Mizrachi Synagogue in Będzin

The Mizrachi Synagogue is a 19th-century house of prayer hidden in the basement of a townhouse at ulica Potockiego 3 in Będzin. Today it is a branch of the Zagłębie Museum, and its greatest value is the painted decoration of the interior, entered in the register of movable monuments.

How the synagogue came about

The house of prayer was founded in the late 19th century on the initiative and with the funds of the merchant Jakub Chil Winer. It is believed to be the only synagogue in Będzin to survive the Second World War undamaged. After the war the hall was divided by a partition into two rooms, which were used as a coal store and a junk room, and the place was forgotten for years.

Rediscovery and restoration

The interior was entered on 6 July 2004 by members of the Zagłębie Centre of Jewish Culture. The coal and the partition were removed and the paintings were secured. After a few years, when the polychromy began to flake from the ceiling, the building was closed, and after a five-year conservation renovation it was opened at the beginning of 2012.

Polychromy and frescoes

In the prayer hall paintings by the Będzin painter Altek Winer have been preserved: the tomb of Absalom, the Jaffe alley, the tomb of Rachel, plant motifs, and medallions with a menorah, a hanukkiah and a havdalah candle. The ceiling is divided into three barrel vaults with symbols of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and in the middle is a Star of David. It is one of seven synagogues in Poland with a full cycle of zodiac signs. The decoration was entered in the register of movable monuments of the Silesian Voivodeship on 12 August 2008.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Potockiego 3, Będzin (a building in the townhouse courtyard).
• According to the Zagłębie Museum website, a visit must be arranged in advance with the museum's Education Department. The museum website also has a virtual panorama of the interior.
• Nearby: Będzin Castle and the place of remembrance, the Będzin Ghetto.