Peitav Synagogue

The Peitav Synagogue or Peitav-Shul (Latvian: Peitavas ielas sinagoga; Yiddish: פאייטאוו שול‎) is the only synagogue in Riga to have survived the Holocaust and to be currently active. It is a center of the Latvian Jewish community and recognized by the Latvian government as an architectural monument of national significance.[1][2][3]

Peitav Synagogue
Religion
AffiliationJudaism
StatusActive
Location
LocationRiga, Latvia
Architecture
Architect(s)Wilhelm Neumann
StyleArt nouveau
Completed1905

The Synagogue was built 1903-1905, designed by architect Wilhelm Neumann in an art nouveau style.[4] When Riga's synagogues were burned in 1941 by the Nazis and their Latvian collaborators, the Peitav Synagogue was the only one to survive because of its location in the Old Town, adjacent to other buildings. Subsequently, during World War II, the synagogue was used as a warehouse.[2]

Under Soviet rule, the Synagogue was one of the relatively few allowed to remain open in the Soviet Union. After Latvian independence was restored in 1991, the Synagogue was damaged by bombings in 1995 and 1998.[5]

A restoration of the Synagogue, partly funded by the European Union and by the Latvian government, was completed in 2009. The dedication ceremony was attended by Latvia's president Valdis Zatlers and prime minister Valdis Dombrovskis as well as by Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli-Yoel Edelstein.[6]

References
  1. Jewish Community of Latvia. "The Riga Synagogue on Peitavas Street (Peitav Shul)" Archived 2013-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, jews.lv. Retrieved on 2 January 2014.
  2. "Latvian president and prime minister join in celebration of Historic Riga Synagogue Renovation" Archived 2014-01-03 at the Wayback Machine, The Latvian Institute, 27 August 2009. Retrieved on 2 January 2014.
  3. Maureen Shamee. "Reopening of the renovated sole synagogue in Riga" Archived 2012-06-24 at the Wayback Machine, European Jewish Press, 28 August 2009. Retrieved on 2 January 2014.
  4. Paul Morton. "Riga Synagogue sees new life ahead", Baltic Times, 22 February 2006. Retrieved on 2 January 2014.
  5. "Latvian police chief sacked over Riga synagogue bombing", BBC News, 2 April 1998. Retrieved on 2 January 2014.
  6. Haviv Rettig Gur. 25 years and a Soviet prison sentence later", Jerusalem Post, 30 August 2009. Retrieved on 2 January 2014.

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