On June 17 in Drohobych, after many years of restoration, a choral synagogue was inaugurated - the architectural decoration of the city and a vivid witness to its unique, colorful history.
Prehistory
The first mention of the presence of Jews in the city of Drohobych is related to the activities of Vovchko - the owner of the Drohobych salt mines and, at the same time, a trustee of the Polish King Wladyslaw Jagiello and dates back to 1404 . In fact, the extraction of salt and its sale attracted wealthy Jewish merchants to the city and its environs, who settled in the area adjacent to the mines.
In the 15th and 16th centuries , the number of Jews living near Salt Lake and on the borders of the then villages of Zvarych and Zavizhna (currently Zvarytska and Zavizhna Streets within modern-day Drohobych) gradually increased. They began making and selling alcohol ( "propination" ), brewing beer , "shredding" (adding strength) honey, which violated the monopoly of the church and the city magistrate on this activity and forced the latter to complain about the Jews in the royal court. In 1578 , King Stefan Batory of Poland granted Drohobych the so-called privilege"De non tolerandis Judaies" - a ban on Jews living within the city , and Jews arriving in Drohobych were not allowed to stay in the city for more than three days and trade outside the fair days. Currently, there are no archival documents that would indicate the presence of representatives of the Jewish community in Drohobych between 1578 and 1616.
In 1616 , King Władysław IV of Poland granted him a privilege, which in 1634 was confirmed by Jan (Ivan) Danilowicz , Drohobych's headman and royal treasurer . According to this privilege, Jews in the suburbs of Drohobych were given a barren plot of land of 30 mortuaries , ie 1 field (about 18 hectares ) for the construction of their own housing and synagogue. Thus arose the Jewish quarter , which was named " Lan ". The synagogue and the Lan Quarter were destroyed in 1648 assault on the city by Cossack detachments led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky , to which local Jews Aron Hoshkovych and Lev Aronovych in September of 1649 filed a complaint with the Lviv City Court. In 1711 , the community received permission to restore the synagogue, which, however, burned down in 1713 with Lan in a fire . In 1726 , the Jews received permission to build a new synagogue on the same site, provided that the new one would not be taller or larger than the previous one . In 1743 , the synagogue was rebuilt on stone and galleries for women were equipped. The synagogue building was extended in plan from west to east (23.7x12.4 m), and the thickness of the walls reached 2.5 m. for the Jews and one of the architectural dominants of Drohobych until a monumental building of a large choral synagogue was built in 1842-1865 on the adjacent site to its left. After that, it was turned into a base midrash , and after the Second World War, fragments of its ruins were built into the bakery building.
Construction
The construction of the choral synagogue was initiated by the local Jewish community, headed by the Hasidic Tzaddik Laser -Nisan Teitboim (Rabbi Eliezer Nissen Teitboim, 1786–1853) since 1849. The Drohobych Choral Synagogue was built for 23 years, from 1842 to 1865 , in the Jewish suburb of Drohobych, Lan. At that time, the Drohobych Choral Synagogue was one of the largest synagogues in Europe and the largest in Western Ukraine. A similar synagogue built in the German city of Kassel is based on the exterior decoration.(1830), using for the image on the facade the same Romanesque architectural belts [16] , typical of the German style Rundbogen . The Jewish synagogue, built in Kassel, was destroyed by the Nazis and can now only be seen in photographs, and the Drohobych Choral Synagogue is under reconstruction.
History
During World War II , the synagogue served as a stable .
After the end of the Second World War, it housed a fabric warehouse, then a salt warehouse , later a furniture store, and in the annexes there were food warehouses.
In the late 80's - early 90's of the 20th century the building was returned to the Drohobych Jewish community. Despite this, it was looted and set on fire twice . The building was in ruins, there were projects for its reconstruction.
Experts estimate that at least half a million US dollars will be needed to restore the building . The Jewish community of Ukraine undertook to restore the monument. As it should be, the builders started repairing the roof to save all that was left. However, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (Hasids) failed to find adequate funds.
Later, the Jewish community of Drohobych found patrons who allocated money to strengthen the walls of the building. Since November 2013, repair work has been continued, and the facade is being renovated and strengthened. And, apparently, the agreement on the lease of the FEU premises will be terminated.
Modernity
At the present stage of its history, the premises of the Drohobych Choral Synagogue are used as a platform for art exhibitions and projects. 1991) Bartholomew Michalowski (2008 - "Back", 2010 - "City… in 10 years Kazimierz in Drohobych", 2012 - "Road", 2014 - "Spring"). In January 2020, a 3D tour of the Choral Synagogue was developed.
Interesting to know
Historians have investigated that the largest synagogue in Eastern Galicia was painted by a prominent Polish-Jewish artist, the "Jewish Rembrandt" (19th century), a student of Jan Alois Matejko , a classmate and friend of Ivan Franko, a native of Drohobych , Maurice Gottlieb . Drohobych Choral Synagogue is depicted in his painting "Synagogue in Yom Kippur".
Photos
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