Nożyk Synagogue: The Sole Sanctuary
Why is it significant?
Pass through the wrought-iron gate off Twarda street into a quiet, tree-shaded courtyard and gaze at the Neo-Romanesque facade with its arched windows, twin stone towers and the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments crowning the gable.
Key Facts
| Place | Nożyk Synagogue: The Sole Sanctuary |
|---|---|
| Address | ul. Twarda 6, 00-104 Warszawa, Poland |
| Geo Coordinates | 52.23610, 21.00110 |
| Part of Walk | Lost World of Muranów: The Warsaw Ghetto, Resistance and Memory |
| Generated | Generated |
Pass through the wrought-iron gate off Twarda street into a quiet, tree-shaded courtyard and gaze at the Neo-Romanesque facade with its arched windows, twin stone towers and the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments crowning the gable. This is the Nożyk Synagogue, the only surviving pre-war Jewish house of worship in the city of Warsaw. Before the war, this capital possessed over four hundred synagogues and prayer halls; today, only this one still stands.
The synagogue was commissioned in 1898 by Zalman Nożyk, a wealthy Jewish haberdasher, and his wife Rywka, who donated their entire private fortune of 250,000 roubles to build an orthodox sanctuary for their community. Dedicated in 1902, the hall accommodated six hundred worshippers beneath a vaulted ceiling painted with golden Hebrew script and stars. It was famous throughout Poland for its majestic cantor and magnificent boys' choir.
How did this solitary temple survive when every other synagogue in Warsaw was dynamited? Following the liquidation of the Small Ghetto in 1942, the German military desecrated the sanctuary, tore out the bimah and benches, and converted the sacred space into a horse stable and feed warehouse for the Wehrmacht. By bitter historical irony, that utilitarian use prevented the SS from detonating explosive charges in the foundation.
In the summer of 1945, surviving Jews emerging from hiding held the first post-war service in this desecrated, roofless shell, weeping as they recited the Kaddish. Restored through international donations in the late 1970s and rededicated in 1983, the synagogue is once again the vibrant heart of Jewish life in Warsaw, hosting daily prayers, bar mitzvahs, weddings and kosher community meals.
Exit the courtyard and walk south along Emilii Plater street towards Sienna street, where the most tangible relic of the ghetto wall awaits.