Nizhny Novgorod Synagogue

Nizhny Novgorod Synagogue
Nizhny Novgorod Synagogue
	The synagogue in 2013
Religion
Affiliation	Judaism
Rite	Nusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue (1884–1938); Profane use (1938–1991); Synagogue (since 1991);
Ownership	Jewish community of Nizhny Novgorod
Status	Active
Location
Location	15 Gruzinskaia Street, Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Country	Russia
	Location of the synagogue in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Geographic coordinates	56°19′13″N 43°59′40″E / 56.32032017189471°N 43.99445836053302°E
Architecture
Architect(s)	I. F. Neiman
Type	Synagogue architecture
Style	Eclecticism
Groundbreaking	1881
Completed	1884
Specifications
Dome(s)	One
Materials	Brick
Website
	evreinn.ru
Invalid designation
Official name	Synagogue
Type	Monument
Criteria	Regional significance
Designated	August 31, 1993
Reference no.	521410059340005

The Nizhny Novgorod Synagogue, also known as the Choral Synagogue in Nizhnii Novgorod,^[1] is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 5 Gruzinskaia Street, in Nizhny Novgorod, in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast of Russia. As of April 2018^[update], the Jewish community of Nizhny Novgorod comprised more than 10,000 people.^[3]^[4] The synagogue was completed in 1884 in an eclectic style. The building was designed by architect Ivan Neiman.^[5]

In 1993 the synagogue was listed on the Russian cultural heritage register as a monument of regional significance.^[2]

History

The Jewish population of the city grew rapidly during the 19th and early 20th centuries, rising from 300 people in 1850 to some 3000 people in 1913. The city accepted many Jewish refugees after World War I and Russian Civil War, swelling its number by some 15,000 people.^[3] The synagogue was built in the period from 1881 to 1883. The synagogue was led by a rabbi and a chief rabbi. There they formed a yeshiva and held charitable and funeral services.

Despite the increase of Jewish refugees in Nizhny Novgorod, government policy was aimed at reducing the Jewish population in the Nizhny Novgorod region.^{[citation needed]} The policy of the Soviet regime towards Jews was dual. On the one hand, community institutions were abolished, and atheism was propagated. On the other hand, the government attempted to control accused anti-Semitism and fought against pogroms. For the most part, however, the propagation of atheism had the greater effect on Jewish church organisation, and as a result the synagogue's social role diminished along with the services it provided. By 1938 the synagogue, club and national society had been abolished.^[3]

With glasnost during the late 1980s and the subsequent fall of the Soviet government, the Jewish community of Nizhny Novgorod experienced a renaissance. A Club of Jewish Culture was established in 1989, and a religious community was registered. On 18 May 1991 the synagogue building was returned to the community, and services resumed later the same year.^[3] The synagogue is once again the centre of the city's Jewish community, and is involved in the organisation of a wide range of services, including schools and youth clubs, and social aid programmes such as a soup kitchen and drug and alcohol addiction prevention and support schemes.^[6] The synagogue is currently run by Rabbi Shimon Bergman.^[4]

21st century

In 2024 the installation of architectural and artistic lighting on the facade of the synagogue was completed. The project was developed and implemented by Avigrand LLC.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b "Choral Synagogue in Nizhnii Novgorod". Historic Synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "синагоги" (Searchable database). Сведения из Единого государственного реестра объектов культурного наследия (памятников истории и культуры) народов Российской Федерации (in Russian). Ministry of Culture (Russia). Retrieved September 8, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "History". Nizhny Novgorod Jewish Community. Retrieved April 16, 2018.^{[self-published source?]}
^ ^a ^b "About". Nizhny Novgorod Jewish Community. Retrieved April 16, 2018.^{[self-published source?]}
^ ^a ^b "Архитектурную подсветку смонтировали на нижегородской синагоге". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). September 10, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
^ Jewish Community of Nizhny Novgorod, chabad.org. Retrieved 16 April 2018.