Description of the attraction
Jews appeared in Vilna at the beginning of the 15th century, but the Jewish community began its activity only in 1593. It was then that Sigismund III granted the Jews the privilege of living in Vilna.
In 1830-40, the Jewish educational movement "Haskala" spread in Vilnius. Already in 1820-30, the first secular editions were published - history textbooks, which were translated by the Haskalah writer Mordechai Aaron Gunzburg and poetry collections of Abraham Dov Lebenson. Jewish students were enrolled in the Vilnius gymnasium.
In 1846, when M. Gintsburg was buried, the followers of the Haskala decided that they needed to found a synagogue in order for them to have their own meeting room. The Vilnius authorities supported the initiative of Jewish educators, and in 1847 permission was given to open a synagogue. She was named "Taharat Hakodesh", which means the cleansing of the shrine.
The temple had an orthodox orientation, but on the model of the German synagogues, in which, at that time, the creation of Reformed Judaism took place, all rituals were carried out using choral singing. For this reason, the synagogue was called Choral.
Throughout the 19th century, the synagogue operated in different premises, but did not have its own building. In 1899, the synagogue board bought a land plot on Zavalnaya Street that had previously belonged to the merchant V. Eliyashberg. By 1902, with the participation of the architect David Rosenhaus, a project for the future building of the synagogue was created. Construction began and on September 3, 1903, to celebrate the Jewish New Year, its inauguration took place.
The grand opening of the synagogue took place with the participation of many prominent people of the era: historian Simon Dubnov, cantor Avraham Bernstein and others. In the 19th century, bankers of the Bunimovich family, board member E. Pruzhanas, merchant I. Shabad, architect D. Rosenhaus, public figures S. Trotskis and S. Citron, writers D. Lebenson, A. Meyer Dick, K. Shulman were frequent guests of the synagogue. … The Vilnius rabbi Zelig Minor possessed a very valuable library, which he bequeathed to the synagogue.
For two years the preacher of the synagogue was the famous writer, Zionist, Sh. Levin, a deputy of the Russian State Duma.
The structure of the synagogue building was made with elements of the Moorish style. The exterior facade of the building is impressive with a high arch supported by two interior columns. In the vault of the arch there are two side windows with openings in the form of niches. In the upper part, above the entrance, there is a large stained-glass window in the shape of a semicircle. At the bottom of the large arch, the two inner columns form three smaller arched openings. The interior of the synagogue is sustained in the same smooth lines of walls and columns, interconnected with soft, arched lines. On the second floor, a special room was set aside for the choirs and for the women's section.
Of more than a hundred Jewish prayer houses that operated in Vilnius at the beginning of the 20th century, only a few survived after World War II. One of them is the Takharat Hakodesh synagogue.
During the development of independent Lithuania, the synagogue was restored. Famous cantors began to come here very often to participate in general singing. One of them is the well-known modern cantor I. Malovan. He even received the title of honorary cantor of the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius.
