Great Synagogue (Białystok) Explained

Great Synagogue
Native Name:Polish: Wielka Synagoga w Białymstoku
Image Upright:1.4
Rite:Nusach Ashkenaz
Festivals:-->
Organizational Status:-->
Functional Status:Destroyed by arson
Location:Suraska Street, Białystok, Podlaskie Voivodeship
Country:Poland
Map Type:Poland Podlaskie Voivodeship
Map Size:250
Map Relief:1
Architect:Szlojme Rabinowicz
Architecture Type:Synagogue architecture
Architecture Style:Byzantine Revival
Groundbreaking:1909
Year Completed:1913
Date Destroyed:June 27, 1941
Dome Quantity:Three
Elevation Ft:-->

The Great Synagogue (Polish: Wielka Synagoga w Białymstoku) was a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, that was located in Białystok, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. The synagogue building was designed by Szlojme Rabinowicz and completed in 1913. The building served as a house of prayer until World War II when it was destroyed by Nazis on June 27, 1941. It was estimated that approximately 700 to 800 Jewish people were inside the synagogue at the time of its destruction, by arson.

History

See main article: 1941 Białystok massacres. The synagogue was located on Suraska Street. Construction began in 1909, and the building was completed in 1913. It was designed by Szlojme (Shlomo) Jakow Rabinowicz and included three Byzantine Revival-style domes: a large one with a spire over the main hall with two smaller ones flanking it over the side halls.[1]

On the morning of June 27, 1941, Nazi troops from Police Battalion 309 of the Ordnungspolizei surrounded the town square by the Great Synagogue and forced residents from their homes into the street. Some were shoved up against building walls and shot dead. Others, some 700-800 men, women and children, were locked in the synagogue, which was then set on fire; there they burned to death. The Nazi onslaught continued with the grenading of numerous homes and further shootings. As the flames from the synagogue spread and merged with the grenade fires, the entire square was engulfed. On that day, some 3,000 Jews lost their lives.[2]

Monument

A reconstruction of the destroyed dome and a memorial plaque were dedicated in August 1995. The plaque reads: "Our splendid sanctuary fell victim to the flames on June 27, 1941. 2000 Jews were burnt alive in it by the German Nazi murderers."

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Bialystok Great Synagogue . Bartman . Tilford . Zabludow Memorial Website . 6 May 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130530052550/http://www.zabludow.com/bialystokgreatsynagogue.html . 30 May 2013.
  2. Web site: Raiha, Evelyn . The Importance of World Peace: The Holocaust . GeoCities . https://web.archive.org/web/20030815103937/http://sg.geocities.com/raiha_evelyn/holocaust.html . 2003-08-15 .