The Great Choral Synagogue (Yelizavetgrad/Kropyvnytskyj)

The large choral synagogue was built in what was then Yelizavetgrad in 1853. During the pogrom in April 1881 it became one of the sites of anti-Jewish riots. Shortly after the violence broke out, a crowd gathered in front of the synagogue. According to rumors that spread quickly through the city, shots were fired from there. This is how the correspondent of the newspaper Rassvet described the events at the synagogue.

"From the synagogue, it is said, some shots were fired, and this broke the camel's back. The crowd rushed at the synagogue with all its might and took it by storm."

The author, however, seemed ill-informed. In fact, the conscripted military managed to defuse the situation at the synagogue. The building was first surrounded and then searched. Jews*Jews were found in the building, but the rumors about shooting proved to be false. The windows were too far up, so no one could have shot from them. The crowd dispersed and continued the pogrom elsewhere.

The building of the synagogue, which nowadays stands in the center of Kropywnyzkyj, was built between 1895-1897. The old synagogue from the 50s of the 19th century was dilapidated and had to be replaced. It was built according to the design of the city architect Aleksander Lishnevsky. The architect, who came from a Jewish family and later worked on numerous projects in Saint-Petersburg, built the new synagogue in the style typical of the late 19th century. The two-story building with two domes has features of historicism as well as the Neo-Moorish style. The construction of the synagogue was financed by the Yelizavetgrad Jewish Community.

During the Soviet period, the building was confiscated and used, among other things, as a cinema hall for film screenings. After World War II, the heavily damaged synagogue remained closed. It was not until Ukrainian independence in 1991 that the synagogue returned to the administration of the Jewish community. After the necessary reconstruction, it became the center of religious and cultural life of the local Jewish population. In 1998, the Museum of Elizavetgrad Jews was opened in a part of the synagogue. The permanent exhibition highlights the history and life of the Yelizavetgrad Jews. Since 2002, the non-profit organization Hesed Shlomo has been operating in the synagogue. The charitable organization is aimed at all needy members of the Jewish community, offers recreational programs for young people and organizes a variety of cultural events. According to its own information, today's Jewish community of Kropywnytzkyj has more than 1,000 members.