Heaven's Gates 2 Masonry synagogues

The second part of the monumental work by Maria and Kazimierz Piechotka centers on the masonry synagogues that were constructed in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This area encompasses most of modern-day Poland, a significant portion of Ukraine, all of Lithuania and Belarus, as well as a fragment of Moldova situated on the left bank of the River Dniester. These lands were home to a substantial portion of the world’s Jewish population, amounting to around 10% of the regional populace during the nineteenth century.

The events of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, particularly emigration and the catastrophic impact of the Holocaust during World War II, led to the near-total disappearance of Jewish communities from these regions. Despite this, remnants of their rich history are preserved in the architectural legacy of synagogues, documented through drawings, photographs, and various materials, as well as in the remaining urban structures of towns where Jewish communities once thrived.

Unlike the wooden synagogues, which were extensively destroyed by the Nazi Germans during the war, masonry synagogues, though largely ruined—with further damage occurring post-1945—have survived in part to this day. Thanks to efforts in conservation and reconstruction, these synagogues have become an integral part of the cultural heritage of Poland and Central-Eastern Europe.