Brodsky Choral Synagogue

Why go

Brodsky Synagogue adds Jewish civic and religious history to a central Kyiv walk. Its basilica-like composition reflects the ambitions of the community that built it, while its later restoration explains how a building used for secular purposes became a place of worship again.

What to look for

• A taller central facade is flanked by lower wings.
• Romanesque Revival forms shape the synagogue's substantial street frontage.

The full story

Sugar industrialist and philanthropist Lazar Brodsky financed the synagogue, built in 1897–1898 to a design by Georgiy Shleifer. Restrictions on monumental Jewish worship buildings complicated the project. Brodsky and Rabbi Evsey Tsukerman sought permission for a worship house on his private estate, submitting a side elevation that resembled a mansion. That episode helps explain how a large religious building emerged within the constraints of imperial Kyiv. Soviet authorities closed the synagogue in 1926. It became an artisans' club and later housed a puppet theatre, with further changes to the facade during the twentieth century. The theatre moved out in 1997, allowing restoration to proceed. The synagogue reopened for Jewish religious use in 2000. Its history is therefore visible not only in the original design but in the repeated changes of purpose that followed.

Useful to know

• Confirm visitor and security arrangements with the congregation before attempting an interior visit.
• Use Shota Rustaveli Street to identify this site; the Great Choral Synagogue is in Podil.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.