The main synagogue is located in the historical centre of Slonim. It is one of the four Jewish praying houses in Belarus with a bimah – a tiered tower, on the top of which the Torah is read.

The great synagogue in Slonim was erected in 1642–1648. It became one of the most essential parts of the town's defensive system. The defensive aims conditioned the features of the building: thick walls, absent architectural decorations, high arched window apertures. The lower level is especially monumental (wall thickness – 1.7 meters) and has a row of loophole windows. There is a round rosette window in the centre.

In 1881, the synagogue was severely damaged by a big fire. However, thanks to the faithful’s alms, it was rebuilt quite soon after. The synagogue had been operating until 1940, when it was closed due to the antireligious Soviet policy. After World War II, the building was used as a storage facility. 

In 2001, it was transferred to the Judaic Religious Union in the Republic of Belarus and was under restoration, which, however, was not finished. In 2010, it got owned by the Cultural Department of the Slonim District Executive Committee. In the beginning of the 2021, the synagogue building was bought at an auction for 30 thousand BYN by a children’s writer and pedagogue from Minsk Ilona Karavajeva (a.k.a. Ijaanna Ryŭz).

Publication date: 16.06.2017.

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