This is pretty spectacular — local activist Grigori Arshinov has posted drone footage showing the progress that is being made in the restoration of the Great Maharsha synagogue in Ostroh, Ukraine — particularly the roof and facade.
Built around 1627, the synagogue is an important example of a seminal architectural design for synagogues that emerged in eastern and then western Europe in the 17th century: the nine-bay layout, which symbolized the Twelve Tribes of Israel surrounding the Sanctuary.
Damaged during the Holocaust and then used as a pharmacological warehouse under the Soviets, the synagogue was the subject of our first JHE “Have Your Say” oped in December 2015 — The Great Maharsha Synagogue in Ostroh: Memory and Oblivion. Have we reached the point of no return?
In it, Sergey R. Kravtsov of the Center for Jewish Art at Hebrew University described the importance of the building and wondered if it was already too late to save it.
Arshinov, who has spearheaded the restoration work, has said he was inspired by Kravtsov’s essay to push for the restoration.
Click to read Sergey Kravtsov’s Have Your Say essay
Click to see photos of the restoration work, in November 2016