(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The Great Synagogue of Tcherkasi, Ukraine, was destroyed by a fire on the eve of the High Holidays.
The synagogue, which was known as the Schklower synagogue, had been the object of strife between the congregation and a group of Jewish free thinkers who demanded that the building be converted into a club. In the fire all of the Holy Scrolls were burned.
The destruction of the synagogue and the Holy Scrolls made a great impression upon the Jewish population. Observant Jews closed their shops and abstained from work during the “funeral” which was arranged for the burned Scrolls.
The strife between the congregation and the Communists continued after the destruction of the building, the latter claiming the insurance amounting to 3000 roubles for the erection of a club. A final agreement was reached for the erection of a school for Jewish children.
“Der Stern.” Yiddish Communist daily of Charkoff, urges its readers to wage a fight against the Jewish religious observances, especially against Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The paper adds, however, that the fight must be carried on through methods of enlightenment and not through insults and anti-religious demonstrations.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
