Synagogue in Yekaterinburg, Jewish synagogue in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
The Synagogue in Yekaterinburg is a modern four-story building that incorporates Jewish symbols into its contemporary design. The structure houses spaces for religious ceremonies, weddings, and community gatherings.
Construction began in 2002 and the synagogue opened on 7 April 2005 at 38/A Kuybysheva Street, on the site of an older synagogue destroyed in the 1960s. The first design, a pyramid-shaped building of 1,500 m², was replaced after planners visited Moscow's Maryina Roshcha centre, and the community opted for a broader public centre on a new plot. A provisional Chabad-Lubavitch synagogue had operated since 1997 under rabbi Azriel Zelig Ashkenazi.
The community centre is run by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement; its rabbi, Azriel Zelig Ashkenazi, was sent from Chelyabinsk in 1997 and was born in Tel Aviv in 1973. Around 10 to 15 people came to the first weekly services, and several hundred gather for holidays. The city's Jewish population is estimated at about 20,000.
The synagogue stands at 38/A Kuybysheva Street, in the central block near Ploshchad Kommunarov. It is the city's only synagogue, so those wishing to attend a service should confirm times with the community in advance. The building also houses the Jewish community centre, whose public programmes vary by season.
The synagogue stands on the spot of an older wooden synagogue destroyed in the 1960s under Khrushchev's anti-religious campaign. The community wanted to rebuild on the same site, and in 1997 mayor Arkady Chernetsky approved it. The first design, by Israeli architect Israel Gudovich, was rejected because the central location is a protected building zone.
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