The Peitav Synagogue () or Peitav-Shul () is an

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located at 6/8 Pietavas Street,

Vecrīga Vecrīga ("Old Riga") is the historical center and a neighbourhood (as Vecpilsēta) of Riga, Latvia, located in the Central District on the east side of Daugava River. Vecrīga is famous for its old churches and cathedrals, such as Riga Cathed ...

, in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. Designed by

Wilhelm Neumann Carl Johann Wilhelm Neumann (; ; born 5 October 1849 in Grevesmühlen – died 6 March 1919 in Riga) was a Baltic German architect and art historian. Neumann's family moved to Kreutzburg (then in Russian Empire) during Wilhelm's childhood. Whe ...

in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and

Egyptian Revival Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's French campaign in Egypt and Syria, invasion of ...

styles, the synagogue was completed in 1905. It was devastated by

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

and was partially destroyed on 4 July 1941. Used for profane purposes during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and damaged by bombings in 1995 and 1998, the synagogue was restored and reopened in 2009. It is a center of the Latvian Jewish community and recognized by the Latvian government as an architectural monument of national significance.

History

The synagogue was built 1903-1905, designed by architect Wilhelm Neumann in an Art Nouveau style with Egyptian Revival elements. When Riga's synagogues were burned in 1941 by the Nazis and their Latvian collaborators, the Peitav Synagogue was the only one to survive because of its location in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

, adjacent to other buildings. Subsequently, during World War II, the synagogue was used as a warehouse. Under Soviet rule, the synagogue was one of the relatively few allowed to remain open in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. After Latvian independence was restored in 1991, the synagogue was damaged by bombings in 1995 and 1998. A restoration of the synagogue, partly funded by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

and by the Latvian government, was completed in 2009. The dedication ceremony was attended by Latvia's president

Valdis Zatlers Valdis Zatlers (; born 22 March 1955) is a Latvian politician and former physician who served as the seventh president of Latvia from 2007 to 2011. He won the Latvian presidential election of 31 May 2007. He became President of Latvia on 8 July ...

and prime minister

Valdis Dombrovskis Valdis Dombrovskis (; born 5 August 1971) is a Latvian politician serving as Executive Vice President of the European Commission for An Economy that Works for People since 2019 and European Commissioner for Trade since 2020. He previously serv ...

as well as by Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister

Yuli-Yoel Edelstein } Yuli-Yoel Edelstein (, ; born 5 August 1958) is an Israeli politician who served as Minister of Health from 2020 to 2021. One of the most prominent refuseniks in the Soviet Union, he was the 16th Speaker of the Knesset from 2013 until his res ...

Gallery

Peitav Synagogue (1).JPG 5-Riga Syna-DSC04895.JPG 5-Riga Syna-DSC04908.JPG 5-Riga Syna-DSC04902.JPG

References

External links

1905 establishments in the Russian Empire 20th-century attacks on Jewish institutions 20th-century synagogues in Europe Art Nouveau architecture in Riga Art Nouveau synagogues Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Latvia Ashkenazi synagogues Egyptian Revival synagogues Orthodox Judaism in Latvia Orthodox synagogues in Europe Rebuilt synagogues Synagogues completed in 1905 Synagogues in Riga Synagogue bombings {{Europe-synagogue-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links