Great Synagogue in Bialystok

... A prominent Orthodox house of worship, the Bia- lystoker Shul is one of the few remaining synagogues on the Lower East Side. Its interior — the Holy Ark, paintings and massive wooden pews — was designed to resemble the Great Synagogue in Bialystok, burned by the Nazis in 1941. In 1978, the Bialystoker Synagogue in New York celebrated its one hundredth anniversary and, at the same time, was designated an historic land- mark by the City and State of New York. For many years, its spiritual leader was Rabbi Jacob Eskolsky, who died in 1931. His son, Rabbi Michael Eskolsky, succeeded him until his death in 1951. ...

... On the other hand, the congregation of the Great Synagogue in Bialystok was to pay the most exorbitant rent to the Soviet regime. Electricity imposed a heavy financial burden on the religious institutions, costs far exceeding those for secular buildings. These discrimina- tory charges forced the synagogues to use electricity sparingly, so most of the time they were dark. Only on ...

... Cramming more than 1,500 Jewish men, women and children into the Great Synagogue in Bialystok, setting them afire while they were still alive, was the tragic beginning of a period of constant, escalating suf- fering. Nevertheless, in spite of these inhuman circum- stances, the Jews once again proved their uncanny ability to continue living — even in the ghetto. They went about their business, published newspapers, got married, bore children and even staged theatrical per- formances. They never lost hope. ...