“Save the treasures from destruction”: Jewish monuments of Ukraine are being digitized before they are destroyed by war

«We are saving the last. We are saving at least through digitization, to preserve the possibility of restoration in the future after the war in Ukraine», notes Prof. Kotlyar in an interview with the UJE portal.

On the platform “Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter” (UJE – Ukrainian Jewish Encounter), an article by Israeli journalist Shimon Briman was published about a project that sounds almost like a verdict and simultaneously as a rescue plan: “Saving Treasures from Perishing“. It’s not about another “cultural news” and not just about one exhibition.

It’s about an attempt to document what may not survive the war and simple neglect: unique wall paintings and architectural details of Bukovinian synagogues, created before the Holocaust, and preserved only in a few cities in Ukraine.

Why the project appeared now, and what Israel has to do with it

Professor Yevhen Kotlyar (Kharkiv National Academy of Design and Arts) speaks directly: German colleagues launched an exhibition-research project against the backdrop of Russian aggression against Ukraine — and especially after the tragedy of October 7, 2023, in Israel. This connection is important: for some European institutions, the Jewish theme after 7/10 became not an abstraction but a personal moral challenge, and the Ukrainian context is read differently in it.

Kotlyar formulates the task harshly and without romance: “we are saving the last”, at least through digitization, to leave a chance for restoration after the war.

Who and how is doing this: UAAC, an international team, and Ukrainian Skeiron

The initiator and sponsor of the project was The Ukraine Art Aid Center (UAAC) — a German non-profit organization created in the spring of 2022 as a network of specialists and cultural institutions (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Ukraine) to support Ukrainian cultural institutions during the full-scale invasion.

The working group on the topic of Bukovinian synagogues included Kilian Heck, Jörg Gaspel, Stefan Hoppe, Yevhen Kotlyar, and Mykola Kushnir. The curator is listed as Professor Oleksandra Lipinska (University of Cologne).

The key practical part is not words and not posters.

The technical work on digitizing three synagogues in Bukovina was carried out by the Ukrainian company Skeiron: laser 3D scanning, detailed documentation of architectural and artistic details. Skeiron, as emphasized, has been engaged in digitizing monuments at risk of disappearing due to the Russian war since the beginning of 2022.

And then another layer of international cooperation kicks in: based on Skeiron’s scans, specialists from the Institute of Architecture of Mainz University of Applied Sciences created an animated 3D model of the synagogue in Novoselytsia — and this is called a “special highlight” because it shows how digital technologies can work both as documentation and as a presentation of heritage.

What exactly is being saved in Bukovina: three buildings and three different fates

The project documents specific objects in Chernivtsi and Novoselytsia — with biographies where architecture constantly encounters politics, war, and indifference.

1) Synagogue “Groyse Shil” (Chernivtsi).

Construction lasted from 1799 to 1854. Until 1877, it was considered the main synagogue of the city. In the fall of 1941 — winter of 1942, the building was part of the Jewish ghetto. Since 1959, the premises were transferred to the city council for a cinema — and since then, in essence, it has been used not for its intended purpose.

2) Synagogue “House of Prayer of Benjamin” (Chernivtsi).

Built in 1923. Around 1938, the interior walls were repainted. In 1941–1942 — again a ghetto. After 1945, it became one of the three synagogues in the city whose operation was allowed by the Soviet authorities; in the 1960s–80s, as noted, — the only one. It opened for the community in 1994.

3) Novoselytsia Synagogue (Novoselytsia).

Built in 1919, when about 5000 Jews lived in the city. After the Holocaust, religious life declined. The vacant premises were repurposed as a Pioneer House — it existed until the early 1990s. Then the building has been vacant ever since. In 2009, Kyiv restorers discovered wall paintings inside.

For the reader in Israel, one thought is especially important here: the question is not only about restoration “someday”. The question is whether future restoration will have any original material left at all — a line, a layer of plaster, a fragment of ornament, the exact geometry of the vaults.

Why these paintings are not like “ordinary” synagogue paintings

Kotlyar explains the phenomenon of Bukovina through the history of the region: a long stay “at the crossroads of different states” made the local culture open to influences, and in the decoration of synagogues, this is especially evident — the Jewish religious theme is combined with the traditions of European palace paintings.

But the most valuable in the text is not the general formula, but the details that sound like evidence.

In Bukovinian synagogues, sacred plots were “translated” into the local visual language. The walls of Jericho were painted as Khotyn Fortress. The symbol of the tribe of Issachar (“bony donkey” in the Torah) turns into a pack donkey pulling a typical Bukovinian cart with books. The symbol of the tribe of Zebulun — a ship — is depicted as a mid-19th-century paddle steamer.

There is an even more telling scene: a fresco with a quote from Psalm 137 about the “rivers of Babylon” shows not abstract harps, but instruments characteristic of a Bukovinian klezmer ensemble.

And “Jerusalem” in Chernivtsi, Kotlyar describes almost as a joke: the artist, who clearly had not seen Jerusalem, copied a city view from a postcard brought by pilgrims from the Holy Land. In the center is a domed structure resembling the Temple, but in essence, it is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, on the dome of which the artist added the Star of David.

At the same time, even at the beginning of the 20th century, as emphasized, in these paintings there are no images of people — a sign of preserving the old tradition. Therefore, if the fresco shows the exodus and the parting of the Red Sea, the viewer sees only Moses’ hand directing the staff to the water.

This is not “about an exhibition” — this is about insuring history

Yes, the material mentions the opening in the city library of Cologne, and there they indeed showed the results — fragments of paintings, digital models, a presentation of laser scanning capabilities. But the exhibition here is more of a showcase.

The essence is different: digitization becomes insurance. When a building is destroyed, when walls “crumble” from time or alterations, when an object stands empty for decades — the digital layer may remain the only accurate testimony of what existed at all. And for reconstruction, scientific description, legal documentation of damage, community archives — this is sometimes more important than loud ceremonies.

And another nuance that is often overlooked: such projects create a network of trust between countries. Germany provides infrastructure and expertise, Ukraine — the subject of preservation and technical work on site, and the Israeli experience of tragedy and memory (especially after October 7, 2023) becomes a moral context that helps Europe hear the topic differently. In the news about Ukraine, we more often see the front and strikes, but cultural heritage disappears quietly — without sirens.

The end of this story is still open. Kotlyar speaks of “the remnants of these artistic treasures perishing before our eyes.” And this is not a metaphor, but a description of the pace: war accelerates everything — destruction, looting, repurposing, “fatigue” towards memory.

For the Israeli reader, this is also a reminder: the heritage of Jewish life in Ukraine is part of a common history, not a “foreign museum.” And if today it is possible to save at least a digital copy — then tomorrow there will be a chance to return not only the walls but also the language of symbols that connected Chernivtsi, Novoselytsia, and Jerusalem in one painting. NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency

Source (Ukr.) December 18, 2025 – https://ukrainianjewishencounter.org/uk/vryatuvati-skarbi-vid-zagibeli/