The restoration of the grand, largely demolished Choral Synagogue in Samara, on the Volga River in Russia, has suffered delays but should be completed by the end of 2026.
As we posted earlier, a symbolic cornerstone for the restoration, carried out under the auspices of Chabad, was laid in September, 2021, and the work was to have been completed in 2023, in time to mark the 120th anniversary of the start of the synagogue’s original construction in 1903.
However, according to a report by Chabad, “Due to complex bureaucracy, engineering challenges, and the painstaking work of restoring original details, the process faced significant delays.”
It is now expected to be completed “in about two years.”
In addition to the reconstruction of the building, the project entails new wings and halls to serve the local Jewish community. On November 18, Russia’s chief rabbi Berel Lazar toured the synagogue along with Michael Lesinski, one of the key funders of the restoration, and a group of local officials.
A monumental neo-Moorish style building red and white striped brick walls and a tall front tower with a large rose window, the synagogue was built in 1903–1908 and designed by the Jewish architect Zelman Kleinerman, a graduate of St. Petersburg School for Civil Engineers.
Only the towering front section has survived more or less intact over the decades.
The Soviets authorities closed the synagogue in the 1920s. It was used for many years as a bakery and returned to Jewish ownership in the 1990s.