Reconstruction Underway at Siberian Synagogue

Construction has resumed in the $2 million restoration of one of the oldest synagogues in Siberia.

Earlier this spring, crews returned to the central synagogue in Tomsk, Russia, after suspending their work in 2004 for lack of funds.

Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Levi Kaminetsky, the city's chief rabbi, reports that two major donors recently committed 60 percent of the project's costs, enabling the restoration to be completed by 2010.

When finished, the Choral Synagogue will house a sanctuary, museum, library, computer center, classrooms and a dining hall.

The Jewish community of Tomsk is a member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia. ...

Workers prepare a section of a historic synagogue in Tomsk, Russia, for an updated facade. (Photo: Tomsk Jewish Community)