- December 17, 2025
- 9:57 am
- Ukraine
What sounds like “moving a house” is actually returning a voice to the community.
In 2025, the wooden synagogue from the village of Velyki Komiaty will be moved to the Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life in Uzhhorod (Uzhhorod Skansen). This was announced on September 18, 2025, by the United Jewish Community of Ukraine on Telegram.
This decision is enshrined in a memorandum: the Department of Culture of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration, the Consulate General of Hungary, Rabbi of Uzhhorod and Transcarpathia Mendel Wilhelm, and the museum management are acting together. After installation — restoration and recreation of the interior “according to the canons,” not “for show.” Such projects are rare because they require the unified will of several worlds at once — bureaucratic, diplomatic, and religious.
Where all this is happening and why there
Velyki Komiaty lies in the Borzhava Valley — an area with endless gardens and a habit of looking beyond market horizons. The village is mentioned in sources as early as the 14th century; old chronicles trace connections to Hungarian owners, nearby fairs, and the road to Berehove and Vynohradiv.
On this “borderland,” Ukrainians, Hungarians, and Jews lived for centuries — not just side by side, but with a shared everyday logic: field, market, Sabbath, holidays, neighborly affairs.
How Jewish everyday life sounded
By the beginning of the 20th century, the community had fully formed. Between the world wars, about 416 Jews lived in Komiaty (1921 census). Most were farmers, followed by craftsmen, traders, people with a “short distance” to the market and a long one to relatives in neighboring towns. The centers of attraction were the cheder, the cemetery, and, of course, the synagogue — not a grand city one, but a rural, warm, “handmade” one.
A cemetery that speaks softly but convincingly
It’s easy to find: the intersection of Molodizhna and Vatutin streets. About 80 matzevot are recorded; dates range from 1832 to 1942; the perimeter is about 215 m. This is not “exotic for tourists,” but a chronicle of families in stone: names, formulas of grief, local orthographies — all that tangibly brings pre-war life from abstraction to reality.
A synagogue that “pretended” to be a house
Outside — whitewashed walls, a neat gable roof, no hint of decorative pomp.
But the construction is rare: a wooden frame, walls of woven hazel/nut with clay plaster and lime whitewash — this technique creates the illusion of stone, although the building essentially remains “breathing” wood. In 1992, Lviv architects took measurements (approximately 13.8 × 7.9 m) and recorded key details; even earlier, the object caught the attention of Hungarian researcher Aniko Gazda, thanks to whom the rural synagogue “came out of the shadows.” Dating — late 19th / first half of the 20th century.
Why “not stone” in the village? Because wood and vine were always mastered here, and the technique “wattle + clay + whitewash” is cheap, warm, and handy.
What happened to it after the war
The story, alas, is typical for the region: the Holocaust cuts off the community, the prayer house loses people and turns into “nothing definite.” For decades it was used as a utility room; the interior disappeared layer by layer. By the 2010s, sources recorded: private property, “warehouse,” “abandoned” — a vocabulary of hopelessness where each definition accelerates destruction.
Why they decided to move it, not “treat it on-site”
For fragile wooden objects, the debate “in situ or move” is eternal.
In Komiaty, the arguments for Skansen are obvious: no stable protection, no funding for a full cycle of work on-site, and the structure is vulnerable to moisture and time. In the open-air museum, the building receives infrastructure, a restoration team, a regime, and most importantly — context. There, the visitor automatically asks “who prayed here?” and the exhibit begins to explain not only itself but also the community.
The decision is formalized and tied to time — 2025.
What we will see in Uzhhorod: not a “little house,” but a story in faces
The museum promises not a dusty “box,” but a story: how small rural synagogues are arranged; where the bimah is, where the Aron ha-Kodesh is; why the women’s gallery and why the “modest” facade never interfered with the dignity of the space inside. Ideally, there will be archival photos and mini-stories about Komiaty families nearby — a case where a few cards and a caption explain more than a long paragraph.
This is important not only for Transcarpathia
For Ukraine — it is a sign of respect for the heritage of national minorities and an honest conversation about the country’s polyphonic history.
For Israel and the diaspora — the return of the memory of “small communities” of Eastern Europe, almost always excluded from major museum narratives.
For researchers — a valuable “living” specimen with a rare wall technique and documented measurements.
For district residents — a reason to see their village anew: not only gardens and markets but also an ancient cultural landscape where the church, synagogue, and Sunday fair coexisted.
Timeline (for those who like it brief)
- 14th century — first written mentions of Velyki Komiaty.
- Late 19th / early 20th century — construction of the wooden synagogue.
- 1921 — ≈416 Jews in the village; cheder, crafts, trade.
- 1940s — community destroyed; building loses function.
- 1980s — Aniko Gazda “opens” the object for science.
- 1992 — Lviv measurements: plan, dimensions, details.
- 2010s — photo documentation of losses; statuses “warehouse/abandoned.”
- 2025 — move to Uzhhorod Skansen and restoration.
FAQ
Where is it now and where is it being taken?
Village of Velyki Komiaty (Berehove district) → Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life (Uzhhorod, Skansen).
Why move it, not “repair on-site”?
No stable conditions and protection; for wood, time works against it. Skansen provides a team, regime, context, and audience.
What makes this synagogue unique?
Wooden frame + woven walls with clay and whitewash (stone imitation); compact rural type; measurements ~13.8×7.9 m.
Are there any traces of the community left?
Yes: cemetery (Molodizhna/Vatutin streets), ~80 matzevot, 1832–1942, perimeter ~215 m.
