The famous synagogue and rabbi’s residence in Sadhora (Sadagora) Ukraine, near Chernivtsi, has been rededicated after more than three years of reconstruction and renovation work.
The huge, Moorish-style synagogue, with turrets, towers and big arched windows, was where one of the most flamboyant Hasidic dynasties held court in the 19th century. It was built by Rabbi Abraham Jacob Friedmann, who succeeded his father Rebbe Israel Friedman, the founder of the dynasty, and continued the opulent court. For decades under the Soviets it housed a machine shop for collective farms, and later stood derelict.
Hundreds of Hassidim came to Sadhora for the rededication ceremony last week.
Here’s a video of the dedication from local Ukrainian TV:
As we reported earlier this year, the tomb of the Tzaddikim in the nearby, long-neglected Jewish cemetery, already a pilgrimage site, is also being restored — pictures in the local media show work going on.
See article about the rededication in the local media (in Ukrainian)