The city of Chortkiv in western Ukraine has won a grant to begin restoration of what its web site called the city’s “historical pearl” — the Hasidic synagogue, or Kloyz of the Tzaddik Rabbi David Moshe Friedmann.
An announcement on the city’s web site said that after two years of negotiations, the Switzerland-based Aliph Foundation, which supports heritage preservation in areas of conflict, had allocated $100,000 to carry out initial work, mainly replacing the roof.
Detailed inspection had confirmed the roof’s precarious condition, it said. “The critical condition of the roof leads to waterlogging of the walls, which causes the gradual destruction of the building as a whole,” it said.
The Kloyz was built in the late 19th or possibly early 20th century, clearly inspired by the Kloyz in Sadgora, the residence of Rabbi David Moshe’s father, Rabbi Israel of Ruzhin, and his elder brother, R. Avraham Yaakov. According to the Center for Jewish Art it was designed by the engineer and architect Jan Marcin Cieślikowski.
After the Second World War the building was used by an engineering-building military unit. Part of the roof constructions were removed for use as building material, which caused the beginning of the ceiling’s collapse. To prevent the collapse, four octagonal columns were inserted into the prayer hall. In the 1980s, the building was remodeled for the Centre of Youth Art.
He added that “a lot more money” was needed to carry out the full interior restoration and other work needed. And he and the city council appealed for donations.
“I believe in the power of Facebook – help me find funds or international programs that can finance this wonderful project!” he said in his post.