The Lost Mural Project, VT: 2022 Preservation Award

This is a story of survival.

In 1910, the Chai Adam congregation in Burlington’s “Little Jerusalem” neighborhood commissioned Lithuanian immigrant artist and sign painter Ben Zion Black to paint a mural in its Old North End synagogue. The mural was to be in the prevalent style of wooden synagogues of Eastern Europe. In 1986, when the building’s use changed, the mural was hidden behind a false wall. In 2010, when the property was sold again, archivist for the Ohavi Zedek Synagogue Aaron Goldberg saw an opportunity to rescue the mural and make it visible for all.

Thus began a multi-year effort to save this “rare survivor” of a once prolific style of synagogue painting.

The effort included not only raising funds, but also stabilizing, securing and lifting the mural from its original location and embarking on a one-mile journey to its new location in the lobby of the Ohavi Zedek Synagogue.

Moving the mural, it turns out, was just the beginning. Coordinating Conservator Rick Kerschner discovered that hardening varnish was endangering the mural. The group needed to act quickly. Despite the pandemic, funds were raised, scaffolding erected, and conservators began to painstakingly remove multiple layers of dirt and aged varnish from the mural’s 155-square foot surface.

Newly revealed vibrant colors — brilliant yellows, rich purples, royal blues and gold details — together with shadowing and trompe l-oeil effects — foster a full three-dimensional experience of being invited into the tent of the tabernacle. Experts agree the mural is one of the largest remaining examples of Lithuanian Folk Art in the world (most of it was destroyed by the Nazis). It is also one of the finest pieces of folk art in the State of Vermont. Yet the organizers behind the project see its relocation and restoration as an opportunity to tell a much bigger story: the story of the American immigrant experience.  It is an opportunity to learn about Vermont’s Jewish history, and to understand why our communities are the way they are. It is also an opportunity to understand our sense of belonging, and to have a conversation about what it means to be a survivor, an immigrant, a Vermonter and a welcoming community.

Preservation Award to the Friends of the Lost Mural