Vilnius Kenesa

Karaite synagogue in Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius Kenesa

Lithuanian: Vilniaus kenesa

The façade of the kenesa, in 2007

Religion
Affiliation| Judaism
Rite| Karaite Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status|

* Kenesa (1923–1941)
* Profane use (1949–1988)
* Kenesa (since 1993)

Year consecrated| 1923
Status| Active
Location
Location| 6 Liubarto Street, Vilnius, Žvėrynas, Vilnius County
Country| Lithuania

Location of the kenesa in Vilnius

Geographic coordinates| 54°41′19″N 25°15′20″E﻿ / ﻿54.68861°N 25.25556°E﻿ / 54.68861; 25.25556
Architecture
Architect(s)| Mikhail Prozorov
Type| Synagogue architecture
Style|

* Historicist
* Moorish Revival

Groundbreaking| 1908
Completed| 1923
Specifications
Dome(s)| One
Materials| Brick
[1]

The Vilnius Kenesa (Lithuanian: Vilniaus kenesa) is a Qaraite Jewish congregation and synagogue, or kenesa, located at 6 Liubarto Street, in Žvėrynas, one of the neighborhoods of Vilnius, in the Vilnius County of Lithuania.

## History

[edit]

Designed by Mikhail Prozorov in the Historicist and Moorish Revival styles, the synagogue was completed in 1923.[2][3][4][5][6] Its windows have a Moorish Revival–style decor on the exterior.[2]

In 1949 the Kenesa was nationalized and a club, an archive and flats were established in it.[2][3] On 23 September 1988 the Kenesa was returned to the Karaites community.[2][6] In 1989–1993 the Kenesa was reconstructed and original interior plan with its decor elements were restored.[2][6]

## Gallery

[edit]

* Interior of the Kenesa in 1927

* Interior plan of the Kenesa, 1912

* Side-view plan of the Kenesa, 1911

* Lithuanian Post stamp with the Kenesa, released in 2014

## See also

[edit]

* Judaism portal
* Lithuania portal

* History of the Jews in Lithuania
* Lithuanian Jews

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Karaite Kenessa in Vilnius". Historic Synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
2. ^ a b c d e "Vilniaus kenesa". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved April 8, 2023.
3. ^ a b "Kenesa". Karaim.eu (in Lithuanian). Retrieved April 8, 2023.
4. ^ Čekytė, Monika. "Vilniaus kenesa". PamatykLietuvoje.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved April 8, 2023.
5. ^ "Vilniaus kenesa". Kvr.kpd.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved April 8, 2023.
6. ^ a b c "Vilniaus kenesa". Panoramas.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved April 8, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Karaite synagogue in Vilnius at Wikimedia Commons

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Jews and Judaism in Lithuania

Topics|

* The Holocaust
* Vilna Ghetto
* Kaunas Ghetto
* Paneriai massacre
* Jewish partisans
* History
* Timeline
* Khmelnytsky Uprising
* Vilna Gaon

Groups|

| Denominations|

* Karaite
* Orthodoxy
* Ashkenazi
* Hasidism
* Breslov
* Chabad-Lubavitch
* Chernobyl
* Komarno
* Koson
* Ruzhin
* Seret
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Synagogues|

| Current|

* Kaunas Synagogue
* Choral Synagogue (Vilnius)
* Vilnius Kenesa

|

Former|

| Still standing|

* Alanta
* Čekiškė
* Beit Medrash Hagadol (Jonava)
* Merchants (Jonava)
* Red (Joniškis)
* White (Joniškis)
* Trakai Kenesa
* Zamelis (Vilnius)

|

Destroyed / demolished|

* Red Synagogue of Jonava
* Great Synagogue of Vilna

Yeshivas|

* Kelm Talmud Torah
* Knesses Beis Yitzchak
* Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka)
* Ponevezh
* Rameiles
* Telshe
* Tomchei Tmimim

* List of Lithuanian Jews
* Wooden synagogues in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
* List

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