(JHE) — Mazel tov! The roofless, ruined Great Synagogue in Raşcov (Rashkov) will be one of the 10 heritage sites on both sides of the Dniester River to receive EU funding for preservation and restoration.
The EU Confidence Building Measure program (EU CBM) announced Wednesday (September 30) that the synagogue was one of five heritage sites on the left bank of the Dniester to be chosen, following a months-long process that entailed an online popular vote and an evaluation by experts. The competition was organized by the EU CBM and implemented by UNDP.
The maximum amount of funding for each chosen project will be €40,000.
As we reported, the synagogue received the most votes among 16 heritage sites on both sides of the Dniester that had vied for the funding in a final stage of selection.
Only 10 of the 16 possible sites, five on each side of the river, were chosen. The 16 sites had already been whittled down from 248 applications submitted by local administrations, civil society groups, NGOs, and private citizens following a call for proposals issued in January.
The EU CBM announcement said around 37,000 votes all told were tallied for all 16 eligible sites — the synagogue received 9079 votes, putting it well ahead of the number 2 site, the tomb of the Macri family, which got 8266 votes. Both got thousands more votes than any other site.
The decision on which sites to receive funding was based 50 percent on the votes, and 50 percent on an evaluation by experts.
We were happy to have spread the word about the vote — and thanks to our readers for voting and sharing, too!
Few details have been released yet about how the funding and preservation will be implemented. It is not clear what can be accomplished with €40,000, but we hope at least that the building can be conserved and protected from further damage.
The announcement simply states:
As the next step, the EU CBM team will sign Memorandums of Understanding with the institutions that take care of each objective.
Further, conservation/restauration [sic] designs will be developed, and actual conservation/restauration [sic] works, strictly in line with international and local cultural heritage regulations, will be conducted.
Each phase of the project will be announced, while companies which will conduct design and restauration [sic] works will be selected through public tenders, according to UNDP procurement procedures.
Now a roofless shell, the Great Synagogue was built in Eastern European Baroque style probably in the mid-18th century, according to the Center for Jewish Art. It is one of the most striking and impressive synagogue ruins in eastern Europe.
Situated on the left bank of the Dniester River, the town of Raşcov is currently part of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Republic (Transnistria), which split from Moldova in 1990–92. However, historically Raşcov belonged to Podolia (now a part of Ukraine) and its Jewry was integral part of Podolian one.
The full list of grantees is:
On the right bank:
- Macri family tomb in Dubasarii Vechi village
- Water tower in Soldanesti
- Museum in Dorotcaia
- Windmill in Gaidar village
- Digitalization of animation films produced by Moldova-Film studio
On the left bank:
- Synagogue in Rascov village
- Arts school auditorium in Bender
- Wind tower in Stroiesti (Stroenti) village
- Church on Rascov village
- Watermill in Beloci village
Read the full announcement from the EU CBM
See a documentation of the synagogue by the Center for Jewish Art
Read our July 15 article about the competition
Read our August 6 article about the results of the vote