bg Zrenjanin

Chevra Kadisha Building

- Jevrejska 12 -
The administrative building was built in 1910 by a design that was created in 1909 by the Hungarian architect . It was constructed for the Jewish Religious Municipality as a Chevra Kadisha, which is the traditional name for funeral societies of Jewish communities around the world. Traditionally, the Chevra Kadisha took care of all the work related to the deceased before and after the funeral, as well as the organization of the funeral itself. Two of the main requirements are the showing of proper respect for a corpse, and the ritual cleansing of the body and subsequent dressing for burial. They also took care of sick and poor members of the community, as well as bereaved family members immediately after the funeral. Participation in the work of the society was voluntary and a highly valued religious duty, so many well-known rabbis and leading men in Jewish communities played important roles in the work of the society.
A drawing showing the eastern facade
At the beginning of the 19th century, almost all shops in the main street, the so-called bazaar, were in the hands of Serb merchants. However, as time went by, there were more and more cases where not only shops but also the buildings themselves were owned by Jews. At the time when Veliki Bečkerek, today Zrenjanin, reached its economic and cultural peak, Jews were about five percent of the total population. Jews were not granted many civil rights that were granted to Christians. For example, they were not recognized as having the right to own land, and they could own real estate, except in more liberal cities such as Veliki Bečkerek.
The floor plan of the building
On top of the building, which is built in the style of Art Nouveau and Eclectic, a curved protruded part that contains the construction year 1910. The fragment is surrounded by two piers that are topped with a decorative vase. A bit underneath each of these piers, you'll be able to see a pair of . The frame that's placed around the second floor windows, is embellished with two circles and six . The ornament, which is placed between two of these windows, is adorned with relief lines, a circle, and five guttae. A pretty simplified is placed underneath the second floor windows.
The building visible in an old photo