Great Synagogue (Brody)

Former synagogue in Brody, Ukraine

"Brody synagogue" redirects here. For other uses, see Brodsky Synagogue.

For similarly named synagogues, see Great Synagogue.

Great Synagogue of Brody

The former Great Synagogue, in 1900

Religion
Affiliation| Orthodox Judaism (former)
Rite| Nusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational status| Synagogue (1742–1943)
Status| Abandoned
Location
Location| Kuznetsova Street, Brody, Lviv Oblast 80600
Country| Ukraine

Location of the former synagogue in Ukraine

Geographic coordinates| 50°04′57″N 25°08′28″E﻿ / ﻿50.08250°N 25.14111°E﻿ / 50.08250; 25.14111
Architecture
Type| Synagogue architecture
Style| Renaissance Revival
Funded by| Jacob Yitskovych
Completed|

* 1742;
* 1902 (repair following fire)

Materials| Stone
[1]

The Great Synagogue of Brody, also known as the Old Fortress Synagogue, is a former Orthodox Jewish synagogue, located in Brody, in the Lviv Oblast of Ukraine. The congregation worshipped in the Ashkenazi rite. Constructed in the mid-18th century in the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the building was significantly damaged by the Nazis in 1943,[2] and has since fallen into disrepair.[3][4][5]

## History

[edit]

Main article: History of the Jews in Brody

On the site of the Great Synagogue was originally a wooden synagogue, which was destroyed in a fire in 1696. In its place the large stone fortress synagogue was built, starting in 1742. It was damaged in a fire which destroyed most of Brody in 1859. Repairs began at the beginning of the next century, and in 1935 it was registered as a cultural monument and renovated.[6]

The Great Synagogue held a large collection of Jewish ceremonial art,[7] and its interior was richly decorated.[8] The former synagogue building is listed as a monument of Architectural Heritage of National Importance of Ukraine.

The former synagogue was partially restored in the 1960s; and it served as a warehouse, during the Soviet era. Further restorations began in 1991, to adaptat the building into an art gallery. However, the cost became prohibitive. The northern and southern extensions of the building have been lost. In 1988 the western wall collapsed, and since 2006 the vault also began to collapse.[1] In 2021, the roof began to collapse;[4] and there was criticism that funds from a 2019 concert, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the birth of Brody writer, Joseph Roth, that included a performance of Symphony No. 3 "Kaddish" by Leonard Bernstein, had not been applied to benefit the restoration of the former synagogue.[9]

## Gallery

[edit]

* The former synagogue in 2012

* The former synagogue in 2021

## See also

[edit]

* Judaism portal
* Ukraine portal

* History of the Jews in Brody
* History of the Jews in Ukraine
* List of synagogues in Ukraine

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Great Synagogue". Brody History: Historical heritage: Architectural Monuments. 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
2. ^ Polonsky, Antony (2008). "Brody". In Hundert, Gershon (ed.). YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. New Haven: Yale University Press.
3. ^ "Great Synagogue of Brody". Center for Urban History. n.d. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
4. ^ a b Liphshiz, Cnaan (6 March 2021). "Roof collapses on run-down 18th-century former great synagogue in Brody, Ukraine". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
5. ^ "Ukraine: Can the ruined Great Synagogue of Brody be saved? Activists seek to form working group to chart & implement strategy". Jewish Heritage Europe. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
6. ^ Piechotka, Maria; Piechotka, Kazimierz (2017). Heaven's Gates.: Masonry synagogues in the territories of the former Polish–Lithuania Commonwealth. Warsaw: Polish Institute of World Art Studies & POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. p. 479 ff. ISBN 978-83-942344-3-0.
7. ^ Davidowitz, David (1943). "The Synagogue in Brody". In Klausner, Yocheved (ed.). The Synagogues in Poland and Their Destruction. Translated by Kutten, Moshe. Jerusalem: Mosad HaRav Kook and Yad VaShem – via JewishGen.
8. ^ Kuzmany, Börries (2017). Brody: A Galician Border City in the Long Nineteenth Century. Studia Judaeoslavica. Vol. 10\. Leiden: Brill. p. 327\. doi:10.1163/9789004334847. ISBN 978-90-04-33484-7.
9. ^ "Ukraine: Can the ruined Great Synagogue of Brody be saved? Activists seek to form working group to chart & implement strategy". Jewish Heritage Europe. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Davidowitz, David (1943). "The Synagogue in Brody". In Klausner, Yocheved (ed.). The Synagogues in Poland and Their Destruction. Translated by Moshe Kutten. Jerusalem, Israel: Mosad HaRav Kook and Yad VaShem. p. 61 – via Jewish Generation.

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