The Cytron Synagogue (Polish: Synagoga Cytronów), also known as the Beit Midrash Cytron, is a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 24a Ludwika Waryńskiego Street in Białystok, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. Completed in 1936 in the Modernist style, the construction was funded by Shmuel Cytron, it served as a house of prayer until World War II; subsequently used for profane purposes, and as the Sleńdzińscy Gallery, an art gallery.
| Cytron Synagogue | |
|---|---|
Polish: Synagoga Cytronów | |
 The former synagogue, now art gallery, in 2018 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism (former) |
| Rite | Nusach Ashkenaz |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status |
|
| Status |
|
| Location | |
| Location | 24a Ludwika Waryńskiego Street, Białystok, Podlaskie Voivodeship |
| Country | Poland |
  Location of the former synagogue, now art gallery, in Podlaskie Voivodeship | |
| Geographic coordinates | 53°08′13″N 23°09′12″E / 53.136861°N 23.15325°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Modernist |
| Funded by | Shmuel Cytron |
| Completed | 1936 |
| Materials | Brick |
| [1] | |
History
editThe synagogue was built in 1936 with money from the Cytron family of industrialists.[2] Before 1941, Jews formed a very high percentage of the population of Białystok. The majority were murdered in the Holocaust during the German occupation of Poland.
After World War II, the synagogue saw variable amounts of use, as the last operating synagogue in the city. It finally ceased to operate in the late 1960s.[3] Many decorative elements were destroyed in renovations at the end of the 1970s.
The synagogue building is used as the city's art gallery and museum,[4] that exhibits artefacts from the Śledziński family.[5]
See also
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References
edit- ^ "Beit Midrash Cytron in Białystok". Historical synagogues in Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ Lapanik, Victoria; Tereshkova, Ksenia (2022). "Belastok". Shtetlfest. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ Niziołek, Katarzyna; Poczykowski, Radosław (2008). "Jewish Heritage Trail in Bialystok" (PDF). University of Białystok Foundation. pp. 19–20.
- ^ "Cytron Synagogue (Cytron Bejt Midrasz), Sleńdzińscy Galery, 24a Waryńskiego Street". Virtual Shtetl (in Polish). Warsaw: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "Poland Grand Tour: Białystok". Navicup. n.d. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
External links
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Media related to Cytron Synagogue in Białystok at Wikimedia Commons