Our Legacy:

The CIS Synagogues, Past and Present

In the Jewish Tradition, a synagogue is known by three different names.
It is a Beit Tefilla – a place of prayer. It is a place where Jews gather to express their spiritual longings – their hopes, their desires. It is a place to which Jews come for solace in times when they mourn, for reassurance when they are afraid, and to experience the joy and happiness of their Tradition.
A synagogue is also a Beit Midrash. It is a place where Jews come to learn and to be intellectually challenged. It is a place of books and of teachers, where Jews come to enrich themselves in a way appropriate for the People of the Book.
Finally, and most importantly, the synagogue is a Beit Knesset, literally, a place of gathering. It is a place to which Jews come to experience community, to share in the togetherness of an eternal people.
When the JDC first returned to the Soviet Union after an absence of several decades, we concentrated on programs and partnerships. Soon we realized the importance of buildings – the need for physical flagships that represent the focus of these emerging communities. Synagogues that had not been taken away needed to be renovated, and synagogues long ago converted to other uses had to be reclaimed.
This book documents the labors of many people to reclaim and renovate synagogues throughout the Former Soviet Union. The real challenge, though, is being met by many who are breathing new life into these buildings, to make them houses of worship and study, and places for Jews of all kinds to meet and create living, vibrant Jewish communities.
We at JDC are proud to be their partners.

Asher Ostrin
Director, CIS Program
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.