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Buynaksk Synagogue

Coordinates: 42°49′N 47°07′E / 42.817°N 47.117°E / 42.817; 47.117
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Buynaksk Synagogue
Russian: Буйнакская синагога
The facade of the Buynaksk Synagogue. 2022
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism (former)
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
StatusAbandoned
Location
Location44 Korkmasov Street, Buynaksk, Dagestan, North Caucasus
CountryRussia
Buynaksk Synagogue is located in Republic of Dagestan
Buynaksk Synagogue
Location of the abandoned synagogue in Dagestan
Geographic coordinates42°49′N 47°07′E / 42.817°N 47.117°E / 42.817; 47.117
Architecture
TypeSynagogue architecture
Funded byThe Jewish congregation
Groundbreaking1860
Completed1862
MaterialsLimestone blocks

Buynaksk Synagogue (also known as the Temir-Khan-Shurá Synagogue[1]) (Russian: Буйнакская синагога "Темир-Хан-Шура"; Hebrew: בית כנסת בוינאקסק) was a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 44 Korkmasov Street, in the city of Buynaksk in the Republic of Dagestan, in the North Caucasus of Russia. The building is from the 19th century and is a historical relic of the Jews of the Caucasus that was built in 1862. It served the Jews for over a century. This is the only synagogue that has survived from the four that were in the city at the beginning of the 20th century.[1] Nowadays, the synagogue is closed and has ceased to perform its functions.[2]

History

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The interior of the Buynaksk Synagogue. 2022

During the Caucasian War, Jews found refuge by taking refuge in fortified fortresses built by soldiers of the tsarist army. In one of these fortresses, in Temir-Khan-Shurá (now Buynaksk), Jews moved from different villages: Madzhalis, Dorgeli, Erpeli, as well as from Qırmızı Qəsəbə and Derbent.[2]

In the 1850s, a community of Mountain Jews arose in the fortress, whose rabbis sent a petition to the tsar to build a synagogue.[3] Permission was received and in 1860, with funds collected by the entire community, construction began on a building according to a project sent from Lithuanian Kovno,[3] nowadays Kaunas.[1] Not only residents helped, but also wealthy Jews from Derbent and Qırmızı Qəsəbə. By the holiday of Passover in 1862, the community celebrated the opening of the synagogue.[2]

Some historians think that this synagogue was initially built by Ashkenazi Jews.[4]

The synagogue building served the Jews for over a century. In the 90s of the 20th centuries, Mountain Jews began to leave Buynaksk,[3] which led to the closure of the synagogue. Since the building is not in use, it is constantly exposed to sudden temperature changes and therefore inevitably deteriorates and collapses.[2][3]

Acts of vandalism were committed against the synagogue building: windows were repeatedly broken, property was destroyed, and arson was committed. In 1995, an explosive device was placed under the gates of the synagogue. In 2021, Molotov cocktails were thrown into the windows of the synagogue. On May 21, 2022, another arson of the synagogue was committed. As a result, the walls of the building, its original interior decoration, including characteristic ornaments and stained-glass windows, are under threat of complete destruction.[2]

Jewish organizations in Russia, with the participation of local and republican authorities, discussed the restoration of the synagogue, but the problem was never resolved.[2][1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Открывая синагогу "Темирхан-Шура"". alanicamuseum.art.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Буйнакская синагога — историческая реликвия евреев Кавказа". STMEGI.
  3. ^ a b c d "Синагога Темир-Хан-Шуры | Журнал Дагестан". September 3, 2024.
  4. ^ Igor Semenov. Mountain Jews of the North Caucasus and Dagestan
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Media related to Buynaksk Synagogue at Wikimedia Commons

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