List of choral synagogues

Choral synagogues (Yiddish: Khorshul) were built in Eastern Europe, from Hungary to Russia.^[1] These synagogues represented the ideas of Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah) and made certain reforms to the traditional Jewish customs (minhag).^[2] Often, they featured male choruses, conducted sermons in local languages (German, Russian, etc.), enforced order during services, decorated their interior, and placed pews facing eastern wall where the Torah ark was displayed (in traditionalist synagogues the bimah stood in the center of the room).^[1]^[2] However, the changes did not extend to religious beliefs and customs. Therefore, the differences between choral and traditional synagogues are more aesthetic.^[3]

Many of these synagogues were either demolished or confiscated and repurposed for other uses, particularly in the Soviet Union by the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution. During the German occupation in the Second World War, many were demolished by the Nazis or destroyed in battles and bombing raids.

Some of the surviving synagogues were renovated and returned to the local Jewish communities, particularly after the fall of Communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union, while the others are used for other purposes or are in ruins.

Active choral synagogues[]

Moscow Choral Synagogue of Moscow
Grand Choral Synagogue of St. Petersburg
Great Choral Synagogue of Kyiv
Brodsky Choral Synagogue of Kyiv
Kharkiv Choral Synagogue
Choral Synagogue of Drohobych
Great Synagogue of Hrodna
Vilnius Choral Synagogue of Vilnius
Kaunas Choral Synagogue of Kaunas
Templul Coral in Bucharest
Great Choral Synagogue of Odessa
Golden Rose Synagogue (Dnipropetrovsk)

Defunct choral synagogues[]

Great Choral Synagogue of Riga (burned in 1941)
Great Choral Synagogue of Daugavpils
Great Choral Synagogue of Šiauliai
Choral Synagogue in Samara (closed in 1929, being restored)
Choral Synagogue in Smolensk (occupied by a school)
Choral Synagogue in Białystok (burned during the liquidation of the Białystok Ghetto)
Choral Synagogue in Vitebsk
Choral Synagogue in Minsk (occupied by a theater)
Choral Synagogue in Brest
Choral Synagogue of Liepāja
Choral Synagogue in Chișinău
Choral Synagogue in Tallinn (destroyed during bombing in 1944)

References[]

^ ^a ^b Krinsky, Carol Herselle. "Synagogue Architecture". The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
^ ^a ^b Meir, Natan M. (2010). Kyiv, Jewish Metropolis: A History, 1859-1914. Indiana University Press. p. 172. ISBN 9780253222077.
^ Levin, Vladimir (2010). "A Historical Overview". Synagogues in Lithuania. A Catalogue. Vol. I. Vilnius Academy of Arts Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-9955-854-60-9.

[yivo-1] Krinsky, Carol Herselle. "Synagogue Architecture". The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Retrieved 2014-10-06.

[meir-2] Meir, Natan M. (2010). Kyiv, Jewish Metropolis: A History, 1859-1914. Indiana University Press. p. 172. ISBN 9780253222077.

[levin-3] Levin, Vladimir (2010). "A Historical Overview". Synagogues in Lithuania. A Catalogue. Vol. I. Vilnius Academy of Arts Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-9955-854-60-9.

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List of choral synagogues

Contents

Active choral synagogues[]

Defunct choral synagogues[]

See also[]

References[]