The Bershad Synagogue 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 ...
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 on Narodna Street, in
Bershad
Bershad (, ; ) is a city in Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine, located in the historic region of Podolia. Until 2020 it was the administrative center of the former Bershad Raion.
History
The first extant mention of Bershad appears in 1459. It was a pri ...
, in the
Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast (, ), also referred to as Vinnychchyna (), is an oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in central Ukraine. Its capital city, administrative center is Vinnytsia. The oblast has a population of
History
Vinnytsia Oblast, first established on ...
of
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 ...
. Built in the beginning of the 19th century, it is one of the very few synagogues in Ukraine that was neither destroyed 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 ...
nor closed by the
Soviet authorities
The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the executive and administrative organ of the highest body of state authority, the All-Union Supreme Soviet. It was formed on 30 December 1922 and abolished on 26 December 199 ...
in the years after the war.
The synagogue is still used by the small Jewish community of Bershad that worships 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 ...
. It is not to be confused with the magnificent ''Great Synagogue'',
which does no longer exist.
Architecture
The walls of the synagogue are wattle and daub and white-washed, looking like a common rural building. Its outer dimensions are approximately in length and in width, the height to the cornice is with a total height of .
The synagogue has two main rooms: the men's prayer hall and a western room, which is 2-tired and contains the women's section and perhaps living quarters. An inner wall separates the two rooms.
There are eight wooden columns that support the two large wooden beams of the ceiling. The columns divide the space of the prayer hall into three naves. The
Bimah has a simple, square, wooden construction. It is surrounded by four round wooden columns, sits in the centre of the prayer hall and is elevated by one step. Above it on the ceiling is a large
Star 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 ...
. The
Holy Ark
A Torah ark (also known as the ''hekhal'', , or ''aron qodesh'', ) is an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls.
History
The ark is also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' () or ''aron ha-Ko ...
, a carved wooden closet, is situated on the western wall. There is no niche for the Tora Ark.
[
]
See also
* History of the Jews in Ukraine
The history of the Jews in Ukraine dates back over a thousand years; Jews, Jewish communities have existed in the modern territory of Ukraine from the time of the Kievan Rus' (late 9th to mid-13th century). Important Jewish religious and cultura ...
* List of synagogues in Ukraine
This list of synagogues in Ukraine contains active, otherwise used and destroyed synagogues in Ukraine. In all cases the year of the completion of the building is given. Italics indicate an approximate date. Mostly preserved, but repurposed buil ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Wooden synagogues
19th-century establishments in Ukraine
19th-century synagogues in Europe
Bershad
Buildings and structures in Vinnytsia Oblast
Synagogues in Ukraine
Wooden synagogues