Left Image: The Chai Adam (Burlington, Vermont) mural, shown above the Torah Ark in this 1910 photograph, was painted by Lithuanian artist Ben Zion Black in the vibrant and colorful folk-art style present in hundreds of Eastern European synagogue interiors in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Right Image: Today, the “Lost Mural” has been recognized as one of only a handful of remaining examples of this once joyful art form, described by experts as a “Holocaust Survivor” and “accidental survivor of an otherwise vanished past.”
mission statement
The Lost Mural Project preserves and interprets a rare and important example of early 20th century Jewish Art (“The Lost Mural”) painted by an immigrant for a Vermont immigrant community, and uses this singular and powerful artifact to explore the contributions of indigenous and immigrant communities which have created Vermont’s broad cultural heritage.
Interested in seeing the Lost Mural?
A private tour of the Lost Mural is available by appointment only. Click here to set up a time to visit.
Seeking Volunteers
The Lost Mural Project is seeking volunteers to serve as docents during public tours. If you are interested in being trained as a Lost Mural tour guide, with materials provided by the Lost Mural Project, click here.
Media Inquiries
High-resolution photos of the Lost Mural (before, during, and after restoration) are available upon request. Lectures and Zoom recordings may not be reproduced, reprinted, or used for any purpose without express approval of the Lost Mural Project. Please email Aaron Goldberg agoldbergvt@gmail.com to request permission and for media inquiries.
The purpose of the Corporation is the restoration, preservation and interpretation of the Lost Shul Mural, also known as the Lost Mural. The Corporation is an approved charitable and secular not-for-profit entity under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as amended formed for the following purposes:
To plan for and aid in the restoration, preservation and interpretation of the Lost Shul Mural, located at 188 North Prospect St., Burlington, VT;
To complete an educational initiative to discuss the legacy of the mural as a unique “survivor” of a Jewish art style once pervasive across rural Eastern European shtetls;
To explain the stabilization, conservation and preservation process of the Lost Shul Mural;
To tell the story of the artist and the local synagogue where the mural was painted;
To interpret the American immigrant communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries;
To illustrate the history as a powerful reminder of Burlington, Vermont’s “Little Jerusalem”;
To develop materials about the larger contributions of immigrant groups in the 19th and 20thcentury development of Burlington;
To share educational materials as the Board of the corporation determines is appropriate.