One of Europe’s oldest functioning synagogues sustained
heavy damage in a fire that broke out in the city of Grodno in Belarus.
The flames erupted Tuesday night as a result of
malfunctioning heating system and consumed the dining room and part of the
second floor of Grodno’s Great Choral Synagogue, according to a report
Wednesday by the Ministry of Emergency Situations. No one was injured.
According to Chabad.info, an official website of the Hasidic
movement, Great Choral was built in the 16th century and is believed to be the
oldest synagogue still in use in the former Soviet Union.
Thanks to the quick intervention of the local fire brigade,
the damage from the fire was limited to 30 square yards and did not spread to
the first and third floors.
The synagogue burned down completely in 1899, according to
the website of the local Jewish community, but was renovated and fully
restored. Last year, the Jewish community of Grodno announced it was preparing
for more renovations due to neglect during the Soviet era.
During World War II, Nazi forces rounded up the Jewish
population of Grodno in and around the building before sending them to the
death camps.
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