Odessa's Jewish Heritage

In the first few decades of the 19^th century thousands of Jews moved to Odessa and the Jewish community grew rapidly from the moment the city was founded. The city had a main synagogue situated at the corner of Rishelevskaya and Evreyskaya Street. Later a magnificent building designed by a local architect F. Morandi was built instead of an old synagogue. You will visit this structure in Florentine style with the elements of Romanesque architecture.

There were many synagogues and prayer houses - the number varied between 40 and 60 - in pre-revolutionary Odessa. Some synagogues were housed in ordinary buildings, while others were specially constructed. After revolution practically all the synagogues in Odessa were closed, the buildings desecrated, their contents looted. Many of the rabbis were arrested and executed. In 1997, the building was restored to the Jewish community. Then you will visit Jewish Museum where various artifacts illustrate the life of the Jewish in Odessa.

The next stop of the tour is Holocaust Memorial and the Alley of the Righteous Gentiles was erected in 1995 by the initiative of Yakov Maniovich an Odessa-born Israeli lawyer and camp-survivor. The dark shadow of the Holocaust fell over Odessa on October 16, 1941 when Nazi troops entered the city. After Odessa was occupied thousand of Jews were seized in the streets and forced into concentration camps set up in the country side around Odessa.

After the fascists had been thrown out of the city, people who lived in the vicinity recounted the tragedy details. Later a memorial sign with an inscription in Yiddish that read:"We will remember you".

The tour includes:

Drive to the Orthodox Synagogue

Interior Visit of the Synagogue

Visiting Jewish Museum

Drive to the Righteous Men Alley

Viewing the Alley

Drive back