The Great Synagogue was a former
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 ...
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 in
Pidhaitsi
Pidhaitsi (, ; ; ) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located approximately south of Berezhany, from Ternopil, and south-east of Lviv. In 1939, Pidhaitsi obtained the formal status of a city.[Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast (), also referred to as Ternopilshchyna () or Ternopillia (), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its Capital (political), administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret (river), Seret, a tribu ...]
in
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. The congregation worshipped in the
Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...
rite
Rite may refer to:
Religion
* Ritual, an established ceremonious act
* Rite (Christianity), sacred rituals in the Christian religion
* Ritual family, Christian liturgical traditions; often also called ''liturgical rites''
* Catholic particular ch ...
. Built prior to 1648, the
fortress synagogue
A fortress synagogue is a synagogue built to withstand attack while protecting the lives of people sheltering within it.
Fortress synagogues first appeared in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th century at a time of frequent invasion ...
was abandoned 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 ...
, was used for grain storage thereafter, then as a ruin before its collapse in 2019 and subsequent demolition.
History
The first mention of a synagogue in Pidhaitsi was dated from 1552.
The synagogue was built as a fortress synagogue, completed between 1621 and 1648. Over the years annexes were added.
Following Soviet occupation in 1939, the
German Nazis demolished much of the interior of the synagogue on 4 July 1941 and the Germans segregated approximately 5,000 Jews in a
ghetto
A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...
. During the Holocaust, the local Jewish community perished.
[ Afterwards the building was used as a storehouse for several years. The building stood empty and is in a ruinous state for many years until its partial collapse and subsequent demolition in 2019.][
]
Architecture
Completed in the Gothic architecture, Gothic style, the exterior of the main building (the men's prayer hall) is nearly square (). It is surrounded by one- and two storeyed extensions. The northern and western extensions were already built in the 17th century, while the ones to the south and to the east were added after 1945 when the building was used as a storehouse.
From the eastern side the main volume was supported by two buttresses.
With its high windows and pointed arches and limestone framings the building bears features of Gothic architecture.
The niche of the Holy Ark was badly damaged and the Almemar, Bimah was missing. In 2023 it was reported that artefacts and relics from the former synagogue, believed to be stolen in 2014, had appeared in the Museum of the History of Jews, in Moscow, Russia.
Synagogue in New York
In 1926 Jewish emigrants from Podhajce (Pidhaitsi) bought a building in New York City, New York and consecrated it as their synagogue. It was called the Podhajcer Shul. Nowadays it is a private residence.
See also
* History of the Jews in Ukraine
* List of synagogues in Ukraine
References
1648 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
17th-century synagogues in Europe
Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Ukraine
Ashkenazi synagogues
Buildings and structures demolished in 2019
Buildings and structures in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Early modern history of Ukraine
Former synagogues in Ukraine
Fortress synagogues
Gothic architecture in Ukraine
Romanesque and Gothic synagogues
Synagogues completed in 1648
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