Lost Treasures: The Wooden Synagogues of Eastern Europe The Artwork of Bill Farran

Berezdivtsi, Ukraine - Original Linocut

Yiddish name: Brizdivitz

The Jewish community of Berezdivtsi dates to the late 17th century. By the late 19th century there were around five hundred Jews and in 1921, the Jewish population numbered four hundred and forty.

Berezdivtsi’s Jewish community had a large wooden synagogue. In front of the prayer room for the men, there was a vestibule and next to it another room for the kehillah (the elected self-governing body). Above was the women's prayer room, which only allowed a view into the main room through narrow slits. Access to the women's room was via a staircase along the south wall.

The three outer sides of the men's prayer room each had two pairs of windows. The Bimah was not placed in the middle of the room but was offset towards the entrance. The walls and ceiling were covered by colorful folk paintings, which had faded by the beginning of the 20th century. The only paintings of figures and signs of the zodiac in the vaulted ceiling were still visible.

The town was occupied by Germans in June 1941. On September 5, 1942, the Jews of Berezdivtsi were deported to the Belzec extermination camp.

Purchase a print

Original linocut prints are 8x10 inches, and are available either unmatted or in an 11x14 matte.

I also offer matted 5x7 digital prints. These prints are created from high-res digital images and come in an 8x10 matte.