Great Synagogue (Warsaw)
The Great Synagogue of Warsaw (Polish: Wielka Synagoga w Warszawie) was one of the grandest synagogues constructed in Poland in the 19th century. At the time of its opening, it was the largest Jewish house of worship in the world. It was located on Tłomackie street in Warsaw.
| Great Synagogue of Warsaw | |
|---|---|
Wielka Synagoga w Warszawie | |
Great Synagogue in the 1910s | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Destroyed May 16, 1943 |
| Location | |
| Location | Warsaw, Poland |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Leandro Marconi |
| Style | Neoclassical |
| Completed | 1878 |
The synagogue served the acculturated members of Warsaw's Jewish population. Like other such prayer houses in Central and Eastern Europe, its worship was conducted in a relatively modernized fashion, although it did not approach ideological religious reform. Sermons were delivered in Polish rather than Yiddish, an all-male choir accompanied the service, and an organ had been installed, which played only at weddings. Liturgy and other principled issues remained wholly untouched.
It was opened on 26 September 1878 in celebration of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year).
It was blown up personally by SS-Gruppenführer Jürgen Stroop on 16 May 1943. This was the last act of destruction by the Germans in suppressing the Revolt of the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw.