| Great Synagogue of Białystok | |
|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Suraska Street, Białystok, Poland |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Status | Destroyed in 1941 |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Szlojme Rabinowicz |
| Completed | 1913 |
The Great Synagogue (Polish: Wielka Synagoga w Białymstoku) was a synagogue located in Białystok, Poland, which was built between 1909-1913 and designed by Szlojme Rabinowicz. The synagogue was burnt down by Nazis on June 27, 1941, with an estimated number of 2,000 Jews inside.
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The Great Synagogue was built on Suraska Street, construction beginning in 1909 and ending upon its completion in 1913. It was designed by Szlojme (Shlomo) Jakow Rabinowicz.
At the synagogue women prayed together with men, though in separate halls that surrounded the main prayer hall on three sides. Such 20th-century novelties as choir and organ were introducded, and during the period between World War I and World War II, national holidays were celebrated with services attended by such city authorities as the mayor and the governor of the region. The last official rabbi of Białystok, Dr. Gedali Rozenman, at the end of the prayer and Jewish hymn "Hatikvah" would intone the Polish national anthem "Jeszcze Polska nie zginela".
The Great Synagoge's size and prestige attracted cantors from all over Poland, as well as from neighboring countries. In 1934 for the Passover holiday, as many as fourteen cantors offered their services to the governing board of the Synagogue.
On the morning of June 27, 1941, Nazi troops from Order Police Battalion 309 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 2,000 men, women and children– were locked in the synagogue, which was subsequently 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.[1]
According to testimony in the Bialystoker Memorial Book in many instances people slashed their friend's and neighbor's wrists in order to shorten their ordeal. One young man, not yet overcome by smoke, climbed up to a window inside the sanctuary, where he knocked out several panes and cursed the Nazis looking on. He was shot and fell from the window and survived. The Polish synagogue watchman, risking his life, was able to sneak in to open a side door, enabling several Jews to escape including the wounded young man.
The Synagogue was topped by a large dome with a spire of ten meters. The synagogue also had two smaller symmetrical decorative domes atop its side halls. The main dome was supported by steel and concrete pillars that at the lower level were incorporated in the Bimah's construction. Under it the indoor lighting system included eight small windows. The synagogue employed a mixture of architectural styles, primarily neo-Gothic and Byzantine.
The reconstruction of the wrecked Great Synagogue dome, as well as a memorial plaque to the thousands of Jews who were burned alive was dedicated in August 1995. It reads: