The Synagogue in
Bershad
Bershad ( uk, Бершадь, translit., ''Bershad’''; pl, Berszad; ro, Berșad) is a town in the Vinnytsia Oblast (province) of Ukraine, located in the historic region of Podolia. It is the administrative center of the predominantly-agricult ...
,
Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast ( uk, Ві́нницька о́бласть, translit=Vinnytska oblast; ; also referred to as Vinnychchyna — uk, Ві́нниччина) is an oblast of western and southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsia. ...
in
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, was built at the begin 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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
nor closed by the
Soviet authorities
The Government of the Soviet Union ( rus, Прави́тельство СССР, p=prɐˈvʲitʲɪlʲstvə ɛs ɛs ɛs ˈɛr, r=Pravítelstvo SSSR, lang=no), formally the All-Union Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly ab ...
in the years after the war. It is still used by the small Jewish community of Bershad. 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 circa 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 generally recognized symbol of 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'', which was used for decorative ...
. The
Holy Ark
A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls.
History
The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron ha- ...
, a carved wooden closet, is situated on the western wall. There is no niche for the Tora Ark.
See also
*
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.
External links
Old postcards and pho ...
References
External links
* http://www.eylonconsulting.com/bukovina/blog/?p=907 Pictures; many inside. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
* http://twotzaddiks.org/part4.html Pictures; inside and outside. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
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Synagogues in Ukraine
19th-century synagogues