsite_Graz }}</ref>


The synagogue is located at David Herzog Place, named after the last Rabbi for Styria and Carinthia before the Second World War, who escaped Graz after Kristallnact and sought refuge in England.{{cn|date=May 2024}}
== The New Synagogue ==
On October 21, 1998, all parties in Graz's Municipal Council unanimously resolved to reconstruct the synagogue. This decision was taken following the intervention of the then-president of the local Jewish community, Kurt David Brühl.


== Recent history ==
A couple of ]s from Graz, Jörg and Ingrid Mayr, who had already been put in charge of a memorial for the destroyed ] of Graz, worked with Ertl's plans.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Binder|first=Dieter A.|title=Architektur. vergessen - Jüdische Architekten in Graz|publisher=Böhlau|year=2011|isbn=978-3205784722|editor-last=Senarclens de Grancy|editor-first=Antje|pages=66|chapter=Jüdisches Graz - Grazer Juden? - Eine Spurensuche in der Zweiten Republik|editor-last2=Zettelbauer|editor-first2=Heidrun}}</ref>
In 2013, the Jewish community of Graz was dissolved following long-term internal conflicts. The synagogue, community center, and other community assets were made part of the Jewish Cultural Foundation of ], ] and Southern ]. The community itself was turned into a subsidiary organization of the Jewish Community of Vienna, with responsibilities for the areas covered by the Jewish Cultural Foundation. Since 2016, the organization is headed by a delegate with the title of "president". That position is currently held by Elie Rosen, a well-known member of the Austrian Jewish community.{{cn|date=May 2024}}


At the insistence of Rosen, and following the agreement of the Jewish communities of Graz and Vienna and the Chief Rabbi of Vienna, the Rabbinate of Styria (with jurisdiction over Styria, Carinthia, and Burgenland) which had been dissolved in 1938, was re-established on December 1, 2016. That same day, for the first time since 1938, Vienna Rabbi ] was named Chief Rabbi of Graz.<ref>{{cite press release |lang=de-at |title=Jüdische Gemeinde Graz |work=Nach 78 Jahren - Neuer steirisches Landesrabbiner |publisher=communauté juive de Graz du 1er |date=December 2016 }}</ref>
Approximately 9600 bricks of the former synagogue were reused in the new building, after being washed by over 150 students of the local state high school in Lichtenfelsgasse, the local vocational technical school, and the Grazbachgasse school of commerce, who worked for over 10,000 hours. An ] constructed on the site of the synagogue in 1988 was incorporated in the project and is now found under the ]. The new building was primarily made from brick, reinforced concrete and glass. The cube and sphere create a central space for the synagogue and help it stick out in its exterior appearance.


In 2021, an Austrian man was handed a three-year custodial sentence for vandalizing the synagogue and other antisemitic attacks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/austria-jails-syrian-for-vandalizing-synagogue-threatening-jewish-leader/ |title=Austria jails Syrian for vandalizing synagogue, threatening Jewish leader |work=] |date=21 October 2021 |access-date=26 May 2024 |agency=] }}
The new synagogue followed the blueprints of the old synagogue, but on a smaller scale than its predecessor, as the Jewish community of Graz numbered about a hundred members, compared to the 2000 members before World War II. The synagogue was consecrated and opened on November 9, 2000, the anniversary of ].


</ref>
== Architecture and conception ==
While the building is largely modern architecture, the design of the synagogue does recall several general aspects of the synagogue destroyed by the Nazis.


== Notable members ==
In the middle of the sanctuary rests a glass '']'' where the ] is read. Behind the Bimah is the ] where the ] are stored. This space is dominated by a glass dome supported by twelve metal pillars (representing the ]) and creating a ]-shaped ] on the ceiling. The clear blue glass is meant to invoke the unobstructed skies. Hebrew prayers are engraved into the glass through ].
<!-- How notable if no Misplaced Pages article on him? * Wilhelm Fischer-Graz (1846–1932), a writer popular at the time for many novels, mainly set in the town itself or in Styria<ref name=JVL/> -->
* ], historian and rabbi of Graz from 1908 to 1938<ref name=JVL/>
* ], a Nobel Prize laureate who taught pharmacology at Graz University from 1909 to 1938<ref name=JVL/>


== Gallery ==
The synagogue is located at David Herzog Place, named after the last Rabbi for Styria and Carinthia before the Second World War, who escaped Graz after Kristallnact and sought refuge in England.<gallery style="text-align:center;">
<gallery>
File:Grazer Synagoge - Innenraum.jpg|Interior of the synagogue with the Bimah and the Holy Ark in the back
File:Grazer Synagoge - Glaskuppel Innenansicht.JPG|Interior of the Cupola with the Star of David Grazer Synagoge - Innenraum.jpg|Interior of the synagogue with the Bimah and the Holy Ark in the back
File:Grazer Synagoge - Toraschrein.jpg|Holy Ark with doors shaped like the Ten Commandments Grazer Synagoge - Glaskuppel Innenansicht.JPG|Interior of the ] with the Star of David
File:Grazer Synagoge - Torarolle.JPG|Open Ark with Torah Scrolls Grazer Synagoge - Toraschrein.jpg|Holy Ark with doors shaped like the Ten Commandments
File:Grazer Synagoge - Kerzenleuchter.JPG|] Grazer Synagoge - Torarolle.JPG|Open Ark with Torah scrolls
File:Grazer Synagoge - Gedenktafel 2.JPG|Commemorative Plaque Grazer Synagoge - Kerzenleuchter.JPG|]
File:Grazer Synagoge - Gedenktafel.JPG|Commemorative Plaque Grazer Synagoge - Gedenktafel 2.JPG|Commemorative plaque
Grazer Synagoge - Gedenktafel.JPG|Commemorative plaque
</gallery> </gallery>


== The Jewish community today == == See also ==
{{stack|{{portal|Austria|Judaism}}}}
In 2013, the Jewish community of Graz was dissolved following long-term internal conflicts. The synagogue, community center, and other community assets were made part of the Jewish Cultural Foundation of ], ] and Southern ]. The community itself was turned into a subsidiary organization of the Jewish Community of Vienna, with responsibilities for the areas covered by the Jewish Cultural Foundation. Since 2016, the organization is headed by a delegate with the title of "president". That position is currently held by Elie Rosen, a well-known member of the Austrian Jewish community.
* ]


== Notes ==
At the insistence of Rosen, and following the agreement of the Jewish communities of Graz and Vienna and the Chief Rabbi of Vienna, the Rabbinate of Styria (with jurisdiction over Styria, Carinthia, and Burgenland) which had been dissolved in 1938, was re-established on December 1, 2016. That same day, for the first time since 1938, Vienna Rabbi ] was named Chief Rabbi of Graz.<ref>{{in lang|de}}: Jüdische Gemeinde Graz: ''Nach 78 Jahren - Neuer steirisches Landesrabbiner''; communiqué de presse de la communauté juive de Graz du 1er décembre 2016</ref>
{{notes list}}


== References == == References ==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}


== Links == == External links ==
* {{commons cat-inline|Synagoge, Graz|New Synagogue of Graz}}
** {{commons cat-inline|Old synagogue, Graz|Old Synagogue of Graz}}


{{coord missing|Austria}} {{Synagogues in Austria}}


] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]
] ]

Latest revision as of 00:06, 25 September 2024

Synagogue in Austria

New Synagogue of Graz
New Synagogue of Graz in 2006
Religion
AffiliationJudaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
StatusActice
Location
LocationDavid-Herzog-Place, Graz, Bundesland
CountryAustria
New Synagogue of Graz is located in AustriaNew Synagogue of GrazLocation of the synagogue in Austria
Geographic coordinates47°03′50″N 15°26′01″E / 47.06399203805216°N 15.433677041°E / 47.06399203805216; 15.433677041
Architecture
Architect(s)Jörg and Ingrid Mayr
TypeSynagogue architecture
StyleModernist
Date established1868 (as a congregation)
Completed2000
Specifications
Dome(s)One
MaterialsBrick; reinforced concrete; glass

The New Synagogue of Graz is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on David-Herzog-Place, on the right bank of the Mur River in the Gries neighborhood, in the city of Graz, Austria. The synagogue serves the Jews of Graz, Styria, Carinthia, and southern parts of Burgenland.

The congregation was established in 1868 and built its initial synagogue in 1895 on this site. Destroyed by the Nazis in 1938 on Kristallnacht, the depleted congregation used temporary premises until the current building was completed in 2000.

History

The Old Synagogue

Old Synagogue of Graz
The old synagogue in 1900, since destroyed
Religion
AffiliationJudaism (former)
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue (1895–1938)
StatusDestroyed
Location
LocationDavid-Herzog-Place, Graz
CountryAustria
Geographic coordinates47°03′50″N 15°26′01″E / 47.06399203805216°N 15.433677041°E / 47.06399203805216; 15.433677041
Architecture
Architect(s)Maximilian Katscher
TypeSynagogue architecture
StyleRenaissance Revival
Date established1868 (as a congregation)
Completed1895
DestroyedNovember 9, 1938
on Kristallnacht
Specifications
Dome(s)Three
Dome height (outer)30 metres (98 ft)
MaterialsBrick

Jews first settled in Graz in the latter part of the 13th century. Expelled in 1439, Jews returned from 1447, however it took until 1868 to officially form a congregation. The community ten grew rapidly, partly because of economic factors and by 1934 there were over 1,700 Jews in Graz. The congregation built a large school by 1892 and the inaugural synagogue was completed. Designed by Maximilian Katscher in the Renaissance Revival style, the imposing square brick building was topped by a dome cupola, 30 metres (98 ft) high.

Despite significant local Antisemitism, there was a large influx of Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe in the wake of World War I. During the rise of Austrian Nazism in the latter part of the 1930s, Graz was a center of Austrian National Socialism, leading to the social serration of Jews.

Immediately after the Anschluss, the Jewish cemetery was desecrated. The members of the community board were arrested and released after prolonged negotiation. The congregation made payment of 5,000,000 marks to Adolf Eichmann so the 600 Jews could emigrate to Palestine. However, before that plan was put into effect, on Kristallnacht the synagogue was completely destroyed by explosives and fire. More than 300 Jews were taken to Dachau concentration camp, and released several months later. Of the 1,600 Jews in Graz on Kristallnacht, 417 emigrated. In June 1939, only 300 remained in Graz; most were sent to Vienna and then to the death camps.

The New Synagogue

After World War II, 110 Jews settled in Graz. There were 420 in 1949 and 286 in 1950. In 1952, the Jewish community of Graz, dissolved in 1940, was re-founded. The community covers the States of Styria, Carinthia and the districts of Oberwart, Güssing and Jennersdorf in Burgenland. A small synagogue in a communal center built on the site of the synagogue ruins was consecrated in 1968. A Jewish community of fewer than 100 members remained at the beginning of the 21st century.

In 1983, artist Fedo Ertl approached the Jewish community with the suggestion of clearing the foundation of the former synagogue site, but this suggestion was rejected due to fears of an Antisemitic reaction from city officials. Ertl found that some of the bricks from the synagogue were reused as early as 1939 in the construction of a garage on Alberstraße.

On October 21, 1998, all parties in Graz's Municipal Council unanimously resolved to reconstruct the synagogue. This decision was taken following the intervention of the then-president of the local Jewish community, Kurt David Brühl.

Architects from Graz, Jörg and Ingrid Mayr, who had already been put in charge of a memorial for the destroyed Jewish cemetery of Graz, worked with Ertl's plans.

Approximately 9600 bricks of the former synagogue were reused in the new building, after being washed by over 150 students of the local state high school in Lichtenfelsgasse, the local vocational technical school, and the Grazbachgasse school of commerce, who worked for over 10,000 hours. A steel black obelisk, constructed on the site of the synagogue in 1988, was incorporated in the project and is now found under the Bimah. The new building was primarily made from brick, reinforced concrete and glass. The cube and sphere create a central space for the synagogue and help it stick out in its exterior appearance.

The new synagogue followed the blueprints of the old synagogue, but on a smaller scale than its predecessor, as the Jewish community of Graz numbered about a hundred members, compared to the 2000 members before World War II. The synagogue was consecrated and opened on November 9, 2000, the anniversary of Kristallnacht.

Architecture and conception

While the building is largely Modernist, the design of the synagogue does recall several general aspects of the synagogue destroyed by the Nazis.

In the middle of the sanctuary rests a glass Bimah where the Torah is read. Behind the Bimah is the Torah ark where the Torah scrolls are stored. This space is dominated by a glass dome supported by twelve metal pillars (representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel) and creating a Star of David-shaped cupola on the ceiling. The clear blue glass is meant to invoke the unobstructed skies. Hebrew prayers are engraved into the glass through sandblasting.

The synagogue is located at David Herzog Place, named after the last Rabbi for Styria and Carinthia before the Second World War, who escaped Graz after Kristallnact and sought refuge in England.

Recent history

In 2013, the Jewish community of Graz was dissolved following long-term internal conflicts. The synagogue, community center, and other community assets were made part of the Jewish Cultural Foundation of Styria, Carinthia and Southern Burgenland. The community itself was turned into a subsidiary organization of the Jewish Community of Vienna, with responsibilities for the areas covered by the Jewish Cultural Foundation. Since 2016, the organization is headed by a delegate with the title of "president". That position is currently held by Elie Rosen, a well-known member of the Austrian Jewish community.

At the insistence of Rosen, and following the agreement of the Jewish communities of Graz and Vienna and the Chief Rabbi of Vienna, the Rabbinate of Styria (with jurisdiction over Styria, Carinthia, and Burgenland) which had been dissolved in 1938, was re-established on December 1, 2016. That same day, for the first time since 1938, Vienna Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister was named Chief Rabbi of Graz.

In 2021, an Austrian man was handed a three-year custodial sentence for vandalizing the synagogue and other antisemitic attacks.

Notable members

  • David Herzog, historian and rabbi of Graz from 1908 to 1938
  • Otto Loewi, a Nobel Prize laureate who taught pharmacology at Graz University from 1909 to 1938

Gallery

  • Interior of the synagogue with the Bimah and the Holy Ark in the back Interior of the synagogue with the Bimah and the Holy Ark in the back
  • Interior of the cupola with the Star of David Interior of the cupola with the Star of David
  • Holy Ark with doors shaped like the Ten Commandments Holy Ark with doors shaped like the Ten Commandments
  • Open Ark with Torah scrolls Open Ark with Torah scrolls
  • Chanukkiah Chanukkiah
  • Commemorative plaque Commemorative plaque
  • Commemorative plaque Commemorative plaque

See also

Notes

  1. Some sourced from the Old Synagogue.
  2. Graz earned special infamy in its eagerness to become the first Judenrein city in Austria. That is, a town completely rid of its Jews.

References

  1. ^ "Graz, Austria". Jewish Virtual Library. The Gale Group. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Baum, Naomi (September 11, 2014). "A Tale Of Two Synagogues". 5TJT. The 5 Towns Jewish Times. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  3. "Mahnzeichen 1938/83". Offsite Graz (in Austrian German). 1983. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  4. Binder, Dieter A. (2011). "Jüdisches Graz - Grazer Juden? - Eine Spurensuche in der Zweiten Republik". In Senarclens de Grancy, Antje; Zettelbauer, Heidrun (eds.). Architektur. vergessen - Jüdische Architekten in Graz (in Austrian German). Böhlau. p. 66. ISBN 978-3205784722.
  5. ^ "Synagogues in Graz". Jewish Communities of Austria. National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism. n.d. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  6. "Synagogues in Graz". Jewish Communities of Austria. Museum of the Jewish People. n.d. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  7. "Jüdische Gemeinde Graz". Nach 78 Jahren - Neuer steirisches Landesrabbiner (Press release) (in Austrian German). communauté juive de Graz du 1er. December 2016.
  8. "Austria jails Syrian for vandalizing synagogue, threatening Jewish leader". The Times of Israel. Agence France-Presse. October 21, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2024.

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