Biographical/Historical Information

Completed in 1270 in gothic style, the Old New Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in Europe. It is also linked to a number of legends, including those related to the Temple of Jerusalem and the Golem. During Nazi occupation, the house of prayer was left untouched, as the Nazis planned to remodel and turn it into a museum.

Struck was a master of etching and book illustration. He taught the art of printmaking to Marc Chagall, Max Liebermann and Arno Nadel, and his monograph on the art of etching is a classic in the field. Struck was both, an Orthodox Jew and a Zionist, however, his outlook on the world was decidedly cosmopolitan. This is also evident in his countless portraits, including Nietzsche, Freud, and many others, and impressions from his wide travels. While servicing in the German Army during WW I, he came into contact with the Jewish communities in Galicia and Lithuania. During this time, he created a series of sketches in Eastern Europe, which he later turned into a book together with Arnold Zweig, titled "The Face of East European Jewry". In 1923 he emigrated to Palestine, where he taught at the Bezalel School in Jerusalem.

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Citation

Struck, Hermann: Prague, Old New Synagogue, Leo Baeck Institute, 78.174.