Temple Synagogue, Chernivtsi
A synagogue of 1877 that survived the arson of 1941. Now a cinema.
The Temple, initiated by the Jewish Temple Society, was founded on 8 May 1873 and solemnly opened on 4 September 1877. The Moorish building with a Byzantine-style dome was designed by the Lviv architect Julian Zachariewicz after the city authorities rejected Karl Gregor's “too modest” design. In July 1941, after the arrival of Romanian troops — allies of Nazi Germany — the synagogue was set on fire: according to “Molodyi Bukovynets”, by German and Romanian troops; according to the historian Mykola Kushnir, it is not known for certain by whom. The fire destroyed the interior, but the walls held; in the 1950s there were attempts to blow up the remains, and in 1955 the dome was pulled down with tanks. In 1959 the Zhovten cinema opened here, called Chernivtsi since 1992; after the start of russia's full-scale invasion screenings stopped, and from 4 November 2023 they resumed in the renovated small hall. The temple is recalled by the outlines of the facade and a memorial plaque to Joseph Schmidt.
The building is the Chernivtsi cinema; check the screening schedule before your visit. The exterior can be viewed at any time.