Soldier Synagogue (russian: Солдатская синагога) is the only active synagogue in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East ...

. It was built in 1872. The synagogue burnt down during the pogrom of 1905, but in 1913-1914 the building was restored. In 1935, the synagogue was closed for worship. After

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the building was again transferred to the local Jewish community. Soldier Synagogue has the status of an object of cultural heritage of regional significance.

History

In 1862, retired Jewish soldiers established Jewish Prayer Society in Rostov-on-Don. On May 31, 1862, the

Yekaterinoslav Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper R ...

province government gave to society a permission to rent a separate room for worship rituals. The project of Choral Synagogue was approved by Rosotov authorities on June 4, 1872, and in the same year the building was constructed. According to some reports, the money for the construction of synagogues were donated by Rostov merchant Joseph Markovich Elitser. It is presumed that the architect of the synagogue was Ernst Ernestovich von Shulman, and the building contractor ― Moisey Leontyevich Geronimus. The synagogue building was reconstructed several times. In 1881, in the east part of it there was attached a three-story brick building. In 1891, to the south wall of the synagogue there was also attached a two-storey building, the ground floor of which housed a school for children of poor soldiers, and the second floor was occupied by Prayer school. The Synagogue was seriously damaged by fire during the anti-Jewish pogrom in 1905. It was restored only in 1913–1914, when the necessary funds were collected. The author of the reconstruction project was

Petersburg Petersburg, or Petersburgh, may refer to: Places Australia *Petersburg, former name of Peterborough, South Australia Canada * Petersburg, Ontario Russia *Saint Petersburg, sometimes referred to as Petersburg United States *Peterborg, U.S. Virg ...

architect Yakov Germanovich Gevirts. Worship in the synagogue resumed on March 29, 1914, on the day of

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...

. In 1935, the synagogue was closed for worship. The building housed a chemical factory. During the war, these enterprises were evacuated from the city. In 1943, after the liberation of Rostov-on-Don, the synagogue was taken again by the Jewish community. Official permission to use the building by the Jewish community was sanctioned on April 14, 1945. In 2005 a major overhaul of the synagogue was implemented. The corner dome, with

stars 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 decorativ ...

that were lost in the 1940s, was restored. Reconstruction works were completed by the end of the year, and on 26 December the synagogue was opened.

Architecture

The architecture of Soldier Synagogue has elements of

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Moder ...

and Oriental styles. The building has a complex configuration plan. Three parts of the building volume are reduced to north–south axis. The light openings in the top of the bindings are patterned, stylized with gothic rose. The cap of the synagogue is decorated with rustication, and the façade is decorated with

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

rosette Rosette is the French diminutive of ''rose''. It may refer to: Flower shaped designs * Rosette (award), a mark awarded by an organisation * Rosette (design), a small flower design *hence, various flower-shaped or rotational symmetric forms: ** R ...

References

{{coord, 47.2175, N, 39.7180, E, source:wikidata, display=title Cultural heritage monuments in Rostov-on-Don Jews and Judaism in Rostov-on-Don Religious buildings and structures in Rostov-on-Don Synagogues in Russia Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Rostov Oblast

History

Architecture

See also

References