History
The Beis Aharon V'Yisrael Synagogue is one of only two Jewish temples in Lviv to have survived World War II. There were nearly fifty before the Nazi occupation.
Originally built in 1925, the synagogue was designed by Albert Kornbluth in the Baroque style. The construction was financed by Jewish charity "Tsori Gilead", and was designed to accommodate 384 worshipers.
The building managed to survive the war as the Nazis used it as a horse stable. After 1945, under the Soviet regime, the synagogue was used as a warehouse. In 1989, the building was returned to the Jewish community. It was renovated from 1995 to 1997, and again from 1999 to 2000. In 2004-5, under the initiative of HGSS Friends of Lvov (a charity associated with Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue in London), and with substantial funding from the Rohr family of New York and Miami, it underwent a major interior renovation under the direction of architect Aron Ostreicher. At the same time the magnificent artwork on the walls and ceilings was restored.
Today, Beis Aharon V'Yisrael synagogue is the only functioning synagogue in Lviv. Services are conducted by the Chief Rabbi of Lviv and West Ukraine, Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo Bald, a Karlin-Stolin hasid from Borough Park, Brooklyn.
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