New Jewish Community Center Approved for Construction in Ulyanovsk
After more than a decade of planning, the Jewish community of Ulyanovsk has received approval to move forward with the construction of a major new Jewish community center in the heart of the city. The five-story complex, covering approximately 4,400 square meters, will bring together a synagogue, mikvah, educational institutions, social and humanitarian services, and community facilities serving thousands of Jews across Ulyanovsk and the surrounding region.
The project marks an important milestone for a community that has steadily expanded its activities over the years under the leadership of the city’s rabbi and Chabad emissary, Rabbi Binyamin Markowitz. The community’s current premises at 107 Lenin Street have become increasingly limited as participation in Shabbat services, holiday programs, classes, and communal events has grown. More than 3,000 Jews live in the wider Ulyanovsk region.
Plans for a larger permanent home date back more than a decade, when the project was first initiated by the city’s previous rabbi and Chabad emissary, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Marozov.
The Ulyanovsk municipality has now approved an expansion of the designated construction site in the city’s Leninsky District, along the centrally located Karl Marx Street, clearing a major regulatory step toward construction.
The approval process was advanced with the support of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, under the guidance of Russia’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Berel Lazar. The necessary municipal and legal approvals allow the community to proceed with the ambitious project following years of administrative planning.
According to the architectural plans, the new center will rise five stories and will also include a spacious underground level with parking. At its heart will be a large synagogue designed to serve as the central gathering place for Jewish life in Ulyanovsk.
The complex will also include a mikvah, guest accommodations for Shabbat and Jewish holidays, a kosher café, and a spacious dining hall. An expanded charitable meal program will operate from the center, providing food and assistance to elderly residents, people in need, and members of the community who live alone.
Education will form another major part of the new facility. A dedicated educational wing is planned to include a Jewish kindergarten, Sunday school, modern classrooms, a Jewish library, programming space for senior citizens, and a museum dedicated to the Jewish heritage of the region.
Community chairman Mr. Igor Dvakarov and synagogue gabbai Mr. Lev Zingerenko, who have been closely involved in advancing the project, welcomed the development, noting that the move from the community’s current limited premises to a much larger center will significantly expand its ability to serve local Jewish families.
With the approvals now in place, the community is preparing for the cornerstone-laying ceremony and the beginning of construction. The project is being supported by the 770 Foundation, founded by philanthropist Rabbi Yehuda Davydov. Despite construction costs having risen considerably since the original plans were prepared, community members and supporters are working together to bring the long-awaited center to completion.
