Ruins of Nursing Home and Synagogue…

The former Țirilson synagogue, which is located on the street of the same name, was built at the beginning of the 20 th cent. Currently only a historical ruin remains of it.

The architectural complex consisted of two connected buildings: a synagogue and a nursing home. The prayer hall was illuminated by windows in two levels, as well as the ritual rooms. The facade had a symmetrical composition, which was reflected in the structure of the building. The decoration of the facade contained details in the Baroque style.

Note:

In Chisinau, by the beginning of the Second World War, 77 synagogues and prayer houses were registered. At that time Chisinau was considered as a core of the Bessarabian Jews. According to Jewish law, for every 500 people a synagogue was to be built.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Jews of Chisinau had factories in which thousands of Jewish workers worked. There were 16 operating schools. In 1903, the first Jewish pogrom took place in Chisinau, which resulted in the death of 49 people. The famous Mayor Carol Schmidt, outraged by what happened, immediately resigned. But two years later, in 1905, another Jewish pogrom took the lives of another 19 Jews. The community was shocked, that caused numerous emigration flows from the city and country.

The liquidation of the Jews was continued by the Nazis during the Second World War – all of them, who didn’t manage to leave the country, were imprisoned in the Chisinau ghetto. Out of several tens of thousands of people, in 1944, only 6 Jews remained alive. During the period of communism, restrictions were imposed on the Jews who remained here: in 1961 bars mitzvahs were banned, and Jews were persecuted and sentenced to charges; and in 1964 all synagogues in the city were closed and reprofiled, except for one, which still operates today.