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NEWS
Rema Shul in Cracow Reopened
by Israel Rosner
The ancient Rema Shul on Soroka 40 in the Jewish quarter of Cracow in Poland has been closed to visitors for the past year due to cracks and fissures in its walls. The shul administration, which is under the authority of the "Committee of Sacred Communities of Poland," decided to close the place for extensive renovation and repair so as to restore it to its former glory and grandeur, as it enjoyed upon its foundation in 5413 by Rav Yisrael, father of the Rema.
For over a year, construction workers and artisans labored over the restoration of carvings and murals which graced the walls of the shul. Special carvings which encircled the splendid structure were added and now that the work has been completed, the site is again open to visitors.
Aside from the ground level of this ancient shul, now, for the first time since WW II, the second floor has also been opened to house a shteibel. The second floor originally served as the women's gallery but it remained closed to the public and was not used for any purpose whatsoever. This new shteibel, however, will be open twenty-four hours a day, with no entrance fee. It will house a wide selection of seforim for the study use of visitors, who will also enjoy a coffee and tea corner provided for the public at all times.
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