Vilnius Choral Synagogue
Vilnius Choral Synagogue
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
131 reviews
Excellent
69
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38
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Leena R
Helsinki, Finland1,148 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
Update to 2018 data, in 2020 access was blocked by Korona. But now I finished this project of the last synagogue in Vilnius. Entry is basically simple, ring the gate bell, open from the inside, enter through the door on the right, bags and purses on the shelf in the entrance hall, pay €2 in cash and enter the synagogue. Let men cover their heads, kipa for the house. The transition to the women's loft takes place from the outside through the door on the left. Calling on the phone is prohibited, you can take pictures, but not during the service. Open to us regular tourists from 10am to 3pm on weekdays, except Saturday, Sunday and national holidays. There are dozens of churches in Vilnius, but only one working synagogue, I recommend.
For additional information, the renovation of the neighbor's small synagogue is complete, but there is no activity in the premises.
For additional information, the renovation of the neighbor's small synagogue is complete, but there is no activity in the premises.
Written 8 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jerrold L
Toronto, Canada91 contributions
Aug 2023
This is the only functioning synagogue in Vilnius, with services every day. One can visit during the day for a token donation, to see the interior as well as the pictures and museum pieces. A must-visit site for anyone interested in the rich Jewish heritage of Vilnius
Written 20 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sergey K
Moscow, Russia46,583 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
This is the only surviving one of more than a hundred synagogues in Vilna and faces Pylymo Street. This active Choral Synagogue was built in the early 20th century, also known as Taarat HaKodesh. Revived in 1994.
Written 15 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rimga
Vilnius, Lithuania625 contributions
Sept 2011 • Solo
Sadly, there is nothing to see in this place. The synagogue was ruined after WWII. Now in its place is a kindergarden built during soviet times. It is onl historical place and nothing else.
Written 9 December 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hawk470
Baltimore, MD2,658 contributions
Oct 2019
Built in 1903 in a Romanesque-Moorish style, the Choral Synagogue is the only active synagogue in Vilnius. More than 100 others were destroyed during the Nazi and Soviet occupations. Under the Nazis, the synagogue was used as a storage depot for medical supplies. Under the Soviets, the synagogue was nationalized and became a metal workshop. After Lithuanian independence, the synagogue was repaired and reopened. It holds daily, sabbath and holiday services for the Vilnius community and visitors.
The synagogue is quite beautiful inside and out. The exterior combines an overall Romanesque form with very eclectic decorative elements. The stately blue and white interior, includes a lovely dome, attractive balconies and an Aron Hakodesh (where the Torah is kept at the front of the sanctuary) that has an almost biblical-era style with its columns, levels and curves.
The balconies hold several items of interest, as well as a stunning view of the sanctuary. Perhaps most unique is the matzo making machine which was used secretly during the Soviet occupation. (Imagine that, samizdat matzo!). You can easily visualize each stage of the matzo creation process. In addition, they have a fascinating map showing the huge number of Lithuanian towns and shtetls with Jewish populations in the early 20th century with each town depicted by size and Jewish percentage of the population, as well as historical photographs of Lithuanian synagogues.
An important stop on any visit to Vilnius – to commemorate and, if applicable, to worship.
The synagogue is quite beautiful inside and out. The exterior combines an overall Romanesque form with very eclectic decorative elements. The stately blue and white interior, includes a lovely dome, attractive balconies and an Aron Hakodesh (where the Torah is kept at the front of the sanctuary) that has an almost biblical-era style with its columns, levels and curves.
The balconies hold several items of interest, as well as a stunning view of the sanctuary. Perhaps most unique is the matzo making machine which was used secretly during the Soviet occupation. (Imagine that, samizdat matzo!). You can easily visualize each stage of the matzo creation process. In addition, they have a fascinating map showing the huge number of Lithuanian towns and shtetls with Jewish populations in the early 20th century with each town depicted by size and Jewish percentage of the population, as well as historical photographs of Lithuanian synagogues.
An important stop on any visit to Vilnius – to commemorate and, if applicable, to worship.
Written 23 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rota63
Oslo, Norway13 contributions
Dec 2015 • Solo
Before I went, I asked at the hotel if it was necessary to phone in advance. They said no, so I walked from Cathedral Sq., a nice and pleasant walk. Just rang the bell and walked inn. I was received by a very kind and sweet woman, who showed me the building and we were talking for one hour or so. I really wished I had more time to spend there. A lovely memory from Vilnius.
Written 20 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
djorangutan
Princeton, NJ19 contributions
Oct 2015
Let me start by saying that the building is beautiful and I'm glad I had the opportunity to see this beautiful relic of a time when the Jewish community in Vilnius numbered in the tens of thousands. Unfortunately, the people at this synagogue today aren't very welcoming. My mother and I came with a tourguide earlier in the day and met the Cantor's wife, and we let her know that we'd be coming back the following the day for Shabbat services. When we arrived on Friday night, a few minutes before we were told to come, the woman at the gate actually shut the gate in our faces and said, 'No tourists!' We explained that we were Jewish and wanted to come to Shabbat services, but she didn't speak English. She refused to open the gate. After several minutes of explaining - and with me finally pulling out the siddur that I had brought - she reluctantly let us in and opened the women's section (in the balcony) for us. Now, I'm familiar with Orthodox services, so I know that women aren't treated with open arms the way that men are, but I was very upset with the way we were treated. My mother and I stayed for the whole service - which wasn't particularly engaging or accessible, though the Lecha Dodi melody was familiar and we sung along enthusiastically - but left quickly at the end. At synagogues in other cities, we've been invited over for Shabbat meals - but clearly not here. It is disappointing that a synagogue would be so unwelcoming to fellow Jews from around the world.
Written 2 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Irene B
Stevenage, UK44 contributions
Jul 2013 • Couples
The Choral Synagogue is actually well signposted. Open only a few hours/day (10-2pm), it is one of very few Jewish buildings still in use for worship following the devastation of the very large Jewish community in Vilnius in the Holocaust.
Built in 1903, it is a grand domed building and worth a visit to admire the grandeur of the time.
Built in 1903, it is a grand domed building and worth a visit to admire the grandeur of the time.
Written 4 August 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
YitzchakM
Or Yehuda, Israel1,137 contributions
Jun 2015 • Couples
Come visit this holy synagogue, the only synagogue of over more than 100 synagogues that existed in Vilnius before the Nazis ravaged the Jewish population and their holy sites; the synagogue of my ancestor, the holy Gaon of Vilna; and feel the pain of Vilnius’ once glorious past, a city once considered to be the “Jerusalem of Eastern Europe”! Feel the pain of what it means to be a Jew in the exile, and internalize the lesson to be learned from this pain: Time to come home!
Written 26 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lizzyillustration
Jerusalem, Israel201 contributions
Jun 2015 • Friends
The last functioning synagogue in what was once the " Jerusalem of Lita " The other synagogues were destroyed during World War II, when Lithuania was occupied by Nazi Germany.
Built in 1903, in a beautiful Romanesque-Moorish style , it was but one of over 100 synagogues in Vilna,
Today it still has a very small, mainly elderly congregation. However if one closes their eyes they can try to imagine the synagogue before the holocaust, filled with the vitality and energy, the hopes and dreams of the Jews of Vilna. Those walls heard joyful bar mitzvah readings and torah portions, prayers for the dead, and prayers of health and happiness. Look up to the “ezrat nashim”( women’s section), and imagine the women sitting above. One can almost hear them in between prayers sharing recipes and gossip, admiring each other’s babies and children, all in their distinctive litvak accented Yiddish. On those benches sat Jewish men and women and children who thought the world was as it should be, and that there would be a future for them and their families.
For almost all of the Jews of Vilna, those hope and dreams ended in the shooting pits of Ponary, where 70,000 Jews were brutally murdered.
Visiting a synagogue where the entire Jewish population was killed is an extremely poignant experience- It is not just sightseeing- it is an act of commemoration. As such, I highly recommend a visit to this beautiful relic of a vanished world.
Built in 1903, in a beautiful Romanesque-Moorish style , it was but one of over 100 synagogues in Vilna,
Today it still has a very small, mainly elderly congregation. However if one closes their eyes they can try to imagine the synagogue before the holocaust, filled with the vitality and energy, the hopes and dreams of the Jews of Vilna. Those walls heard joyful bar mitzvah readings and torah portions, prayers for the dead, and prayers of health and happiness. Look up to the “ezrat nashim”( women’s section), and imagine the women sitting above. One can almost hear them in between prayers sharing recipes and gossip, admiring each other’s babies and children, all in their distinctive litvak accented Yiddish. On those benches sat Jewish men and women and children who thought the world was as it should be, and that there would be a future for them and their families.
For almost all of the Jews of Vilna, those hope and dreams ended in the shooting pits of Ponary, where 70,000 Jews were brutally murdered.
Visiting a synagogue where the entire Jewish population was killed is an extremely poignant experience- It is not just sightseeing- it is an act of commemoration. As such, I highly recommend a visit to this beautiful relic of a vanished world.
Written 25 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What are the times for davening during the week?
Written 5 November 2015
At nine (Sundays and Saturdays) or 8:30 in the other days and at 15:30 every day except Saturday.
Written 14 December 2015
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