A Russian drone attack this week damaged a synagogue building in Odesa that already was a partial ruin.
According to a post on X (Twitter) by Rabbi Moshe Azman, a chief rabbi of Ukraine, the Nahalat Eliezer Synagogue in Odesa, built in 1898, was hit during a drone attack on the night of August 3-4. He quoted the Chief Rabbi of Odesa, Avraham Wolff, who had “confirmed that the synagogue was indeed damaged as a result of the strike.”
Much of the synagogue was already in ruins, following the collapse of its sanctuary more than 30 years ago, which left only part of the building standing — the Historic Synagogues of Europe web site already listed the synagogue’s condition as “very bad.”
Posted pictures appear to show that the standing part of the building suffered fire damage during the attack.
A post by the umbrella United Jewish Community of Ukraine on Telegram stated that “The building caught fire after a drone strike, adding to its already dilapidated condition.”
“Built in the late 19th century,” it said, “this synagogue served the Jewish community until it was closed in the 1920s under Soviet rule. In 1992, the prayer hall with 25-meter ceilings collapsed, leaving only the bakery and utility rooms. Today, the remains of the Aron ha-Kodesh and religious objects lie amidst overgrown ruins.”