Kharkiv Choral Synagogue

The Kharkiv Choral Synagogue on Pushkinska Street is one of the few remaining physical traces of what was once a substantial Jewish community in the city. Built in the early 20th century in an eclectic Moorish Revival style — typical of central European synagogue architecture of the period — the building has a distinctive facade of horseshoe arches and decorative brickwork that stands out from the surrounding Soviet-era streetscape.

The synagogue is active and open to visitors at appropriate times. Services are held on Shabbat and major holidays. A small memorial plaque inside commemorates the Kharkiv Jewish community members killed during the German occupation. The surrounding neighbourhood of Pushkinska Street, despite wartime and Soviet-era changes, retains some of the flavour of pre-revolutionary Kharkiv.

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A story
Before the Second World War, Kharkiv had one of the largest Jewish communities in Ukraine — around 130,000 people. The community was devastated by the Holocaust, with several mass shootings occurring in and around the city in 1941 and 1942. The synagogue survived the war only to be converted into a workers' club and later a sports hall during the Soviet period. It was returned to the Jewish community in 1990 and has been gradually restored since then.