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Nizhny Novgorod Synagogue

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Coordinates: 56°19′13″N 43°59′40″E / 56.32032017189471°N 43.99445836053302°E / 56.32032017189471; 43.99445836053302
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Nizhny Novgorod Synagogue
The synagogue in 2013
Religion
AffiliationJudaism
RiteNusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
OwnershipJewish community of Nizhny Novgorod
StatusActive
Location
Location15 Gruzinskaia Street, Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
CountryRussia
Nizhny Novgorod Synagogue is located in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Synagogue
Location of the synagogue in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Geographic coordinates56°19′13″N 43°59′40″E / 56.32032017189471°N 43.99445836053302°E / 56.32032017189471; 43.99445836053302
Architecture
Architect(s)I. F. Neiman
TypeSynagogue architecture
StyleEclecticism
Groundbreaking1881
Completed1884
Specifications
Dome(s)One
MaterialsBrick
Website
evreinn.ru
Invalid designation
Official nameSynagogue
TypeMonument
CriteriaRegional significance
DesignatedAugust 31, 1993
Reference no.521410059340005
[1][2]

The Nizhny Novgorod Synagogue, also known as the Choral Synagogue in Nizhnii Novgorod,[1] is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 5 Gruzinskaia Street, in Nizhny Novgorod, in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast of Russia. As of April 2018, the Jewish community of Nizhny Novgorod comprised more than 10,000 people.[3][4] The synagogue was completed in 1884 in an eclectic style. The building was designed by architect Ivan Neiman.[5]

In 1993 the synagogue was listed on the Russian cultural heritage register as a monument of regional significance.[2]

History

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The Jewish population of the city grew rapidly during the 19th and early 20th centuries, rising from 300 people in 1850 to some 3000 people in 1913.[3] The city accepted many Jewish refugees after World War I and Russian Civil War, swelling its number by some 15,000 people.[3] The synagogue was built in the period from 1881 to 1883. The synagogue was led by a rabbi and a chief rabbi. There they formed a yeshiva and held charitable and funeral services.

Despite the increase of Jewish refugees in Nizhny Novgorod, government policy was aimed at reducing the Jewish population in the Nizhny Novgorod region.[citation needed] The policy of the Soviet regime towards Jews was dual. On the one hand, community institutions were abolished, and atheism was propagated. On the other hand, the government attempted to control accused anti-Semitism and fought against pogroms. For the most part, however, the propagation of atheism had the greater effect on Jewish church organisation, and as a result the synagogue's social role diminished along with the services it provided. By 1938 the synagogue, club and national society had been abolished.[3]

With glasnost during the late 1980s and the subsequent fall of the Soviet government, the Jewish community of Nizhny Novgorod experienced a renaissance. A Club of Jewish Culture was established in 1989, and a religious community was registered. On 18 May 1991 the synagogue building was returned to the community, and services resumed later the same year.[3] The synagogue is once again the centre of the city's Jewish community, and is involved in the organisation of a wide range of services, including schools and youth clubs, and social aid programmes such as a soup kitchen and drug and alcohol addiction prevention and support schemes.[6] The synagogue is currently run by Rabbi Shimon Bergman.[4]

21st century

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In 2024 the installation of architectural and artistic lighting on the facade of the synagogue was completed. The project was developed and implemented by Avigrand LLC.[5]

Community

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The revival of the Jewish Community of Nizhny Novgorod began in 1989, when several influential Jewish cities organized the Jewish Culture Club. Later, Lipa Gruzman registered religious communities officially and began taking action to return the synagogue buildings. September 1991 brought the opening of the Sunday Jewish School, and on April 17 the synagogue held an official opening ceremony after its renovation. In 1989 Edward M. Chaprak was appointed as head of the community. In 1999 Shimon Bergman came to Nizhny Novgorod to serve as the Chief Rabbi of the city. Under his leadership, the daily minyan was updated in the synagogue, and various Jewish institutions were opened in the city: the school Or Avner-Habad; the kindergarten, Gan Menachem; a youth club; and a summer camp with a boarding yeshiva, Torah lessons, and various activities for holidays. Two years later, the mikvah for women was built.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Choral Synagogue in Nizhnii Novgorod". Historic Synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "синагоги" (Searchable database). Сведения из Единого государственного реестра объектов культурного наследия (памятников истории и культуры) народов Российской Федерации (in Russian). Ministry of Culture (Russia). Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Nizhny Novgorod Jewish Community". Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "About". Nizhny Novgorod Jewish Community. Retrieved April 16, 2018.[self-published source?]
  5. ^ a b "Архитектурную подсветку смонтировали на нижегородской синагоге". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). September 10, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  6. ^ Jewish Community of Nizhny Novgorod, chabad.org. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
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