The Zamelis Synagogue (), also called Zavl's Synagogue, is 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 ...

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 Gėlių Street, in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, in the

Vilnius County Vilnius County () is the largest of the 10 counties of Lithuania, located in the east of the country around the city Vilnius and is also known as Capital Region or Sostinės regionas by the State Data Agency, Lithuanian statistics department and ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

History

Located on a site donated by Zavel Peisakhovich, where once stood a

wooden synagogue Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin that ...

, the synagogue was designed by Alekse Polozov in the

Historicist Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...

style and built at the beginning of the 19th century, between 1817 and 1833. It was actively used until 1940. Sir

Moses Montefiori Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, aft ...

visited the synagogue in 1846. 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 ...

it was used as a warehouse and apartment complex until 1990. At the end of the 20th century, the building was abandoned. In 2015, reconstruction works started in the abandoned synagogue, funded by the Cultural Heritage Department under the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture and the Lithuanian Jewish Community via the Goodwill Foundation. , the building was used as a

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Africa * ...

References

External links

2020 reconstruction gallery
19th-century synagogues in Lithuania Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Lithuania Ashkenazi synagogues

Former synagogues in Lithuania Historicist architecture Synagogues completed in 1933 Synagogues in Vilnius {{Lithuania-synagogue-stub

History

See also

References

External links