Belarus: Remaining Wooden Synagogue at Luban to be Designated Protected Site

Luban, Belarus. Surviving synagogue building.
Photo courtesy: Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus

Belarus: Remaining Wooden Synagogue at Luban to be Designated Protected Sites, ISJM Seeks Funds to Speed Up Belarus Synagogue Documentation
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) Last April and May, I reported on the unnecessary destruction of the wooden former synagogue in Luban (Lyubin), Belarus. At that time, there was also a second wooden building - now a music school - identified as a former synagogue. The destruction of one synagogue prompted research and appeals on behalf of the other, and now Yuri Dorn, Coordinator of Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus, reports that the surviving wooden synagogue in Luban will be included by the government preservation commission of historical and cultural heritage of Belarus on the list of objects under government protection.

At present, because of its use as music school, the building is not endangered. Many other synagogues in Belarus are, however, at risk. Some have been documented and even returned to the Jewish Community, but there are no funds for their restoration as Jewish synagogues or centers or their adaptive reuse. Many other former synagogue are hardly documented, and this is needed to preserve their history for the future, but also to better protect the buildings in the present. Archival documentations is needed, as well as the preparation of architectural plans and drawings. With proper documentation many of these buildings could be listed a protected sites and some might be developed as restoration and reuse projects.

ISJM in partnership with the Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus will support such documentation projects - provided funding. Contributions can be sent to ISJM - mark "Belarus" on the memo line. Our first funding goal the modest amount of $10,000 - but this will be sufficient to prepare substantial documentation on several sites.

For more information, contact me directly at samuelgruber@gmail.com

Publication: Beautiful Book of Synagogue Images Published in Belarus

Publication: Beautiful Book of Synagogue Images Published in Belarus
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) Though times are tough for the former synagogues of Belarus (see recent posts about Kobrin and Luban, the legacy of synagogue architecture is not forgotten in that country. I have recently received a beautifully produced volume of high quality reproductions of historic postcards - 461 images altogether - representing several hundred views in scores of towns and cities of Eastern Europe and especially the former Soviet Union. For Belarus alone, postcards are reproduced of synagogues in Bereza-Kartuska, Bobruisk, Borisov, Brest, David-Gorodok, Derechin, Druya, Glubokoe, Gorodische, Grodno, Ivanovo, Ivye, Kletsk, Kozhan-Gorodok, Khomsk, Lida, Lumno, Minsk, Mir, Mogilev, Mstislavl, Narovlya, Nesvizh, Novaya Mysh, Novogrudok, Ozery, Orsha, Oshmyany, Pinsk, Polotsk, Pruzhany, Skidel, Slonim, Sopotskin, Stolovichi, Vitebsk, Volkovysk,Volpa, Zhlobin.

The book Synagogues: Jewish Life by Vladimir Likhodedov (Minsk: Riftur, 2007) [ISBN 978-985-6700-60-9] is both a tremendous resource and also a terrible reminder of the architectural, historic and religious legacy that has been lost through the destruction of the Soviet regime in the in the 1920s, during the Holocaust, and in the post-war Soviet era. Only a few of the buildings represented still, stand, and those are now in much-altered condition.

Still, for the most part, these postcards from the collection of Mikhail Tverdokhlebov, represent only the most scenic and monumental of synagogue buildings - those that were already seen in their time as both Jewish and local landmarks and tourist attractions. Thus, hundreds- probably thousands - of small shuls in big cities, and all the synagogues and prayer houses in smaller towns and villages remain unrecorded. The original appearance of many is lost forever - since they were never photographed at all. The Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus has in recent years endeavored to document those buildings still standing in Belarus, and some of their efforts can be seen on their website.

The author states that this volume is the first of a series called “Jewish Life,” of the project “Looking for Lost Values,” and that more books will come out soon to “introduce the reader to the world of Jewish History, culture and everyday routines.” We look forward to more works of this quality.

In recent years there have been several collections of synagogue and Judaica postcards. I invite readers to submit titles - I think it worthwhile to assemble a list of these publications.

Belarus: Photos of the Demolition of the Luban Synagogue

Belarus: Photos of the Demolition of the Luban Synagogue A Wake-up Call or Business as Usual?

Dovid Katz in Vilnius has forwarded photos by Alexandr Astraukh of the destruction of the Luban Synagogue. Can this be a wake-up call for better policies in Belarus and elsewhere? This was not a derelict building. It was not a ruined. It was not a forgotten site. It was sacrificed to the demands of contemporary development pressures where expediency and short term gain (to the public tax rolls or to a local politician's campaign war chest or private account) mean more than protecting history and architecture. No community in the world is immune to these pressures. Nor should every old building be saved. But there needs to be in place - in every community - procedures that allow time for review and reflection, and time for world to get out that a building is imperiled.

I call on all my readers to keep their eyes and ears open. Development deals are mostly hatched in secret and sprung quickly. Make sure the historic sites in your communities are documented and well known, so ignorance cannot be cited as an excuse for demolition and neglect. If a building is in trouble - physical or financial, or some other threat looms - let the world know.

Belarus: More on Demolition of Luban Synagogue

Former Synagogue Building in Luban, Belarus c. 2005.
Photos courtesy of Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus

Belarus: More on Demolition of Luban Synagogue
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) Yuri Dorn, Coordinator of Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus, has provided more information about the on-going demolition of the former synagogue in Luban, Belarus and has provided pictures of the impressive vernacular building, and of the memorial plaque. Demolition began last week, and as of yesterday the roof and its supporting system had been entirely removed. A vice-Mayor of Luban had informed the Research Group only a few days before of the demolition, and that "all legal procedures has been followed and all necessary permissions have been obtained." The former synagogue building will be replaced by a new large commercial structure - some sort of store.

According to Dorn, the Luban authorities did not inform Belarus Jewish community about planned demolition. He did not speculate why, but presumably they were either ignorant of the need to do so, or of any likely interest in the fate of the building, or they suspected that if word got out that their would be complaint. Based on my long experience in historic preservation I would assume the worst, and that is the reason for the rush to demolish, so that any protest will be too late. In 2004, the Jewish Community of Belarus tried unsuccessfully to include the Luban Synagogue building on the official registry of landmarks, but was unable to do so because of insufficient archival documentation about the building's history. Presumably it was not deemed eligible on architectural grounds alone.

Mr. Dorn warns of a similar situation is beginning to develop in Ivenets (Minsk district), where one of the three last wooden synagogue buildings in Belarus is under threat. ISJM will provide more information about that situation as soon as we learn more.

Belarus: Former Synagogue Demolished in Luban

Belarus: Former Synagogue Demolished in Luban
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) Associate Press writer Yuras Karmanau reports on the demolition of a former synagogue in Luban, Belarus. It is worth noting the history of the building had previously been recognized with a plaque. Local musuem officials are reporting that the building was not of value since it did not look like a synagogue - implying that there is a specific way that synagogues should look (not so!). I do not know this building, but I do know that historic and architectural preservation requires attention to a full range of building types - architecturally distinctive structures and typical vernacular ones - in order to present a balanced view of the past. There was time not long ago that 19th century buildings and modern-style buildings weren't deemed historic and worth protecting. Given the extensive destruction and loss of Jewish cultural, religious and other heritage sites in Belarus, every surviving site is a surrogate for those lost. Demolition should only be an extreme and last resort.

I hope this building was fully documented (I am trying to find photos now).

Belarus destroys synagogue of renowned rabbi

By YURAS KARMANAU, Associated Press

Fri Apr 24, 4:27 pm ET

LUBAN, Belarus – The roof has been removed and the windows stripped of their frames and glass. Piece by piece, workers are tearing down the former synagogue where a renowned rabbi served before fleeing the Soviet Union for New York in 1936.

Moshe Feinstein, considered one of the most influential Orthodox rabbis in the United States until his death in 1986, was the last rabbi to serve at the synagogue in this once predominantly Jewish town.

After his departure, the synagogue in Luban was taken over by Young Pioneers for the training of future communists. Within five years, most of the Jews were gone too, as almost the entire Jewish population was rounded up and shot by the invading Nazis in World War II.

Read the full story here.