Wooden synagogues are an original style of

vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

synagogue architecture Synagogue architecture often follows styles in vogue at the place and time of construction. There is no set blueprint for synagogues and architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. According to tradition, the Shekhinah ...

that emerged in the former

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

.Wischnitzer, Rachel ''The Architecture of the European Synagogue''. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1964, pp. 125-147Krinsky, Carol Herselle ''Synagogues of Europe: Architecture, History, Meaning''. Cambridge, Mass: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1985, Dover Publications, 1996, pp. 53-58 and in individual town sections The style developed between the mid-16th and mid-17th centuries, a period of peace and prosperity for the Polish-Lithuanian Jewish community. While many were destroyed during the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and

Second World Wars 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 ...

, there are some that survive today in Lithuania.

History

According to Maria and Kazimierz Piechotka, wooden synagogues in Poland–Lithuania developed during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, sometime from the mid-16th to mid-17th century. This period was described as a time of peace and prosperity for the Jewish community of the vast Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which at its peak occupied much of Central and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

. The style was particularly common in the eastern territories of the Commonwealth which now constitute Lithuania,

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

and

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 ...

. Moreover, such synagogues were predominantly found in smaller townships, villages and

shtetl or ( ; , ; Grammatical number#Overview, pl. ''shtetelekh'') is a Yiddish term for small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish populations which Eastern European Jewry, existed in Eastern Europe before the Holocaust. The t ...

s rather than larger cities.

Timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

was abundant and inexpensive in the heavily forested Commonwealth, but a large part of the motivation for building in wood rather than stone or brick was the great difficulty of obtaining government permission to erect masonry synagogues. The wooden synagogues, which featured multi-layered high roofs, multi-beamed domes, galleries, wooden balconies and arches were built to high standards of craftsmanship. The synagogues fell victim to obsolescence and neglect over the next centuries. During the

Second World War 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 Germans burned and destroyed nearly all of the wooden synagogues that were still standing. None remain in Poland today, however, some did survive in Lithuania.

Uniqueness as an artistic and architectural form

The wooden synagogue was "an original architectural genre" that drew on several models, including Poland's wooden building traditions and central plan, masonry synagogues in which four massive masonry pillars that define the Bimah rise to support the roof vaulting.Zimiles, Murray, et al. ''Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses: the synagogue to the carousel''. University Press of New England, 2007, p. 5 Central pillars support the vaulting of only a handful of wooden synagogues. Instead, in wooden synagogues the vaulting and domes are suspended by elaborate roof

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as Beam (structure), beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so ...

es. Common features shared by wooden synagogues include the independence of the pitched roof from the design of the interior domed ceiling. The outside of a wooden synagogue gave no hint of the domes and multiple,

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

vaults that would be found within. The exteriors were decidedly plain, giving no hint of the riot of carving, painting, domes, balconies and vaulting inside. The architectural interest of the exterior lay in the large scale of the buildings, the multiple, horizontal lines of the tiered roofs, and the carved

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

s that supported them. The elaborate domed and vaulted ceilings were known as ''raki'a'' (Hebrew for sky or firmament) and were often painted blue sprinkled with stars. The Bimah was always placed in the center of the room. Wooden synagogues featured a single, large hall. In contrast to contemporary churches, there was no

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

. Moreover, while contemporary churches featured imposing vestibules, the entry porches of the wooden synagogues was a low annex, usually with a simple lean-to roof. In these synagogues, the emphasis was on constructing a single, large, high-domed worship space.Piechotka, Maria & Kazimierz ''Heaven's Gate: wooden synagogues in the territory of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth''. Warsaw: Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences, 2004 According to art historian Stephen S. Kayser, the wooden synagogues of Poland with their painted and carved interiors were "a truly original and organic manifestation of artistic expression—the only real Jewish folk art in history". According to

Louis Lozowick Louis Lozowick (1892–1973) () was a Ukrainian-born American painter and printmaker. He is recognized as an Art Deco and Precisionist artist, and mainly produced streamline, urban-inspired monochromatic lithographs in a career that spanned 50 ...

, writing in 1947, the wooden synagogues were unique because, unlike all previous synagogues, they were not built in the architectural style of their region and era, but in a newly evolved and uniquely Jewish style, making them "a truly original folk expression", whose "originality does not lie alone in the exterior architecture, it lies equally in the beautiful and intricate wood carving of the interior". Moreover, while in many parts of the world Jews were proscribed from entering the building trades and even from practicing the decorative arts of painting and woodcarving, the wooden synagogues were actually built by Jewish craftsmen. Other research points to certain synagogues being made by Christian master builders. For example, the early history of the Gwoździec Synagogue is unknown and portions of the structure date back to 1650. The original structure was built in a regional style exhibiting both Jewish and Polish vernacular architecture. In the 18th century there was a dramatic reconfiguration of the prayer hall ceiling. It is believed to be the first cupola of its kind. The timber framers are unknown but presumed to be Christian master builders since until the 19th century Jews were excluded from the trade. The liturgical paintings were made by Jewish artists. Isaac, son of Rabbi Judah Leib ha Cohen and Israel, son of Rabbi Mordecai, have inscribed their names on the paintings in the western ceiling. The interior vaulting of the Wolpa Synagogue is described by art historians Maria and Kazimierz Piechotka as having been "the most magnificent of all known wooden ceilings" in Europe. Of course, since Christians were free to build with brick and stone, few European buildings of the scale of the Wolpa synagogue were ever built in wood. The walls of the main hall were 7.2 meters high. The vaulting, under a three-tiered roof, rose to a height of fourteen meters in three tiers marked by fancy balustrades. Each tier was made up of several curving sections faced in wooden paneling to form a graceful, tiered and vaulted dome. The vaulted ceiling was supported by the four wooden corner columns that rose form the bimah, and by trusses in the roof. Art historian Ori Z. Soltes points out that the wooden synagogues, unusual for that period in being large, identifiably Jewish buildings not hidden in courtyards or behind walls, were built not only during a Jewish "intellectual golden age" but in a time and place where "the local Jewish population was equal to or even greater than the Christian population".

Types of wooden synagogues

Wooden synagogues can be divided into three types by the plan of the building, according to an article by G.K. Lukomski.The Wooden Synagogues of Eastern Europe
G. K. Lukomski, ''Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs'', Vol. 66, No. 382 (Jan., 1935), pp. 14-21 * The first has a square plan and a pyramidal roof in one, two and even three stages with decorated cornices. * The second type, oblong in shape, has a roof decorated with arcading. * The third type, more simple, resembles Polish secular buildings used to store grain, hay, etc. Wooden synagogues may also be divided into three groups according to the shape of the roof and the number of cornices which divide them into stages (of the Mansard type, called in Polish "podcienie"), i.e., roofs with one, two or three stages. * The type with roofs of one stage with perceptibly curved and tilted eaves, are probably the oldest in date. This is a very simple construction resembling a secular building used for agricultural purposes rather than a religious temple - a barn or store-house for grain. Its construction is very logical, or rational; every beam, every pillar and every buttress is clearly visible. Examples: synagogue at Lanckorona in Podolie; Polaniec; Pareczow; Orsza; Szkloff; Radoszyce; Pilica; Nowogradek; Przedborz; Zydaczew; Brzozdowice; Pieczenierzyn; Jablonow. File:Rekonstrukcja_synagogi_z_Połańca_w_skansenie_w_Sanoku_04.jpg, Polaniec File:Peczenizyn_(Pechenizhyn),_wooden_synagogue_-05.jpg, Peczenizyn File:Wooden_Synagogue_in_Yabluniv_(Jabłonów)_-_Drawings_02.jpg, Jabłonów * The type with two roofs are often very large. It is interesting to note that the facades of the two towers can differ in design. A characteristic detail is the covering of the walls with narrow planks which act as an outer lining. Examples: Gwozdziec; Grodno; Chodorow; Uzlany (Usljany); Kamyenyets; Nasielsk; Njaswisch; Mogilev. File:Wooden_Synagogue_in_Hvizdets'_(Gwoździec)_-_Drawings_05.jpg, Gwoździec File:Horadnia,_Zaniomanskaja_synagoga._Горадня,_Занёманская_сынагога_(H._Poddębski,_1930).jpg, Grodno File:Chodorow,synagogue.jpg, Chodorow File:Boźnica_w_Nasielsku_Gloger_t.1_s_200.jpg, Nasielsk File:Mahiloŭ, Školišča, Chałodnaja synagoga. Магілёў, Школішча, Халодная сынагога (S. Judovin, 1913).jpg, Mogilev * The type with three stages or more. Examples: Nowe-Miasto; Pohrebyszcze; Jedwabne; Narowla; Wolpa; Zabłudów. File:Jedwabne_-_bożnica.jpg, Jedwabne File:Naraŭlanskaja_synagoga._Нараўлянская_сынагога_(1916).jpg, Narowla File:Naraŭlanskaja_synagoga._Нараўлянская_сынагога_(B._Šyška,_1907).jpg, Narowla File:Naraŭlanskaja_synagoga._Нараўлянская_сынагога_(B._Šyška,_1907)_(2).jpg, Narowla File:Voŭpaŭskaja_synagoga._Воўпаўская_сынагога_(1910-13).jpg, Wolpa File:Zabłudaŭskaja_synagoga._Заблудаўская_сынагога_(1936).jpg, Zabłudów

Interior decoration

The interiors were decorated with wall and ceiling paintings that, in many cases, covered the walls and ceilings entirely, and with elaborately carved wooden

Torah 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-Kod ...

s. Thomas Hubka has traced the style of decorative painting in the wooden synagogues to the medieval Hebrew illuminated manuscripts of Ashkenazi Jewry. The intricate wooden decoration of the

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

ed ceiling of the Przedbórz Synagogue was considered so beautiful that before the Second World War it drew tourists to the small village of

Przedbórz Przedbórz is a town in Radomsko County, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,458 inhabitants (2020). Przedbórz is situated on the Pilica River in the northwestern corner of the historic province of Lesser Poland. From its foundation until the ...

Regional variations

Architectural historian Rachel Wischnitzer has traced regional variations in wooden synagogue style. The interiors of the wooden synagogues of Lithuania were not as exuberantly painted as were synagogues of other regions. Instead, Lithuanian synagogues were notable for architectural details such as ceilings with the boards laid in decorative herringbone patterns. Several Lithuanian synagogues featured corner pavilions. The wooden synagogues of Galicia were notable for their elaborate wall paintings.

Influence on art and architecture

Frank Stella Frank Philip Stella (May 12, 1936 – May 4, 2024) was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker, noted for his work in the areas of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction. He lived and worked in New York City for much of his career befor ...

's ''Polish village'' series draws on images of Wooden synagogues published by Maria and Kazimierz Piechotka in their 1957 book, Wooden synagogues. Gruber, Samuel D. ''The Blueprint: how a 1959 book changed the architecture of American synagogues'', Nextbook, 01.07.0

/ref> *The Sons of Israel Synagogue, by architects Davis, Brody and Wisniewski, in Lakewood, New Jersey evokes Polish wooden synagogues in modern materials in the shape of its roof. *The Temple B'rith Kodesh in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, by architect

Pietro Belluschi Pietro Belluschi (August 18, 1899 – February 14, 1994) was an Italian-American architect. A leading figure in modern architecture, he was responsible for the design of over 1,000 buildings.Belluschi, Pietro. (2007). In ''Encyclopædia Britanni ...

is roofed with a domed wooden drum intended to evoke the wooden synagogues of Poland. *The modern building of Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek in

Chester, Connecticut Chester is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 3,749 at the 2020 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a c ...

was designed by artist

Sol LeWitt Solomon "Sol" LeWitt (September 9, 1928 – April 8, 2007) was an American artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. LeWitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and "structures" (a term he pref ...

who conceptualized the "airy" synagogue building with its shallow dome supported by "exuberant wooden roof beams" as a homage to the Wooden synagogues of eastern Europe.

In culture

Wooden synagogues were quite abundant, and several famous authors and artists include them in their works.

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...

gives detailed description of wooden synagogues in his epic poem ''

Pan Tadeusz ''Pan Tadeusz'' (full title: ''Sir Thaddeus, or the Last Foray in Lithuania: A Nobility's Tale of the Years 1811–1812, in Twelve Books of Verse'') is an epic poem by the Polish people, Polish poet, writer, translator and philosopher Adam Micki ...

, Or, the Last Foray in Lithuania; a Story of Life Among Polish Gentlefolk in the Years 1811 and 1812'', first published in 1834. Napoleon Orda, renowned Polish-Lithuanian artist, painted at least two wooden synagogues. File:Pohrebyszcze.jpg, Pohrebyszcze, 1872 File:Kamianiec, Padrečnaja. Камянец, Падрэчная (N. Orda, 20.04.1876).jpg, Kamianiec, 1876

El Lissitzky El Lissitzky (, born Lazar Markovich Lissitzky , ; – 30 December 1941), was a Soviet Jewish artist, active as a painter, illustrator, designer, printmaker, photographer, and architect. He was an important figure of the Russian avant-garde, h ...

wrote about the murals in Cold synagogue in Mogilev after his and Issachar Ber Ryback's expedition: "Jewish period" was very short in the art of El Lissitzky; on the contrary, for Issachar Ber Ryback everyday life of a Jewish

became the foundation of his art. Ryback created several paintings of wooden synagogues, he probably was inspired for these works during the

tour few years earlier. File:Ryback, The Synagogue in Dubrouna, 1917.jpg, ''The Synagogue in Dubrouna'' by Ryback (1917) File:Issachar_Ber_Ryback_-_The_big_Sinagogue.jpg, The Big Synagogue

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

claimed that Chaim Segal, the artist who created murals in the Cold synagogue in Mogilev and several other synagogues, was his great-grandfather, and compares his own art to Segal's synagogue murals:

List of wooden synagogues

Surviving wooden synagogues

Although it was long thought that none of the wooden synagogues survived the destruction of the First and Second World Wars, it is now known that a number do survive, albeit only of the smaller type. Surviving examples include: * Synagogue of Alanta, built in the late 19th century, in deteriorating condition *

Kaltinėnai Kaltinėnai (Samogitian dialect, Samogitian: ''Kaltinienā'', ) is a small town in the west of Lithuania, located near Žemaičių highway in Šilalė district municipality, Tauragė County. Kaltinėnai has around 728 inhabitants (2011). The to ...

(in

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' ) is the basic unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,479 gminy throughout the country, encompassing over 43,000 villages. 940 gminy include cities and tow ...

Szyłele, ) * Kurkliai (), in Soviet times used as barn, now in deteriorating conditionInterWiki: Synagoga w Kurklach * Laukuva *

Pakruojis Pakruojis (; ) is a city in Lithuania. It is situated on the Kruoja River, which has a dam above the city. Forty three buildings of the manor, mentioned in 1531 still survive. History Pakruojis and it neighbourhood are within the boundaries of th ...

(), the largest of the wooden synagogues that survives in present-day Lithuania (built 1801), restored in 2017. * Rozalimas (), built in 19th century *

Subate Subate (; , ) is a town in Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia, near the border with Lithuania. Subate is located 40 km west of Daugavpils. The population in 2020 was 596. In 1570 Gotthard Kettler, the first Duke of C ...

(Latvia) *

Telšiai Telšiai (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Telšē'') is a city in Lithuania with about 21,499 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on the shores of Lake Mastis. Telšiai is one of the ol ...

(), built in the 19th century, vacated around 1940Kucharska, Jolanta, "Ilustrowany przewodnik po zabytkach na Wileńszczyźnie i Żmudzi", Warszawa, 2004, (InterWiki: Synagoga w Telszach) *

Tirkšliai Tirkšliai () is a town in Telšiai County, 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 b ...

Trakai Trakai (; see Trakai#Names and etymology, names section for alternative and historic names) is a city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania or just from the administrative limits of the Lithuanian capi ...

(), a Karaite synagogue called

Kenesa A kenesa ( Karaim: כְּנִיסָא ''kǝnîsāʾ'') is an Eastern European or Persian Karaite synagogue. Kenesas are similar to Rabbinical synagogues. In Eastern Europe, they are laid out along north-south axis (facing Jerusalem). Starting ...

built in the 18th century, with

and interior preserved in good condition * Veisiejai () *

Žiežmariai Žiežmariai () is a List of cities in Lithuania, town in the Kaišiadorys district municipality, Lithuania. It is located south of Kaišiadorys. The center of Žiežmariai is a state-protected urbanistic monument. History Žiežmariai were men ...

(), under restoration since March 2016, exterior works completed in 2018 Destroyed in the 21st century: *

Plungė Plungė (; Samogitian: ''Plongė''; ) is a city in Lithuania with 17,252 inhabitants. Plunge is the capital of the Plungė District Municipality which has 33,251 inhabitants (2022). Two parts of the city are separated by the Babrungas River and ...

(), brought down in 2007 * Seda (), built in the early 20th century,Kucharska, Jolanta, "Ilustrowany przewodnik po zabytkach na Wileńszczyźnie i Żmudzi", Warszawa 2004, (InterWiki: Synagoga w Siadach) collapsed in 2005

Destroyed wooden synagogues

Almost all wooden synagogues were destroyed in the 20th century. Some of them were documented during the ethnographic expeditions. * Cold Synagogue, Mogilev - with murals from 1740, documented by

and Issachar Ber Ryback * Gwoździec Synagogue - with murals from 1652, reconstructed in

POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews () is a museum on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The Hebrew word ''Polin'' in the museum's English name means either "Poland" or "rest here" and relates to a legend about the arrival of the firs ...

Wołpa Synagogue The Wołpa Synagogue was a synagogue located in the town of Vowpa, in what is now western Belarus. It was reputed to be the "most beautiful" of the wooden synagogues of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, a "masterwork" of wooden vernac ...

- reputed to be the "most beautiful" of the wooden synagogues * Przedbórz Synagogue * Nasielsk Synagogue

Replicas

There is a replica of the

in Bilgoraj, and another replica of the synagogue (Połaniec) is in

Sanok Sanok (in full the Royal Free City of Sanok — , , ''Sanok'', , ''Sianok'' or ''Sianik'', , , ''Sūnik'' or ''Sonik'') is a town in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of southeastern Poland with 38,397 inhabitants, as of June 2016. Located on the San ...

in Warsaw has a partial reconstruction of the Gwoździec Synagogue. The ceiling painting of the synagogue in Chodoriw was reconstructed for the ANU - Museum of the Jewish People (Beit Hatefusot) in Tel Aviv. In the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme (Museum of Jewish Art and History) in Paris there are models of several wooden synagogues.

References

External links

About ''Wooden Synagogues'', by Maria and Kazimierz Piechotka

''Heaven’s Gates: Wooden Synagogues in the Territories of the Former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth'' – Maria & Kazimierz Piechotka

Synagogue Architecture at YIVO encyclopedia

Gallery from Maria and Kazimierz Piechotka's books

Research on wooden synagogues and Stella’s Polish inspirations

A Brief History of Polish Wooden Synagogues

REPLICATING THE GWOZDZIEC WOODEN SYNAGOGUE

About the murals in wooden synagogues at lostmural.org

The Lost Wooden Synagogues of Eastern Europe

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20121102015654/http://www.handshouse.org:80/synagogues/2004exhibition.html Common Heritage: The Wooden Synagogues of Poland
The Wooden Synagogues of Lithuania

Wooden synagogues (Lithuania)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wooden Synagogues *Polish-Lithuanian Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Synagogues 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 ...

. * Wooden . Architectural styles Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Europe Wooden buildings and structures in Lithuania Wooden buildings and structures in Poland Wooden buildings and structures in Ukraine