Moldova/Transnistria: Vote for the ruined synagogue in Raşcov so it can get EU restoration funding!

The ruined Great Synagogue in Raşcov (Rashkov), is among 16 heritage sites on both sides of the Dniester River that may receive restoration funding from the EU.

Only 10 of the 16 possible sites will receive funding, and people are being asked to vote for their preference in a competition organized by the The European Union, via its EU Confidence Building Measures Programme (EU CBM), implemented by UNDP.

The final 16 sites were chosen by the EU CBM Cultural Heritage Monitoring Group from 248 applications submitted by local administrations, civil society groups, NGOs, and private citizens following a call for proposals issued January 22. The final 10, which will receive funding, will include five on each side of the river.

The maximum amount of funding for each chosen project will be €40,000.

Now a roofless shell, the Great Synagogue was built in Eastern European Baroque style probably in the mid-18th century, according to the Center for Jewish Art. It is one of the most striking and impressive synagogue ruins in eastern Europe. 

The competition web site states:

The height of the walls is currently about 8 meters. The building was divided into the main hall and a few smaller rooms. In the early 1930s, in an anti-religious operation, the Soviet authorities destroyed the vault of the synagogue. The walls are made of stone masonry and quite stable, due to their thickness.

The building is in a deplorable condition. Only the walls remained of it. The floor, as well as all the carpentry, as well as the finishing elements, are missing. There is an urgent need to carry out work to stabilize the walls and secure the exit of the wall. In addition, the territory needs to be cleaned and arranged […] information panels installed and an architectural lighting system put in place.

Situated on the left bank of the Dniester River, the town of Raşcov is currently part of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Republic (Transnistria), which split from Moldova in 1990–92. However, historically Raşcov belonged to Podolia (now a part of Ukraine) and its Jewry was integral part of Podolian one.

To vote for the synagogue to become one of the 10 to get funding — go to THIS WEB SITE. 

Vote by clicking the picture of the synagogue and then click the green “vote” button.

The voting period is from July 14th to August 3rd. Only one vote per person (from one IP) is allowed, and you may only vote for one site.

Click here to review all 16 of the sites. (Not all sites seem to be listed on the English language web page) 

The decision on the 10 winning heritage projects will be determined 50 percent by the vote and 50 percent by the opinion of the members of the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Group.

View information page and photo gallery of the synagogue, on the Heritage competition web site — you can vote from this page by clicking the green “vote” button

Read a JHE article from 2017  about the history, architecture, and importance of the synagogue by Sergey R. Kravtsov and Vladimir Levin, of the Center for Jewish Art

See a documentation of the synagogue by the Center for Jewish Art