The Fate of Europe’s Pre-War Synagogues: The Restored Shuls

The first chapter of this journey focused on the unsettling ways in which former synagogues were converted, and the second chapter revealed the historic synagogues that were left abandoned. In this final chapter, we can draw some hope and inspiration from the pre-war synagogues which were meticulously restored.

Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw was a beacon of Jewish life before the Holocaust, with a Jewish population exceeding 300,000 – over 30% of the city’s residents. It was the largest concentration of Jews in Europe, with over 400 synagogues and houses of prayer. Today, the sole surviving pre-war synagogue is the Nożyk Synagogue.

The 1902 Nożyk Synagogue was desecrated by the Nazis during the war and used as a stable. This usage allowed the building to survive, and by 1983 it was fully restored. Today, it is once again an active synagogue, hosting regular services.

Warsaw’s sole surviving pre-war synagogue, Nożyk Synagogue.

Interior of the Nożyk Synagogue.

A Torah lesson taking place at the Nożyk Synagogue.

Krakow, Poland

The Remah Synagogue, dated to 1558, was confiscated and used as a storehouse during WWII. Remarkably, the building itself survived. Of the approximately 90 synagogues and prayer houses that existed in Krakow before the Holocaust, only seven survived, and the Remah Synagogue is the sole one still active.

Entrance gate to the 1558 Remuh Synagogue.

Krakow’s only active synagogue, Remuh Synagogue.

Restoration in 1957 reinstated much of its pre-war interior, Remuh Synagogue.

Historic relics inside Remuh Synagogue.

Budapest, Hungary

Completed in 1859, the Dohány Street Synagogue is Europe’s largest synagogue and the second largest in the world.

The synagogue was bombed by the pro-Nazi Arrow Cross Party in February 1939, months before WWII began. During the Holocaust the synagogue was situated within the Jewish Ghetto, and was repurposed as a communication base.

The synagogue suffered significant damage during the bombing of Budapest but was meticulously restored by 1998. Today, this architectural masterpiece serves as both a major tourist attraction and an active house of worship.

Europe’s largest and second largest synagogue in the world, Dohány Street Synagogue.

Outstanding architectural marvel, the interior of Dohány Street Synagogue.

Aron HaKodesh, Dohány Street Synagogue.

Holy Art covers used during the 19th and 20th centuries, now kept out of the public’s eye.

The 1913 Kazinczy Street Synagogue is a rare architectural gem.

During WWII, the synagogue suffered severe damage but was restored in the years following. At the time of my visit, it was undergoing another phase of restoration to address structural issues.

Although once again an active synagogue, the congregation often finds it difficult to gather the ten men required for a Minyan (prayer quorum) without the help of visiting tourists. Nevertheless, it remains a significant site for Budapest’s Jewish community.

Hungary’s only synagogue built in the Art Nouveau style, Kazinczy Street Synagogue.

Women’s gallery, Kazinczy Street Synagogue.

Further repairs in 2024, Kazinczy Street Synagogue.

Nestled within a peaceful courtyard, the Frankel Leó Street Synagogue is a hidden gem. Built in 1888 in the New Gothic style, it originally stood in the open air. However, in 1928, an apartment building was constructed around it to accommodate the expanding Jewish community.

During WWII, the synagogue was desecrated and used as a stable, and the residents of the surrounding apartments were persecuted and killed. Today, the synagogue is once again active, though the Jewish community owns only one of the apartments in the surrounding building.

Almost hidden from sight, Frankel Leó Street Synagogue.

Nestled within a peaceful courtyard, Frankel Leó Street Synagogue.

The apartment complex, built in 1928 to accommodate the expanding Jewish community.

A memorial in the yard honors the Jewish families deported from this location in 1944.

Szeged, Hungary

In 1902, Hungary’s second-largest synagogue was built in Szeged, a masterpiece of religious architecture blending eclectic styles.

During WWII, the Great Synagogue was repurposed as a storage facility. It underwent significant renovations before being re-inaugurated in 1989.

Today, the Jewish community numbers around 300 members, and the Great Synagogue is only rarely used for religious services. However, it serves as a cultural center and tourist attraction, admired for its breathtaking architecture.

Hungary’s second-largest synagogue, Szeged’s Great Synagogue.

A masterpiece of religious architecture, Szeged’s Great Synagogue.

Inside the breathtaking Great Synagogue, Szeged.

A major tourist attraction in Szeged, admired for its breathtaking architecture.

Nyíregyháza, Hungary

In 1941, the Jewish community in Nyíregyháza, numbered around 5,000 members. Today, the city’s last remaining synagogue, built between 1924 and 1932, continues to serve the small remaining Jewish community.

The synagogue features a colorful interior adorned with intricate iconographic motifs, including depictions of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem and the 12 Tribes of Israel. In 1959, murals commemorating Nyíregyháza’s two other synagogues – destroyed by the Nazis – were painted on its walls, creating a permanent memorial to what was lost.

Nyíregyháza’s last remaining synagogue.

Colorful interior with intricate iconographic motifs, Nyíregyháza synagogue.

Murals of Nyíregyháza’s other synagogues were painted in 1959 as a memorial to what was lost.

Nyíregyháza synagogue’s exterior.

Oradea, Romania

The Great Orthodox Synagogue was constructed in 1890 to serve the city’s Orthodox Jewish community. During the Nazi occupation in May 1944, the ghetto of Nagyvárad (Oradea’s former name) was established around this synagogue, marking it as a focal point of Jewish suffering.

After eight years of restoration, the synagogue was re-inaugurated in 2017. It is now the only active synagogue in Oradea used for religious purposes.

As of 2024, construction was underway on a Yeshiva (school for Torah studies) directly opposite the synagogue. Once completed, it will be the first Yeshiva anywhere in Romania since the Holocaust.

The only active synagogue in Oradea, the Great Orthodox Synagogue.

Re-inaugurated in 2017 after eight years of restoration, the Great Orthodox Synagogue.

The stunning interior of Oradea’s Great Orthodox Synagogue.

Community members say the historic clock stopped working when the first deportation began, and it remains frozen in time since then.

Construction in 2024 of the first Yeshiva in Romania since the Holocaust.

Bratislava, Slovakia

The Jewish community in Bratislava, known as Pressburg until 1919, has a recorded Jewish history dating back to 1251.

On the eve of WWII, Bratislava’s Jewish community was the largest and most influential in Slovakia, with 18,000 members. Today, approximately 500 Jews reside in Bratislava.

Built in 1926, the Heydukova Street Synagogue is Bratislava’s only surviving synagogue. During my visit, I met Ivan Pasternak, an 80-year-old Holocaust survivor.

Pasternak pointed out a shocking detail inside the synagogue: the Bimah table, used for reading the Torah, was the only piece of furniture that remained in the synagogue during the war. “The rest was taken out to make room for confiscated Jewish properties”, he explained. Lifting the cover, he revealed a large swastika engraved on the table. “A Nazi soldier did that. But they’re gone, and we are still here.”

The synagogue remains active, with the Torah still read from this very table every Shabbat.

On the second floor, formerly the women’s gallery, there is now a museum dedicated to the history of Bratislava’s Jewish community. Among its most notable artifacts are the Ten Commandments tablets, once displayed atop the city’s Neolog Synagogue.

Bratislava’s only surviving synagogue, Heydukova Street Synagogue.

Inside the 1926 Heydukova Street Synagogue, Bratislava.

Holocaust survivor Ivan Pasternak revealing the Swastika engraved on the Bimah table.

The Ten Commandments tablets from the city’s destroyed Neolog Synagogue.

The 1893 Neolog Synagogue survived WWII in relatively good condition. After the war, it was repurposed as a studio for Slovak TV until the communist regime ultimately demolished it in 1969, allegedly to make way for a bridge.

A memorial now stands in its location, honoring more than 105,000 Slovak Jews murdered in the Holocaust. The memorial features a symbolic silhouette of the destroyed synagogue which was unjustifiably lost.

Bratislava’s Neolog Synagogue before its demolition in 1969. Source: Yad Vashem.