Kharkiv Choral Synagogue

The Kharkiv Choral Synagogue (Харківська хоральна синагога) is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, located at 12 Pushkinska Street, Kharkiv, in the Kharkiv Oblast of Ukraine. The Chabad congregation worships in the synagogue, also called Beit Menachem, reportedly the largest synagogue in Ukraine, and a building of architectural significance.

History
The building is located on the site of a former Jewish prayer house, in use from 1867.

A building design competition for the synagogue was launched under the auspices of the St. Petersburg Imperial Society of Architects. From a selection of seventeen entrants, St. Petersburg architect Yakov Gevirts submitted the winning design; construction began in 1909 and was completed in 1913 at a cost of 150,000 Soviet rubles. Local architect, Mikhail Piskunov, supervised the synagogue's construction.

In June 1923, the synagogue was closed at the insistence of Jewish workers, nationalized by the government, and used by a Jewish worker's club, part of the Comintern. The local Yevsektsiya declared the day a holiday. A march to the synagogue was organized, with a group of Jewish workers carrying a red flag into the building. Moscow's Der Emes declared the synagogue a "counterrevolutionary nest" and claimed that Torah scrolls in the synagogue had been dedicated to the Tsar. The building then served a variety of uses including housing a club, cinema and a sport complex and was not used as a place of worship until 1990.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, various Jewish groups struggled for control of the synagogue. Edward Khodos created an organization to represent the members of Reform Judaism and asserted control of the synagogue. Representatives of Chabad made competing claims, and for a period both groups operated in the building. In 1993, Khodos operated on the synagogue's second floor, where according to reports he conducted his antiques business and set up a Friday night kick-boxing club for local children.

In 1998, a fire gutted the synagogue and it was officially turned over to Chabad. Extensive renovations were completed in 2003.

Architecture
The building design is described as a combination of Romano-Gothic, Gothic Revival, and Moorish Revival styles. The competition jury wrote of Gevirtz's designs: "The entire structure is a serene and beautifully accomplished mass, which is not without poetical interest. The author’s imagination produced a dazzling remainder of large wall spans of the ancient edifices in Palestine."

The building is 138 ft tall at the dome and 50 m long, with a total area of 2067 m2. Unlike the other buildings on the block, it is set back from the street to conform with local laws requiring a certain distance from churches and other houses of worship.

The synagogue today
The synagogue is a center for Jewish life in Kharkiv and an important city landmark. Jewish holidays are celebrated at the synagogue by Jews and non-Jews alike. A Hanukkah celebration drew Petro Yushchenko, then governor Arsen Avakov, and national media coverage. Other events include a tribute for Kharkiv's Jewish World War II veterans.

The synagogue is run by Chabad, which has its Kharkiv headquarters there and also maintains a mikveh, yeshiva, and other facilities, including a school of 500 Jewish children in grades 1-11 and a kindergarten of 70 children. The synagogue's current Rabbi, Moshe Moskovitz, is also the chief rabbi of Kharkiv.

Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes has attended a Purim celebration and the wedding of Rabbi Moskowitz's daughter in the synagogue.

In March 2022, the synagogue was partially damaged as a result of Russian bombing during the Russo-Ukrainian War.