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Piaskower Synagoge

Coordinates: 53°07′45″N 23°09′14″E / 53.129111°N 23.154000°E / 53.129111; 23.154000
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Piaskower Synagogue
Polish: Synagoga Piaskower
The former synagogue in 2017
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism (former)
RiteNusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
Status
  • Abandoned;
  • Repurposed
Location
Location3 Piękna Street, Białystok, Podlaskie Voivodeship
CountryPoland
Piaskower Synagoge is located in Podlaskie Voivodeship
Piaskower Synagoge
Location of the former synagogue
in Podlaskie Voivodeship
Geographic coordinates53°07′45″N 23°09′14″E / 53.129111°N 23.154000°E / 53.129111; 23.154000
Architecture
TypeSynagogue architecture
Date establishedc. 1820 (as a congregation)
Groundbreaking1891
Completed1893
MaterialsBrick
[1][2]

The Piaskower Synagogue (Polish: Synagoga Piaskower) is a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 3 Piękna Street, in the Piaski district of Białystok, in the Podlaskie Voivodeship of Poland.

Completed in 1893, the former synagogue served as a place of worship until desecrated by Nazis during World War II. After the war, the former synagogue served as a community center for Jews living in Białystok until 1968, and following a fire in 1989, the building has been used for profane purposes since 1995.[1][2]

History

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The synagogue was constructed from 1891 to 1893 on the site of an earlier wooden synagogue which had been built around 1820.

During the German occupation of Poland in World War II, the synagogue was partially destroyed. From 1945 to 1968, it was the seat of various Białystok Jewish organisations, such as the Socio-cultural Association of Jews in Poland. From 1968, the building was no longer used for specifically Jewish purposes, instead being used as a cinema and a theatre. Renovation work in the 1970s removed the distinctive features that marked it as a synagogue and it burnt down in 1989.[2]

In 1995, the structure was renovated. It is currently the headquarters of the Ludwik Zamenhof Foundation, which sells text-books and literature on Esperanto and offers Esperanto language courses.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Piaskower Beit Midrash in Białystok". Historic Synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Piaskower Beit Midrash, 3 Piękna Street". Virtual Shtetl. POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
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Media related to Piaskower Synagogue in Białystok at Wikimedia Commons