After many years, the Jewish community of Kherson, Ukraine,
is receiving a spiritual home befitting of its modern revival. Taking part in
the project is Pavel Miripolsky, a Soviet-born designer who moved to Israel in
1991.
There were 14,837 Jews (19% of the total population) in the
town in 1926, and 16,145 (of a total population of 96,988) in 1939. The Germans
occupied Kherson on August 19, 1941 and on August 29 they killed 100 Jews; in
early September 110. On September 7, a ghetto was established, and a Judenrat and Jewish police were
organized. On September 24–25 Einsatzkommando 11a murdered 8,000 Jews. Jews
found hiding were executed, and in February 1942 some 400 children of mixed
marriages were killed.
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| Avraham Fried, owner of the Artist Studio, holds up a sketch of the new synagogue |
In 1959, there were 9,500 Jews (6% of the total population)
living in Kherson. The last synagogue was closed by the Soviet-Ukrainian authorities
in 1959 but was returned to the community in 1991 as Jewish life revived
despite the emigration of most of the Jews.
Since 1991 there has been a revival of Jewish life in Kherson and a growing number of Jews attending services at their revived synagogue.
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