The synagogue was built in 1906 in the Moorish style and externally resembled the largest synagogue in Europe, the Great Synagogue of Budapest. The funds for its construction were provided by the large Jewish community of the city, which at that time made up about half of Minsk's population; the main organizer was the Minsk doctor Lunts. The building was compositionally divided into two parts: the grand portal at the entrance and the ritual hall located along the axis of the entrance. The facade of the building, designed as a majestic arch, was decorated with a round window — the so-called Eye of Aaron. According to Jewish mythology, after meeting the righteous Aaron, even the most sinful people repented for their sins, as they were ashamed to look into his eyes. The interior was no less beautiful than the facade: the bimah (pulpit), the cabinet for storing the Torah scroll, and the balconies were richly decorated; the furniture for the Minsk synagogue was specially ordered from Vienna. Overall, the synagogue was extremely colorful, plastic, and rich in light shades.

After the October Revolution, the synagogue building was nationalized, and in 1923 it was converted into the National Jewish Theater of the BSSR, where lectures, congresses were held, and films were shown. Later, it housed the House of Culture of the Secretariat of the Central Executive Committee named after Frunze. In November 1926, the building was handed over for use to the newly created organization Belgoskino. Soon, the "Kultura" cinema opened here — one of the largest in Belarus at that time. The auditorium of "Kultura," originally the choral hall, was famous for its excellent acoustics. During their tours, famous singers and artists such as Vladimir Mayakovsky, Leonid Utyosov, and Sergey Lemeshev preferred to perform here.

In March 1924, the Extraordinary VI All-Belarusian Congress of Soviets took place here, with delegates from the districts of the RSFSR annexed to Belarus. The chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, Mikhail Kalinin, gave a welcoming speech. The congress legislatively formalized the first enlargement of the BSSR and adopted a resolution on the administrative-territorial division of Belarus into districts, counties, and village councils. The territory of Belarus more than doubled, reaching 110.5 thousand km², and the population increased to 4.2 million people. The congress approved the new border of the republic. Also held in the building were the founding meeting of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR, the IX All-Belarusian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Peasants', and Red Army Deputies, where the program of the first five-year plan was adopted.

On October 21, 1926, the opening of the Belarusian State Jewish Theater (BelGosET) was announced in Moscow. Soon it moved to Minsk. In the 1930s, the BelGosET troupe performed on the stage of the former choral synagogue building. During the Great Patriotic War, the building was heavily damaged. Archival photos clearly show the burned roof. In June 1941, BelGosET was on tour in Vitebsk and then worked in evacuation in Novosibirsk. In November 1944, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus, Panteleimon Ponomarenko, promised to return the theater to Minsk in 1945 after the building was repaired. However, work did not begin at that time. Only in 1948 was the former synagogue seriously restored. According to the project of architect Mikhail Baklanov, it was almost completely rebuilt. In January 1948, the troupe was visited by People's Artist of the USSR Solomon Mikhoels, who was killed a few hours later at the dacha of the Minister of State Security of the BSSR, Tsanava. By that time, it was already clear that BelGosET would not last long, so it was decided to house the Maxim Gorky State Russian Drama Theater there. Its actors worked on the interior decoration in their free time. In 1950, the theater opened its doors to the public.

Today, this is a large three-story building, almost rectangular in plan, with a symmetrical volumetric-spatial composition. The interior space is also designed symmetrically. The former central nave has been converted into an auditorium, and the side naves into foyers.

The building is a monument of eclectic architecture with later modifications. It is a historical and cultural monument of regional significance. Today, the building houses the National Academic Drama Theater named after Maxim Gorky. Memorial plaques dedicated to Vladimir Mayakovsky and the VI All-Belarusian Congress of Soviets are installed on the building.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choral_Synagogue_(Minsk)

https://planetabelarus.by/sights/former-choral-synagogue-now-drama-theater-in-minsk/

https://minsknews.by/synagogue-workers-club-and-other-metamorphoses-of-the-gorky-theater-building/