The Great Choral Synagogue of Kyiv (Ukrainian: елика хоральна синагога Києва), also known as the Podil Synagogue or the Rozenberg Synagogue, is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, located in the Podil, a historic neighborhood of Kyiv, Ukraine. Built in 1895, it is the oldest synagogue in Kyiv.
Great Choral Synagogue | |
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Ukrainian: елика хоральна синагога Києва | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
Ecclesiastical or organisational status |
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Leadership | Rabbi Yaakov Bleich |
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | Schekovytska 29, Podil, Kyiv |
Country | Ukraine |
Location of the synagogue in Ukraine | |
Geographic coordinates | 50°28′13″N 30°30′43″E / 50.47028°N 30.51194°E |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) |
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Type | Synagogue architecture |
Style | Moorish Revival |
Funded by |
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Completed | 1895 |
Specifications | |
Dome(s) | One |
Minaret(s) | Four |
[1] |
The Aesopian synagogue, built in 1895,[2] was designed in the Moorish Revival style by Nikolay Gordenin. Gabriel Yakob Rozenberg, a merchant, financed the building.[2] In 1915 the building was reconstructed by Valerian Rykov. The reconstruction was financed by Vladimir Ginzburg, a nephew of Rozenberg.
In 1929, the synagogue was closed. During the German occupation of Kyiv in World War II, the Nazis converted the building into a horse stable.[3]
Since 1945, the building has again been used as a synagogue. In 1990, restoration works were launched at the initiative of the new Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine, Yaakov Dov Bleich. A yeshiva and schools for boys and girls were established in the same building. In 1992, the synagogue officially became the property of the Jewish community.[4]
During Rosh Hashanah 2014, a firebomb was thrown at the synagogue, without causing any significant damage.[5]