page_title: Oświęcim Synagogue
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Oświęcim Synagogue / History
context_page_description: The Oświęcim Synagogue, also called the Auschwitz Synagogue, is the only active synagogue in the town of Oświęcim, Poland. The formal, as well as pre-war, name of the synagogue is Khevre Loymdei Mishnayos. It is now part of the Auschwitz Jewish Center, which includes a Jewish Museum, a cafe in the house of Syzmon Kleuger and an education center.
context_section_description: The synagogue was built circa 1913. During World War II, the Nazis demolished its interior and used the building as a munitions depot. After the end of war, a small group of Jewish survivors restored the synagogue to its proper function. However, the custodians soon left Poland and the synagogue ceased to operate.
  In the 1970s, under communist Poland, the empty building was used as a carpet warehouse. The synagogue reopened on September 11, 2000, completely restored to its pre-war condition by the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation of New York, at the cost of one million dollars. It is an active synagogue used for prayers by groups and individuals visiting Auschwitz. The adjoining house was purchased by the foundation and turned into a contemporary museum called the Auschwitz Jewish Center (Żydowskie Centrum Edukacyjne). It depicts the life of Jews in pre-war  Oświęcim. Both the synagogue and the Jewish center are affiliated with the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York.
  Presently at the Synagogue, there is an Auschwitz Jewish Center, a museum and a cultural center, focused on Jewish heritage, reconciliation through art and intercultural dialogue.
caption: Interior of the Oświęcim Synagogue
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