הנחת אבן הפינה לבית הכנסת באייזנשטאט תקצ"ב

Shmuel Spitzer's son Asher Lemmel
Asher Lemmel was Dally's great grandfather
דוד שטראה בן דוב בן חנה בת אשר לעמיל בן שמואל הלוי שפיצער

R’ Shmuel HaLevy Spitzer (1778 – 1844) who owned a large leather tannery in Eisenstadt, was the Grandfather of Hanah Stroh nee Spitzer (Dally’s grandmother). Being a descendent of one of the founding families of the renewed[1] קהלה in Eisenstadt, R’ Shmuel was very active in the community. He was a member in many of the חברה'ס and a גבאי צדקה. For a number of years he served as ראש הקהל. In that capacity he corresponded with the חתם סופר, who referred to him as a ירא ה' מרבים.
 

The Shul in Eisenstadt in the early 1900's
The Shul was built in 1832 under the leadership of
HaKatzin R' Shmuel Spitzer
It was destroyed in 1938 during Krystalnacht

During his tenure as ראש הקהל in 1832, a large new בית הכנסת was erected to replace the older Shul which was no longer able to serve the needs of the growing community. The הנחת אבן הפינה was celebrated with much fanfare with the participation of many dignitaries including the Prince Nicolaus and his son Prince Paul of the noble Esterhazy family, the landowners of Eisenstadt and the other שבע קהלות. A special pamphlet was printed for the occasion detailing the proceedings. Following is a synopsis and some excerpts from the 11 page pamphlet.

For a number of decades the necessity for a new modern synagogue in our community has been evident … The ראש הקהל made many attempts to galvanize the community members to act; but by now the need has become obvious and it has become the topic of conversation amongst one and all.

The pamphlet then goes on to describe how the ראש הקהל obtained permission from his Royal Highness Prince Nicolas Esterhazy. They hired the services of the court architect (Karl Moreau) who agreed to complete the building according to his own plans. The קהלה invited Prince Paul Esterhazy to lay the corner stone in the presence of his father, our most gracious protector, Prince Nicolaus Esterhazy. 
 

The Shul circa 1910
The towers of the Esterhazy castle can be seen
in the background (straight passed the end of the street)
The Stroh's lived in the house directly opposite the Shul
(the house with the bay windows)

July 26 of this year [1832] a delegation traveled to Vienna to convey an invitation in writing and in person to obtain the grace of his Excellency’s participation.  His Excellency gracefully accepted our invitation which filled our hearts with immense delight… 

On the morning of August 6, the street where the construction site was located was spotlessly clean and neat. The two sides of the street were cleverly lined with trees; the gate which leads from the castle to the street was decorated with a beautiful arch of plants and flowers. A tent was set at the construction site elaborately ornamented with plants and flowers; inside it was bedecked with beautiful rugs.  ברוך הבא בשם ה' was written over the entrance in large lettering; and beneath that in German “Willkomen in Nahmen des Ewigen (Welcome in the Name of the Eternal).”

Inside the tent, a satin armchair in front of a desk was prepared for his Highness. Upon the desk two parchment documents which were to be placed in the cornerstone were lying. In addition to the festively clothed citizens, twenty four young lads and twenty four young girls stood on the two sides of the lane with baskets of flowers to be strewn before his highness…
 

The Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt
from where Prince Nicalous Esterhazy left to the הנחת אבן הפנה

At midday, twelve shots were fired from cannons that were set up in the nearby vineyards to signal that his Highness Prince Nicalous, had departed the castle. 
   

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Route from the Palace to the Judengasse

At the lower gate his Highness was humbly greeted by the “Gemiende Vorstand” (ראשי הקהלה) … With constant cheering of “viva” (long live), and firing cannons fused with the noise of lively music, the Prince was escorted to the tent. 
 

The תפילה recited by the Rav
in honor of the Esterhazy Family 

After Prince Paul laid the cornerstone with a special silver trowel, the Rav, הרה"ג ר' יצחק משה פערלס זצ"ל holding a ספר תורה and flanked by the Dayanim recited a תפילה for the Prince and his family. Afterwards, some of the children read special poems prepared for the occasion.

The interior of the Eisenstadt Shul

The building of the Shul proceeded at a rapid pace and by the following spring the building was nearly complete. The ראש הקהל and the בעלי בתים wished to finish construction as soon as possible.  A שאלה was sent by R’ Shmuel Spitzer as ראש הקהל to the חתם סופר whether it was permissible to have the גוים work on the building during שבת and פסח. The תשובה of the חתם סופר is printed in שאלות ותשובות חת"ס חלק ו' תשובה מ"ג. 

We will בעזהי"ת post a synopses of the תשובה in the future.

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[1] The קהלה in Eisenstadt was destroyed about the time of the expulsion of the Jews from Vienna in 1670. Some years later a few בעלי בתים renewed the community. Prominent among them was R’ Avrohom HaLevi Spitz, R’ Shmuel’s great grandfather.