Belarus: ruins of Bobruisk synagogue returned for Jewish use

The ruins of a synagogue in Bobruisk, Belarus have been authorized for use by the Jewish community, and plans are under way to create an open air Jewish museum and cultural facility in the area.

Chabad reports on the crownheights.info web site that the city government has granted the local Jewish community the rights to the ruins and the plot of land where they stand:

Even though the land itself will remain a property of the city, the Jewish community will now be able to use the area to create a unique interactive Jewish heritage space, an important step in preserving the city’s rich Jewish history and developing its current activities.

“We are very excited for this. We hope to create a sort of an open museum in the city center, that will give us an opportunity to easily interact with the city residents and tourists, Jewish and non-Jewish alike,” said Shaul Hababo, Bobruisk chief rabbi and Chabad emissary.

According to the Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus, the synagogue was built at the beginning of the 20th century. The Center says it was closed by the Soviet regime in 1932 and was used as a mill. It was left a ruin, with only parts of the walls standing, after a fire in 1969.

The Center for Jewish Art  — which has posted a series of pictures of the ruins, located at 31 Chongarskaya St. — carried out a full documentation of the building in the early 2000s, which provides a slightly different history. The full documentation can be read HERE.

Concept drawings posted on the web site of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the former Soviet Union show that the surviving walls would be restored to serve as an anchor enclosing part of the new exhibition and event space, which also would include several pavilions.

See Crown Heights article with full series of artist’s rendition of plans

See announcement — and pictures — on the Federation of Jewish Communities web site

See Center for Jewish Art pages on the synagogue