Good news form Poland — the synagogue in Wielkie Oczy, in southeast Poland on the Ukrainian border, which had languished derelict for years in a steadily deteriorating condition — will reopen June 16 after a restoration funded by the town, with support from the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland. The building will serve as the local public library.
Celebrations marking the event will include the unveiling of a memorial plaque to the destroyed Jewish community, and a concert.
The synagogue, with distinctive arched windows, was originally built in 1910 and then rebuilt in 1927 after suffering serious damage during World War I. It was used as a warehouse after World War II.
Video explaining the restoration process:
A video from 2003 shows the condition of the building before the renovation:
The KehilaLinks page for Wielkie Oczy, with information on the pre-WW2 Jewish community
Wielkie Oczy Foundation web site
The weekend of June 15-16 also will see the opening events for the new Jewish museum located in the restored synagogue building in Chmielnik, a town of 4,000 people north of Krakow.
1 comment on “Restored synagogue in Wielkie Oczy, Poland to open”
The U.S. based Wielki Oczy Foundation played a role in making the restoration of the synagogue building as the library for the town of Wielki Oczy come to fruition. Here is the back story and video that explain and show the restoration in progress and how it all came about:
1. https://sites.google.com/site/wielkieoczyfoundationinc/home/newsletter—fall-2009
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeMenR2M-Ls&feature=youtube_gdata_player