Jewish history Dumpling begins in the first half of the 16th century, it is from that period that chronicle records mentioning the Jewish community appear. Probably already then there were wooden temples, but the solid stone building of the main synagogues  built much later.

Where was the synagogue in Kletsk old photo
1930 from the Yad Vashem Photo Archive

In many sources, the exact date of completion of construction is found - 1796 year. The architecture of the synagogue has quite traditional forms, but with a mixture of baroque and modern styles.

Great synagogue in Kletsk
1923, source: Biblioteka Narodowa

Already from the beginning of the 19th century, the Jewish population was actively increasing and by 1897 it accounted for more than 70% of the total population of Kletsk (at that time about 5500 people).

Kletsk synagogue
Pre-war photograph, source: Pinkas Klezk: a memorial to the Jewish community of Kletzk-Poland 1959

The main, or Great, synagogue of Kletsk was destroyed during the German occupation. On the frames of the old military newsreel of those years, you can see that only the walls survived from the building.

Kletsk synagogue old snapshot
Source: The Center for Jewish Art
The photo was probably taken before 1920.
Great synagogue in Kletsk during the occupation
A frame from a German newsreel, 1944

Often the main synagogue of Kletsk is mistaken for the building of the former Yeshiva Etz Chaim, but it is much younger and was built in 1927. Below is a dot with the place where the synagogue of 1796 was supposedly located:

If you are in this city, I also recommend to see Resurrection Church и Polish barracks of the 20th century.

LEAVE AN ANSWER

Enter your comment
Your name