Grozny synagogue

Grozny synagogue
Russian: Ашкеназская синагога
The synagogue in 1910, prior to its destruction
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism (former)
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue
Status	Destroyed
Location
Location	Grozny, Chechnya, North Caucasus
Country	Russia
Location of the destroyed synagogue in Chechnya
Geographic coordinates	43°18′54″N 45°41′38″E
Architecture
Type	Synagogue architecture
Funded by	The congregation of Ashkenazi Jews
Groundbreaking	1900
Completed	1902; rebuilt in 1930s
Materials	brick blocks
Invalid designation
Official name	Synagogue
Type	Monument
Criteria	Regional significance
Designated	November 9, 2010
Reference no.	Cultural heritage site

The Grozny synagogue (Russian: Ашкеназская синагога; Hebrew: בית כנסת גרוזני) was an Ashkenazi Orthodox Jewish synagogue located in the city of Grozny in the Chechen Republic, in the North Caucasus of Russia. In 1929 the synagogue was closed and later rebuilt and used for secular purposes.

History

In the mid-19th century, a settlement of Mountain Jews, probably migrated from Dagestan, appeared in Grozny on the right bank of the Sunzha River. By 1866, 453 men and 475 women of Jewish origin lived there. In 1875, a prayer house was built in the settlement, almost on the riverbank. In 1900, a flood destroyed the prayer house. That same year, construction of a synagogue began on the same site, which was completed two years later, in 1902. It was replaced by a large domed synagogue, built of brick, located between the Persian mosque and the Mitnikov bathhouse. As of 1883, there were 2 synagogues in Grozny.

In the early 1930s, during the period of religious persecution, the Soviet government closed the synagogue. Then, the building was rebuilt, adding a second floor. In 1937, a music school was opened in this building. The dome of the building was subsequently demolished. In the 1970s - 1990s, a music college was in the synagogue. The building was destroyed during the First Chechen War.

See also

• Jewish Quarter of Grozny
• History of the Jews in Russia
• List of synagogues in Russia

Literature

• Satsita Israilova. Stories told by the temple: temples in the territory of Grozny // Archival Bulletin. - 2017. No. 5. ISSN: 978-5-6040381-2-3.
• Judah Chorny. Mountain Jews // Collection of information about the Caucasian highlanders. Issue III. Tiflis, 1870.
• Ilya Anisimov. "Caucasian Mountain Jews", 1888.
• Kazakov A. I., "The City of Grozny". Popular essays and histories of Checheno-Ingushetia. Publ. 1984.
• Elizarov Mikhail (Moisey) Shavadovich. Community of * Mountain Jews of Chechnya. Israel: Mirvori, 2012. p. 232.
• Havan D. M, Cherny I. Ya. From the cultural past of the Caucasian Jews. Jews in Chechnya. Grozny: Publ. Book, 1992. p. 48.

External links

• Media related to Grozny synagogue at Wikimedia Commons
• The main Jew of the North Caucasus: how and for whom a synagogue was not built in Chechnya.