Architectural study deals with the design of a new synagogue in Frýdku-Místku, located on the site of the original synagogue from 19th centruy, which was burnt by fanaticized Germans in 1939 and then demolished. Nowadays, it is an undeveloped area without any historical significant. There are other functions beside the building of synagogue – mikveh (ritual bath) and its access tunnel, the jewish community administration and kosher restaurant with two shops. The design concept works with the symbolish of the Star of David, triangles‘ intersection. The synagogue depicts the Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments were received.

The subject of the diploma thesis is to design a new synagogue and Jewish community center in Brno. The construction program consists of a synagogue, office building of theJewish comunity center, the Museum of Jewish Culture and a kosher restaurant and housing of permanent and temporary nature. Generally, the thesis deals with parking solutions in the form of a public three-storey underground garage.

The diploma thesis was developed as an architectural study. The subject of the proposal is a new synagogue for Jewish community of Brno, which is designed in the plot where the original The Great Synagogue was located. The object of the synagogue is supplemented by a museum and a community centre and all buildings together create a comprehensive complex of buildings. A new urban public space is created among these objects. By this is the Jewish centre integrated into the structure of the city. The base of architectural and constructional design is simplicity and functionality, but the proposal also respects Jewish traditions and typology.

This thesis was prepared as an architectural study. The subject proposal is solved newly built synagogue for the Jewish Community of Brno. The plot is on the site of the Great Synagogue, which was burned by the Nazis in 1939. Synagogue building a new building is completed administration of the Jewish community, museums and kosher restaurant. Together form a single unit construction that combines residential garden - a private space. Public space is in front of the museum building, allowing connection of urban green space with stray and outdoor areas. By separating the public and private zones is achieved the desired closed environment for the Jewish community.

The subject of this diploma thesis is the architectural design of the New synagogue in Brno. The aim of this study is to create the closed a closed complex of buildings, which will be used by the Jewish religious communities and their members. Therefore, a building program is designed individually, according to the preferences and needs of the target group. The new building is located in Brno-Trnitá. At present, a new Jewish community center with a new synagogue in his heart is under development. The center is intended for all age groups. Besides the New synagogue, the area will contain a museum, kosher restaurants and administrative center. The administrative building of the Jewish community center is composed of a multi-purpose hall, a Jewis library, offices and a mikveh. Design of adjacent buildings and planned housing development is part of the presented urban design.

The aim of the thesis was to create an architectural study of the new synagogue in Opava. Similarly to many other towns and cities, the former synagogue was burned during Kristallnacht, the ruins were completely demolished and taken away. Nowadays there are no buildings on the site, except the former Rabbi’s house. Basic idea was in preserving the park character of the site by insertion of a non-arrogant low cuboid volume in the neighbourhood of apartment buildings from the first half of the 20th century. Designed form benefits from the character of the site while humbly avoiding construction on the actual place where the burnt synagogue stood. This creates an elegant, low object, whose two dominant ceiling slabs are filled with glass in between so it preserves a part of the park’s existing transparency and let the interior freely connect with exterior, also thanks to large sliding windows. In the center of the block is situated three sides closed atrium, which surrounds the new synagogue, into whose interior delicate scattered sunlight penetrates through the translucent onyx stone walls.

The diploma project handles the design of the synagogue and buildings of the Jewish community in Opava. The project is formed as an architectural study. Apart from the synagogue, the design also includes a mixed-use building under the administration of the Jewish community. This building combines several departments – a kosher restaurant, which is adapted to prepare meals according to Jewish eating habits, workshop rooms, administration of the Jewish community and community library. These departments are supplemented by temporary accommodation and starter flats for students and by two commercial units. The entire complex is complemented by underground parking and the necessary technical facilities. There was an original synagogue in the area, which was burned down by the Nazis and the only remnant here is the building of the former rabbinic house, now serving as the seat of the Christian Association. The basis of the concept is the legible urbanism of the design, which connects the polyfunctional building to the block type design of the surrounding buildings, allowing the synagogue itself to stand out as a solitary object. Its orientation creates a public space with the entrances to the synagogue and the outside seating of kosher restaurant. An architectural language of simple lines was chosen for both objects. The contrast and emphasis on the importance of the synagogue over the other object is achieved by the used materials. The monolithic reinforced concrete skeleton was chosen as the construction principle, the layout is different according to the departments of the individual parts of the design.

The architectural study deals with the creation of a new synagogue in Jihlava, in the place of the original burned Jihlava synagogue from 1931 by German Nazis. The proposal works with the idea of restoring burned foundations, the walling wall and the incorporation of adjacent fortifications. One of the main ideas of the proposal is to work with contrast - closeness x openness. The principles of the project are based on the history of Jewish culture, its symbolism and the simplicity of urban and dispositional solutions. The proposal also deals with spaces for the Jewish community, kosher restaurant and mikveh. The Jewish Community Building provides administrative, teaching, community and museum space. At the same time, the project aims to create new links to the original design of the G.M Park and the public space where it would gain information on Judaism, the way of life of the Jewish community and their history.

The project examines, in an experimental way, how differences in massing, aperture, and sectioning are affecting the natural resonant frequency of an architectural space. An investigation of boxes with these different qualities resulted in more than 200 minutes of sound material. By creating visual representations of the sounds, a catalogue and scheme for amassment of the boxes, could be organized. With the knowledge of how resonant frequency in prehistoric megalithic structures could have been used to support ritual chanting and the parallel to historic and contemporary religious buildings, a chapel was designed. Each room of the chapel has its own reign of resonant frequencies, with the third node being generated from my own voice and a monologue. Since the sound is a big part of the project, the main representation of the project is a series of soundscapes of each room of the chapel. This illustrates that architecture should not always only be looked at, but also listened to.

<p>In this study I situate socio-historically the adoption of the term <em>ekklēsia</em> as a permanent collective identity by early Christ-followers, particularly Pauline ones. I contribute to at least four areas of <em>ekklēsia</em> research. First, my examination of almost 1900 inscriptional occurrences of the word <em>ekklēsia</em> indicates a lack of evidence for a non-civic association self-identifying collectively as an <em>ekklēsia</em>. Second, I develop the preliminary observation by Runesson, Binder, and Olsson (2008) that <em>ekklēsia</em> can refer either to a gathering of Jews or to the self-designation of a Jewish community, i.e., that <em>ekklēsia</em> is one among several terms that can be translated into English as “synagogue.” This problematizes, from an institutional perspective, suggestions common in scholarship that Paul was “parting ways” with Judaism(s), ‘Jewishness,’ or Jewish organizational forms. Third, given both that non-Jewish Christ-followers could not be designated using the ethno-religious term “Israel” and that <em>ekklēsia</em> is a Jewish synagogue term, Paul’s designation of his multi-ethnic communities as <em>ekklēsiai</em> allowed gentiles qua gentiles to share with Torah observant Jews qua Jews in God’s salvation history with Israel. <em>Ekklēsia</em>, thus, does not indicate an inherently supersessionist identity for communities designated by this term. Fourth, Paul’s adoption of a political identity (civic <em>ekklēsia</em>) for his communities need not imply his promotion of counter-imperial civic ideology. Greek literary (e.g., Plutarch) and inscriptional evidence suggests that if an Imperial period non-civic group (e.g., voluntary association) self-designated as an <em>ekklēsia</em>, it could have been perceived as a positive, rather than as an anti-Roman, participant in society.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)