The ‘Guernica of Brighton’
As an expression of their commitment to building a lasting Holocaust memorial, the community commissioned the stained-glass window which spans the width of the synagogue sanctuary. This commission was originally offered to Chagall but ill health meant he was unable to fulfil such a large work. At this time, John Petts was gaining an international reputation for his skill and sensitivity to religious themes. He was approached whilst working on the Birmingham, Alabama window, which has since become an iconic symbol of the Civil Rights Movement in America.
John Petts records receiving the commission on the Imperial War Museum’s website,
‘I had this feeling of inadequacy again, at the level of art in relation to violence, and what we do to each other, when I was asked by the building committee and the architect of the Brighton and Hove New Synagogue to produce a set of windows, over 45 feet in width, in the main part of the synagogue and two eleven foot high, aluminium framed doors to the ark, which contained the holy scrolls. I was asked to produce this great area of stained glass, mark you, as the phrase said, in memory of the six million Jews murdered by the nazi regime…It is really the history, in terms of symbols, it is the history of the persecution of the Jewish people since being slaves in Egypt. And all the amazing things that happened to enable them to survive…the rabbi eventually said to me…’We…sent word to you in America…You were in a university in the capital, the city of Texas, and working in the section of the university library there, where they had special records of the treatment of Jews in the German camps. And you immediately started to study these and do some homework on accepting the commission, on the other side of the world…’’
Using Biblical symbolism Petts has laid out a Jewish theodicy with a flood of coloured light. On one hand are symbolic references to Jewish bondage, oppression by the Nazis and liberation and on the other God’s covenant with the Jewish people and His power to deliver them. Central to his design is the burning bush, which represents God’s presence. The movement of natural light animates this monumental art work, empowering its impact on the worshipper, casting its hope for the future over our Jewish history.
Not surprisingly, the window has earned many superlative accolades. It is now commonly referred to as the ‘Guernica of Brighton’. This draws a comparison to Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ as ‘both artworks articulate the personal, emotional and historical dimensions of modern warfare.’ Sir Simon Schama has called it a ‘synagogue masterpiece’. Alison Smith, Chief Curator of the Wallace Collection, calls it, ‘One of the greatest works of twentieth century religious art.’ The historian, Tom Holland, says that the ‘windows are a work of post-war religious art on the level with that of Coventry Cathedral.’ The Twentieth Century Society observe that, ‘There is no comparable Holocaust memorial of this scale or quality in the UK.’
No better investment could adequately sum up the founders’ hope that the living might perceive something of the glory of God through this beautiful memorial.