The Fate of Europe’s Pre-War Synagogues: The Repurposed Synagogue That Sells Pork

Synagogues are the heart of every Jewish community, centers of gratitude, joy, and connection between God and His people.

During my travels across Europe, tracing the unimaginable horrors of Jewish history, I visited sites of ancient synagogues that survived destruction during the Holocaust. I sought to uncover their current state and the fate of the Jewish communities they once served.

What I discovered was astonishing. While some synagogues had been meticulously restored, others still lay in ruins. Many had been disturbingly repurposed and today serve as restaurants, bars and even a supermarket which now sells pork.

Krakow, Poland

Before the Holocaust, Krakow was home to 70,000 Jews, 25% of the city’s population. Today, only around 140 Jews are known to live there. The actual number may be higher, as many Poles either choose not to identify as Jewish or remain unaware of their Jewish ancestry.

Built in 1896, the Hevra Tehillim Synagogue is one of the lesser-documented Jewish landmarks in Krakow. The building changed hands multiple times after the war and was returned to the Jewish community in 2001. In 2008, valuable wall polychrome paintings were discovered, including depictions of Biblical scenes and holy places in Jerusalem. However, many of the artworks remain damaged.

Today, this historic synagogue has been transformed into a bar/restaurant adequately named HEVRE Bar, blending the building’s Jewish history with its new role.

Now a bar called HEVRE, Krakow’s former Hevra Tehillim Synagogue.

Wall polychrome paintings discovered in 2008 showing holy places in Jerusalem.

Images of Biblical animals and a Hebrew inscription reading “A candle of soul” in the former women’s gallery.

An historic synagogue which transformed into a bar/restaurant.

Trnava, Slovakia

Jewish presence in Trnava dates back to the 12th century. Over 80% of the Jewish community was murdered during the Holocaust and no Jews live there today.

The 1892 Orthodox Synagogue fell into ruin after the Holocaust. In 2010, the building was renovated and converted into a restaurant aptly named “Synagoga Cafe”.

With no Jews living in Trnava today, the former synagogue turned into a Cafe.

The 1892 Orthodox Synagogue, now “Synagoga Cafe”.

Renovated and converted in 2010, exterior of the former Orthodox Synagogue, Trnava.

Stupava, Slovakia

Built in 1803, the Stupava Synagogue is the second oldest in Slovakia. While its exterior (refurbished in 2008) appears modest, the interior features colorful decorations and Hebrew inscriptions, many of which are still visible.

No longer used for worship, the synagogue has been repurposed as a cultural center. Graffiti on the walls suggests that the space has been misused, possibly for smoking activities.

The 220 year-old synagogue building was refurbished in 2008, Stupava.

Stunning contrast to its modest exterior, Stupava’s former synagogue.

No longer used for worship, the synagogue is now a cultural center.

Hebrew inscriptions that survive to this day, Stupava’s former synagogue.

Graffiti on the synagogue walls suggesting the space has been misused.

Inowłódz, Poland

Jews lived in Inowłódz since the 16th century, and a synagogue was erected there in 1820. On the eve of WWII, about 400 Jews, one-third of the town’s population, called Inowłódz home. During the war, the Nazis devastated the synagogue but the building survived.

Today, the former synagogue operates as a supermarket where pork is among the products sold inside. The former prayer hall still features menorah-shaped chandeliers and original painted prayers on its walls.

The former 1820 synagogue of Inowłódz, now serves as a supermarket.

Under the Menorah-shaped chandeliers, one can buy pork among other products.

Plaques inscribed with prayers for the ruler at the time, Tsar Nicholas II, adorn the walls.

The plaques of prayers, written in Russian and Hebrew, are the only ones of their kind in Poland.

Budapest, Hungary

By the onset of WWII, Hungary was home to one million Jews, with 200,000 residing in Budapest – nearly 25% of the city’s population. The capital was a hub of Jewish life, boasting 125 synagogues before 1940.

The Rumbach Street Synagogue is a striking structure built in 1872.

During WWII, it was repurposed as an internment camp where at least 20,000 Jews were gathered before being deported to their deaths.

After the war, prayers ceased entirely in 1959. The synagogue stood empty for a staggering six decades, until in 2021 it was fully restored and reopened as a cultural center.

Stood empty for six decades until 2021, Rumbach Street Synagogue.

Repurposed as a cultural center, Rumbach Street Synagogue.

The three-story synagogue hosts a permanent exhibition detailing the history of Hungarian Jews.

Nagytétény was once a separate village with an active Orthodox Jewish community. After the Holocaust, only five Jewish families returned to the area.

The 19th-century Nagytétény Synagogue was abandoned and later repurposed as a warehouse. In 2013, it was restored and transformed into a public library, with the original Torah Ark preserved as a testament to its past.

A public library with a Torah Ark, the former synagogue of Nagytétény.

At the entrance is a Hebrew and Hungarian inscription from Psalm: “From East to West the name of the Lord is praised”.

Built in 1912, the Kőbánya Synagogue was a gathering point for Jews before their deportation during the Holocaust. Post-war neglect left the building in ruins.

In 1989 it was purchased by the Pentecostal Church, and by 1991 it had been renovated and repurposed as a Christian church. Despite its transformation, the building retains traces of its Jewish heritage.

The stunning Art Nouveau former synagogue of Kőbánya, now a Pentecostal Church.

A Cross next to the original Star of David, Kőbánya former synagogue.

Original Hebrew inscription and the Ten Commandments tablet can still be seen inside.

Constructed in 1909, the Dózsa György Street Synagogue was once the third-largest synagogue in Budapest.

During the Holocaust, the building was used to collect Jews but remained structurally intact. In 1984 it was purchased and converted into a sports center, and since then has been housing a fencing club.

Each year during Hanukkah, the Jewish community gathers here for a holiday service, preserving a connection to the synagogue’s history.

Ten Commandments tablets are still visible on three sides of the building, Dózsa György Street former synagogue.

Converted into a sports center in 1984, Dózsa György Street former synagogue.

Once the third-largest synagogue in Budapest, it is now a fencing club.

Traces of its Jewish past, the beautifully decorated interior in the former women’s gallery.

Kecskemét, Hungary

Kecskemét once had a thriving Jewish community until the Holocaust. The Great Neolog Synagogue was built in 1871, and by 1917 an Orthodox Synagogue was erected.

During WWI, all of Kecskemét’s Jews were deported to Auschwitz. The few survivors who returned after the war were unable to sustain the synagogues, and both were sold.

Today, the former Neolog Synagogue serves as the House of Science and Technology, with a display of sculptures that are considered idolatry in Judaism.

The Orthodox Synagogue now functions as the Museum of Photography. Despite its transformation, it is still used for religious purposes by the local Jewish community during major holidays.

The former Great Neolog Synagogue of Kecskemét, now the House of Science and Technology.

Built in 1871 as a prominent Jewish landmark, the former Great Neolog Synagogue

Considered idolatry in Judaism, the display of sculptures inside the former synagogue.

The former Orthodox Synagogue of Kecskemét, now the Museum of Photography.

Paintings on the ceiling were restored to respect its Jewish past, the former Orthodox Synagogue of Kecskemét.

Subotica, Serbia

The 1903 Synagogue of Subotica, nowadays in Serbia, is a masterpiece of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture and the second-largest synagogue in Europe.

During WWII, Subotica’s 5,000-strong Jewish community was decimated. Only 200 survived. With such a diminished population, the community could no longer sustain the synagogue and it was handed over to the city in 1979.

In 2018, the synagogue was fully restored to its former glory, financed by the Hungarian and Serbian governments. No longer serving as a place of worship, it now functions as a tourist attraction and cultural center.

A multi-million-dollar renovation enabled its re-opening, Subotica’s synagogue.

A masterpiece of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture, Subotica’s synagogue.

One of the world’s most beautiful synagogues, the synagogue of Subotica.

No longer a place of worship, it now functions primarily as a tourist attraction.

Restored back to its former grandeur in 2018, the synagogue of Subotica.

Zalaegerszeg, Hungary

The 1904 Zalaegerszeg Synagogue once served approximately 1,300 Jews who lived in Zalaegerszeg and its surroundings.

During the Holocaust, the city’s entire Jewish population was deported to Auschwitz. After the war, the synagogue remained unused for decades until it was repurposed in 1983 as a concert hall.

The second floor houses a permanent exhibition dedicated to the Jewish history of Zalaegerszeg. A particularly poignant installation features a portrait of a former Jewish family reflected on a mirror wall, accompanied by the inscription: “Your past is my present”.

The magnificent former synagogue of Zalaegerszeg dates to 1904.

Zalaegerszeg’s entire Jewish population was deported to Auschwitz, leaving the synagogue unused for decades.

Repurposed in 1983 as a concert hall, the interior of the former synagogue today.

“Your past is my present”, portrait of a former Jewish family reflected in a memorial displayed in the former women’s gallery.

Oradea, Romania

Oradea was under Hungarian rule and known as Nagyvárad until 1945. By the 1940s, Nagyvárad had a thriving Jewish community of 30,000 people, one-third of the city’s population.

In May 1944, the entire Jewish population of Nagyvárad, including my grandmother’s family, was deported to Auschwitz. My grandmother was one of only 7,500 survivors of the death camp where 1.1 million Jews were murdered.

Of the 27 synagogues that existed in Oradea before World War II, only three have survived.

The 1926 Aachvas Rein Synagogue was the last synagogue built in Oradea. After WWII, it stood abandoned for decades. Following restoration, it was repurposed in 2018 as the Museum of Jewish History, focusing on the Jewish community of Oradea.

The former Aachvas Rein Synagogue, now the Museum of Jewish History, Oradea.

Walls inside the Museum display the names of the city’s victims of the Holocaust.

Names of the people who once gazed out this synagogue’s window.

Original mosaics from the synagogue’s floor, The former Aachvas Rein Synagogue.

Special thanks to Mazsihis, the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities for their assistance with this project. Coming up in the next chapter: The Abandoned & Synagogue Ruins.

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