Cytron Synagogue

The Cytron Synagogue (Polish: Synagoga Cytronów), also known as the Beit Midrash Cytron, is a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 24a Ludwika Waryńskiego Street in Białystok, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. Completed in 1936 in the Modernist style, the construction was funded by Shmuel Cytron, it served as a house of prayer until World War II; subsequently used for profane purposes, and as the Sleńdzińscy Gallery, an art gallery.

Cytron Synagogue
Polish: Synagoga Cytronów
The former synagogue, now art gallery, in 2018
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism (former)
Rite	Nusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue (1936–1939) Profane use (1939–1960s) Art gallery
Status	Abandoned; Repurposed
Location
Location	24a Ludwika Waryńskiego Street, Białystok, Podlaskie Voivodeship
Country	Poland
Location of the former synagogue, now art gallery, in Podlaskie Voivodeship
Geographic coordinates	53°08′13″N 23°09′12″E
Architecture
Type	Synagogue architecture
Style	Modernist
Funded by	Shmuel Cytron
Completed	1936
Materials	Brick
[1]

History

The synagogue was built in 1936 with money from the Cytron family of industrialists.^[2] Before 1941, Jews formed a very high percentage of the population of Białystok. The majority were murdered in the Holocaust during the German occupation of Poland.

After World War II, the synagogue saw variable amounts of use, as the last operating synagogue in the city. It finally ceased to operate in the late 1960s.^[3] Many decorative elements were destroyed in renovations at the end of the 1970s.

The synagogue building is used as the city's art gallery and museum,^[4] that exhibits artefacts from the Śledziński family.^[5]

See also

• Judaism portal
• Poland portal

• History of the Jews in Poland
• List of active synagogues in Poland

References

1. "Beit Midrash Cytron in Białystok". Historical synagogues in Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
2. Lapanik, Victoria; Tereshkova, Ksenia (2022). "Belastok". Shtetlfest. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
3. Niziołek, Katarzyna; Poczykowski, Radosław (2008). "Jewish Heritage Trail in Bialystok" (PDF). University of Białystok Foundation. pp. 19–20.
4. "Cytron Synagogue (Cytron Bejt Midrasz), Sleńdzińscy Galery, 24a Waryńskiego Street". Virtual Shtetl (in Polish). Warsaw: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
5. "Poland Grand Tour: Białystok". Navicup. n.d. Retrieved July 26, 2024.

External links

Media related to Cytron Synagogue in Białystok at Wikimedia Commons