Progress is being made in the restoration of the 17th century Great Maharsha Synagogue in Ostroh, Ukraine — and is being documented online with pictures of the ongoing work.
Built in 1627, the synagogue is an early example of the nine-bay sanctuary. It was damaged during the Holocaust and then used as a pharmacological warehouse under the Soviets.
The current work has included clearing debris from the interior of the building and also emergency repairs to the roof, which had partially collapsed: Restoring masonry gables, preparing the roof framing, installing scaffolding for the restoration of the arch.
Local activist Grigori Arshinov, who has spearheaded the restoration work, told a conference earlier this year that he was inspired to push for the restoration by our first JHE “Have Your Say” article The Great Maharsha Synagogue in Ostroh: Memory and Oblivion. Have we reached the point of no return? In it, Sergey Kravtsov, of the Center for Jewish Art, wrote about the synagogue’s condition and fate.
In recent decades, the pharmaceutical facility was removed from the Maharsha Synagogue, and its roof collapsed and also disappeared. The building is deteriorating rapidly, no longer protected from harsh winter weather. Descendants of Ostroh Jews who now reside in Israel came to an agreement with the regional authorities some years back to convert the ruined building into a museum, and the plan for its reconstruction was prepared. The Ukrainian side had even assembled timber for a new roof. The financial crisis of 2008, however, paralyzed all further efforts, and by now even the construction material that had been assembled has vanished.
Read Sergey Kravtsov’s Have Your Say essay
Access the Great Maharsha Synagogue’s Facebook group to see many more pictures
Click here to see video that shows the synagogue before reconstruction commenced