The sad story of the derelict 17th century Great Synagogue in Slonim continues… it is up for auction again after the person who bought it at the end of 2020 could not raise funds to restore it, and it was returned to ownership of the local authorities. An attempt to sell it again this past spring failed.
The online auction will take place on October 12 at 11 a.m. Belarus time, with an asking price of 64 500,00 Belarus rubles (about €24,000) — half of what the asking price was in the spring. It will be held by the state’s Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUTB).
The long-abandoned synagogue was sold at auction on December 29, 2020 to a musician/writer from Minsk named Ilona Karavaeva, who goes by the pen-name Ioanna Reeves.
That was the fourth attempt to sell the building at auction since June 2020, and the starting price had been dropped over the months from 137,000 rubles (then around €45,000) to 27,400 rubles (then around €9,000).
Reeves had been unable to raise funds to restore the building.
Built in 1642 in the Baroque style, the synagogue is the best preserved synagogue in Belarus, despite its precarious condition. Its interior preserves frescoes, a decorated Ark, and a four-pillar bimah, as well as other features.
Purchase of the synagogue comes with strict conditions, among them that if retired cannot be made within five years, wit will be returned to public ownership.
Also, given its historic status, it can only be used as a religious building or for specified other purposes. And:
It is necessary to be guided by the developed scientifically based design solutions permitted and approved in accordance with the legislation on architectural and urban planning activities in the Republic of Belarus, the design of zones for the protection of historical and cultural value, as well as in accordance with the Code of Culture of the Republic of Belarus.
Before Reeves had purchased the building, the onerous conditions attached to the sale — including the strict five-year time frame — had stymied potential buyers, including the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, which has been lobbying for the restoration of the building and working on plans for a restoration project but did not take part in the auctions.
See the lot card for the October 12 synagogue auction
See our January 2021 post about Reeves purchasing the synagogue