Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, begins tonight, ushering in the High Holidays.
It’s a time of renewal, so we though we would feature a video of the opening of the Choral Synagogue in Drohobych, Ukraine, which was inaugurated in June following a $1 million restoration funded by the Russian billionaire Viktor Felixovich Vekselberg, who was born in Drohobych and who heads the board of trustees of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow.
Drohobycz Choral Synagogu from Drohobycz-Boryslaw Organization on Vimeo.
The synagogue was built in 1842-65 and was the most impressive of the circa 20 synagogues that once stood in the town. Today only the Choral Synagogue and one other remain, the former Reform synagogue that was long used in Soviet times as a sports hall.
During the Soviet period, the Choral Synagogue was used as a furniture warehouse. It was returned to Jewish ownership in 1993 but long stood derelict and vacant.
The Center for Jewish Art describes the architecture of the synagogue as follows:
Its style is a variant of the then popular Rundbogenstil. The facade is well organized: massive pilasters surmounted by a decorated gable frame the entry which, despite its monumental treatment is a relatively simple doorway, with two windows placed above it vertically. A larger gable decorated in a similar but slightly larger-scaled fashion surrounds the entry treatment. It is crowned by the tablets of the law, and supported again on pilasters capped by decorative towers. Vertical rows of three windows are inserted between the pilasters. The edges of the building’s main facade are framed again by pilasters and topped by towers –slightly smaller than those closer to the center– whose decorative treatment is a variant of that of its neighbors. Again, a set of windows fills the space between the pilasters. This motif is repeated on all the facades, though on the N and S facades, the three windows are replaced by a single, three-story tall, round-headed window; and on the E facade, backing the Torah ark, the center window of the three is round. In fine Austro-Hungarian tradition, the facade of the building presents a grander appearance; the two outer bays of the facade are stair towers, the building is actually only as wide as the three central bays. A small entry hall mediates between the exterior and the main sanctuary space and gives access to the stair towers of the two women’s galleries, both of which are located above the entry way. The main sanctuary is what some have identified as being of the “nine-bay type.” That is, four supports arranged in a square in the center of the space visually divide it into nine, generally equal, units. The Bimah stood in the center between the four supporting pillars.
See Center for Jewish Art article on synagogues on Drohobych
5 comments on “Shana Tova! — video of restored synagogue in Drohobycz”
What an amazing amazing restoration!!!!! I have pictures of how it was when Mr Schreyer took my mother and father and a few other Drohobyczers to visit years ago. My mother Alicia Goldschlag was born in Drohobycz. She is 93 and still living with me her son in London now in April 2021. She was a student of Bruno Schultz. She slept under one of Bruno Schultz’s drawings when she was a child, it was stolen by the Nazis. When she and I visited Drohobycz many many years ago we were shown around by Alfred Schreyer. I have video of his wonderful singing as the last Jew of the time who lived in Drohobycz all his life. Only a few hundred Jews escaped the slaughter by the Nazis, and my mother was one of them. She was lucky to be saved by the bravery of Poldek Weiss. Viktor Kremin’s bravery should also be mentioned as he did what he could to save as many as he could. We must nver forget the 12 mass graves in Bronicka Wood and all those who perished and my cousin Toulek Broniki who changed his name so as never to forget all the lost family and all those who perished.
Thank you Viktor Felixovich Vekselberg for commemorating Jewish life in Drohobycz in this way. I hope there will be some who can continue your good work. I hope to visit again one day.
Best wishes Charles Melamed [email protected] +447775686990 http://www.AliciaMelamed.com
my Grandmother was a born Zuckerberg in Drohobycz
she lived round about 120 years back in Drohobyc
Who can say something about this family
My Great Great Grandmother, Rozilia Zuckerberg lived in Drohobycz in the 1800’s
А где же здесь главное лицо Альфред Шраер?!
Thank you too Alfred Schreyer!!! Forgetfulness! Если бы не Шраер, то идеи о возрождении не только синагоги, но и истории города, истории еврейской жизни и культуры вообще бы не возникло! Большой грех берёте на себя! Альфред Шраер это инициатор и вдохновитель. Виктору и его отцу большое спасибо и уважение, но не только тот блажен, кто платит! Вклад моего отца бесценен!!! Светлая память всем, чья жизнь была освящена в этой синагоге! Вечная память моей бабушке Леонтине Шраер, лежащей в Броннице! Моему деду и семье убитых в Белжец! Единственный последний коренной житель Дрогобыча, свидетель был мой отец . Его песни звучали чисто и сердечно , а эти фальшиво в прямом и переносном смысле. Может быть это резко с моей стороны, но то, что на видео, подняло меня на гребень эмоциональной волны! Жана Това!!!