Moscow Synagogues

Historic and modern Jewish houses of worship in the Russian capital

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Moscow Choral Synagogue

10 Bolshoy Spasoglinishchevsky Lane

Built 1886-1891, the only synagogue permitted during Soviet times. Features restored Star of David dome and historic interior with Lebanese cedar mosaics.

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Bolshaya Bronnaya Synagogue

6 Bolshaya Bronnaya Street, Bldg. 3

Built 1883 by banker Lazar Polyakov, reconstructed 2004 with modern glass "Jerusalem stone" enclosure preserving historic façades.

 
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Maryina Roshcha Synagogue

2nd Vysheslavtsev Lane, 5A

Moscow Jewish Community Center opened 2000, replacing 1926 wooden synagogue burned in 1993. 2,000-seat sanctuary with kosher facilities.

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Synagogue "Darkei Shalom"

17 Novovladkinsky Passage, 4th Floor

Chabad-Lubavitch synagogue in Otradnoye district near Vladykino metro, serving northern Moscow Jewish community.

Historical Context

Unlike St. Petersburg, Moscow had no historic Jewish quarter due to strict residence restrictions. The 1902 census recorded only 9,048 Jews in Moscow. The Choral Synagogue's construction (1886-1906) was made possible by Tsar Alexander II's reforms allowing first-guild merchants to live outside the Pale of Settlement.

During the "Great Expulsion" of 1891-1892, 30,000 Jewish craftsmen and small traders were expelled from Moscow, leaving only wealthy merchants. The synagogues shown here represent the resurgence of Jewish life since the 1990s.

Sources: Wikipedia (translated via Yandex); Sudjic, Deyan. The Life and Career of Boris Iofan. Royal Academy of Arts, 2022.