Despite the War: the 125th Anniversary of the Founding of the Brodsky Central Synagogue was Celebrated in Kyiv

A moving event took place this evening (on Sunday) at the Brodsky Synagogue, which serves as the main synagogue and the center of the Jewish community of the Ukrainian capital, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the opening of the historic synagogue. 

The event was attended by representatives of the local government alongside ambassadors, military officers, and senior government officials, along with hundreds of members of the Jewish community headed by Rabbi Moshe Asman, Rabbi of Ukraine, who serves as the rabbi of the synagogue and leader of the community.

At the end of the 1890s, the Jewish industrialist and philanthropist Lazar Brodsky decided to build himself a synagogue. In the spring of 1897, he received confirmation from the Senate of the Russian Empire. 

The synagogue opened on August 24, 1898, on Brodsky’s 50th birthday. The festive opening ceremony was attended by the head of the district, the mayor of Kyiv and other important representatives of that time.

After the October Revolution in 1926, the synagogue was closed by order of the authorities. The building was used as a clubhouse. In 1992, the President of Ukraine published a law dealing with the return of religious buildings to the communities to which they once belonged. After efforts, the Jewish community headed by the Rabbi of Ukraine, Rabbi Moshe Asman, received the synagogue at its disposal.

This evening, as noted, the synagogue celebrated its 125th anniversary. It was impossible to hold back tears when Rabbi Asman held a memorial service for those who died in the war and the soldiers who fell on the battlefield.

The Chief Rabbi gave words of encouragement on the occasion of the High Holy Days, and encouraged the spirits of the community members, and prayed together with the audience to end the difficult war that is still taking place in the country today.