The Soldier Synagogue (), or Soldiers’ Synagogue, is a

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 66-68/18 Turgenevskaia Street, in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, in the

Rostov Oblast Rostov Oblast ( rus, Росто́вская о́бласть, r=Rostovskaya oblastʹ, p=rɐˈstofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Southern Federal District. The oblast ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. It is the only active synagogue in the city. Completed in 1872, the synagogue was burnt down during the pogrom of 1905, and it was restored in 1913-1914 by Yakov Gevirts 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 ...

style. In 1935, the synagogue was closed for worship. After

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 ...

the building was transferred back to the local Jewish community. The Soldier Synagogue is listed on the

Russian cultural heritage register The national cultural heritage register of Russia () is a registry of historically or culturally significant man-made immovable properties – landmark buildings, industrial facilities, memorial homes of notable people of the past, monuments, cem ...

of regional significance.

History

In 1862, retired Jewish soldiers established Jewish Prayer Society in Rostov-on-Don. On May 31, 1862, the

Yekaterinoslav Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

province government gave to society a permission to rent a separate room for worship rituals. The project of Choral Synagogue was approved by Rosotov authorities on June 4, 1872, and in the same year the building was constructed. According to some reports, the money for the construction of synagogues were donated by Rostov merchant Joseph Markovich Elitser. It is presumed that the architect of the synagogue was Ernst Ernestovich von Shulman, and the building contractor ― Moisey Leontyevich Geronimus. The synagogue building was reconstructed several times. In 1881, in the east part of it there was attached a three-story brick building. In 1891, to the south wall of the synagogue there was also attached a two-storey building, the ground floor of which housed a school for children of poor soldiers, and the second floor was occupied by Prayer school. The synagogue was seriously damaged by fire during the anti-Jewish pogrom in 1905. It was restored during 1913–1914, when the necessary funds were collected. The author of the reconstruction project was Petersburg architect Yakov Germanovich Gevirts. Worship in the synagogue resumed on March 29, 1914, on the day of

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...

. In 1935, the synagogue was closed for worship. The building housed a chemical factory. During the war, these enterprises were evacuated from the city. In 1943, after the liberation of Rostov-on-Don, the synagogue was resumed by the Jewish community. Official permission to use the building by the Jewish community was sanctioned on April 14, 1945. In 2005 a major overhaul of the synagogue was implemented. The corner dome, with

stars of David The Star of David (, , ) is a symbol generally recognized as representing both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the Seal of Solomon was used for decora ...

that were lost in the 1940s, was restored. Reconstruction works were completed by the end of the year, and on 26 December the synagogue was opened.

Architecture

The architecture of Soldier Synagogue has elements of

and Oriental styles. The building has a complex configuration plan. Three parts of the building volume are reduced to north–south axis. The light openings in the top of the bindings are patterned, stylized with gothic rose. The cap of the synagogue is decorated with rustication, and the façade is decorated with

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

rosette Rosette is the French diminutive of ''rose''. It may refer to: Flower shaped designs * Rosette (award), a mark awarded by an organisation * Rosette (design), a small flower design *hence, various flower-shaped or rotational symmetric forms: ** R ...

Gallery

File:Синагога Ростов-на-Дону.jpg, The synagogue in 2012 File:Синагога - купол.JPG, Close-up showing decorative trim and details of dome File:Таки кто делал.jpg, Commemorative on the plaque on the synagogue

References

External links

{{Synagogues in Russia 1862 establishments in the Russian Empire Rostov-on-Don, Soldier Art Nouveau architecture in Russia Art Nouveau synagogues Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Russia Ashkenazi synagogues Cultural heritage monuments in Rostov-on-Don Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Rostov Oblast Jewish organizations established in 1862 Jews and Judaism in Rostov-on-Don Religious buildings and structures in Rostov-on-Don Synagogue buildings with domes Synagogues completed in 1872

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

External links