Synagogue, Bolekhiv

Bolekhiv was once a very ethnically diverse town. This is evidenced by the Orthodox churches, the church, and the old synagogue in the center of Bolekhiv. This is one of the most interesting buildings, standing out for its originality among the residential buildings.

The Jewish community played a significant role in the life of ancient Bolekhiv. It is known that in 1612 the founder of the city, Mykola Gedziminski, granted the Jews the privilege of land for a synagogue and a cemetery. The first synagogue was built of wood, and it burned down before it could survive for a hundred years.

The synagogue building in Bolekhiv, which has survived to this day, was built in 1789 and later rebuilt in 1808. It is known that in 1845 a hospital for poor Jews was opened at the synagogue. There was also a German-Jewish school.

Population censuses show that up to 80% of Bolekhiv's residents were Jews, one of the highest rates in Galicia. But during World War II, the Nazis exterminated almost the entire Jewish population. The survivors went abroad. Thus, the Bolekhiv synagogue was left without owners.

In the 1950s, the Bolekhiv tannery set up a club in the synagogue building, where all the local youth went dancing. This is evidenced by a faded inscription on the building that reads "The Tanners' Club."

After the collapse of the factory, there was no one to take care of the ancient building, so the synagogue in Bolekhiv is in a deplorable state. However, the locals treat the sacred building with respect, consider it a prayerful place, and have repeatedly asked for its revival. There is also an initiative of the Jewish community, natives of Bolekhiv, who raise money for the improvement of the Jewish cemetery, the kirkut, which is one of the oldest in Ukraine, and the synagogue.

The name of the most famous Jew in Bolekhiv is associated with this synagogue. He was a wine merchant named Dov Ber Birkenthal who lived in the 18th century. Records of his vivid and detailed memoirs were found here in 1912 and even translated into several languages. The grave of a certain Dov Ber has been preserved in the local ancient cemetery, but researchers doubt whether it is him or some other Jew.

The old synagogue is located in the center of Bolekhiv on Petrushevycha Street, not far from the Cathedral of the Myrrh-Bearing Women. You can get here from Lviv or Ivano-Frankivsk, because Bolekhiv is located on the border of two regions. Or you can take a chance and take the Stryi - Ivano-Frankivsk train, which is very slow but cheap.

Important information! - Experienced guides of the Boikivshchyna (Dolyna) Museum will help you organize sightseeing tours of Dolyna if you want to see the Museum of Insurgent Victory in Dolyna, the old saltworks, the bunker where Ukrainian nationalists were hiding, the Carpathian Tram in Vyhoda, Dovbush's Rocks in Bubnyshche, Shyrkovets Swamp and Mizun Waterfalls near Novyi Mizun or Hoshiv Monastery, Ivan Franko Museum in Lolyn village.