Contrast Is Not Always Where You Expect It (Weekly photo challenge part 2)

The challenge of photographic contrast is interesting because there are so many places a person can look for contrast. My first reaction was to look for contrast between light and dark and then colors, which I did here, but I also found contrast in the picture below of an old Minneapolis synagogue.

Minneapolis’ north side was home to the city’s Jewish population from around the mid-1800’s until the mid to late 1960’s. White flight saw the area’s residents leave the city for the newly developed suburbs and their newer and larger homes. While the people left and the neighborhood changed, the buildings remained behind. The building in my picture is Mikro Kodesh synagogue which was built in 1926 and closed in about 1969 with the departure of the area’s Jewish population. The synagogue was eventually converted to a church (sorry, but I don’t know the year or the name of the church) and the picture below shows how the building looks today. Or how it looked last Sunday, but I don’t think much has changed in the last few days.

The contrast in the picture for me is the representation of the two religions still evident on the surfaces of the building. You can see across the top of the arch the words, “Jesus is Lord” and there are crosses on top of the two domes on the right and left of the building. But also in view is the name, “Mikro Kodesh”, along with a number of Stars of David mounted on top of the building below the crosses, as well as etched into the front of the building above the doors. Also visible, and what I think is most unique about the façade, is a sculpture of the Lions of Judah guarding the Ten Commandments directly below the “Jesus is Lord” verbiage with the Hebrew spelling of the synagogue’s name.

This has nothing to do with contrast, but architecturally I think the building’s façade is interesting. If you look just at the section making up the three maroon doors, the name, and the Lions of Judah, it almost seems to resemble another building to me and I wonder if it’s not a representation of smaller synagogue that was left back in Russia.

Two contrasting religions sharing space on a building with no apparent problems besides some weather damage. Would that the world could survive together as well, huh?

There is one sad note to share about the picture. If you look at the maroon door at street level in the lower right-hand corner you’ll see a small square that looks like it might have been a cornerstone at one time. Zoom in on that section if you can and you’ll see the faded remains of a swastika that someone had spray painted there and that was subsequently, although unfortunately not quite, whitewashed out.

Mikro Kodesh Synagogue, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Back to contrasts between light and dark and colors and one last picture for the prompt. Prizes to anyone who can guess what this is!

What the heck is this?!

Any guesses? Big prizes await! Need a hint? How about… unleavened dough?Or who cut the cheese?Or ‘human hinge’?  Thanks for reading!