Jews settled in Mir in the 17th century, and the formation of the unique architectural ensemble of the synagogue courtyard (previously much larger) began in the 18th century and was completed by the early 20th century. The Jews were governed by communities — kahals (translated from Hebrew as "assembly"), had their elders, their own court, and formed the basis of the merchant class.

In many Belarusian towns, the Jewish population constituted the majority by the end of the 19th century. In Mir, for example, they made up more than 60%. This situation persisted until the beginning of World War II. As of 1939, out of 5,500 residents of Mir, 3,300 were Jews.

In 1889, Zalman Shazar (in Russia, Schneur Zalman Rubashov) was born in the town of Mir — a scholar, writer, and the third president of the State of Israel. Shazar served as head of state for two terms, from 1963 to 1973. However, his activities were not limited to politics alone. The president’s residence was visited by scholars, writers, and artists from various countries. Zalman Shazar died in 1974.

After the death of the politician and scholar, streets and boulevards in many Israeli cities were named in his honor. Twenty years after the president’s passing, a 200-shekel banknote featuring his image was issued. However, in 1998 it was replaced by another note where the president’s portrait was composed of his initials. Additionally, the Center for the Study of Jewish History in Jerusalem is named after Zalman Shazar.

Alongside the Jews, other "Mir residents" (this is the accepted term for the inhabitants of Mir) lived peacefully — Belarusians, Poles, and Tatars. Each of these communities cultivated their own traditions, with the Jews standing out the most distinctly from all others. They were distinguished not only by their clothing but also by their behavior and language.

In 1815, the Talmudist and prominent merchant Tiktinsky (died in 1835) founded a famous yeshiva in Mir. The Mir Yeshiva gained worldwide fame at the beginning of the 20th century when it was headed by the renowned Talmudist Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, who managed to gather under one roof the greatest Jewish religious authorities of his time. At the height of the Mir Yeshiva’s flourishing, about 300 students from various countries studied there: from America, Germany, England, Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, and others. 

The yeshiva was the center of the shtetl’s spiritual life. Not only yeshiva students but also town residents could attend classes. After lessons, discussions were organized. Yeshiva students who were "boarded" by wealthy townspeople were obliged to engage in scholarly conversations. As Shaul Stampfer showed, success in studying the Torah could provide a young man from a poor family with a quick "way up" through marriage to the daughter of a rich man, which was an additional incentive for learning. Among wealthy but uneducated merchants, it was considered prestigious to have an ilui (a gifted student) as a son-in-law.

It is important to note the significant role of the yeshiva in the economy of those towns fortunate enough to have one. Yeshiva students formed the main clientele of small shops and craft workshops, enabling townspeople to earn income from various services (providing housing, food, laundry, carrying water, and so on).

Primary religious education was provided by cheders. The number of cheders depended on the size of the Jewish population. Many melameds (private primary school teachers) taught Jewish children in private homes. For example, in 1850, there were six such melameds in Mir.

Thus, students of the Mir Yeshiva spoke their own language among themselves, and Belarusian with the Belarusian population. The Jewish community was the most isolated from the others, and Jews were most often perceived as "outsiders" (in contrast, for example, to the "own" Tatars).

Today, most of the buildings of the synagogue complex have been adapted for various institutions. For example, the former Jewish religious primary school (cheder), built in 1893 (now the Mir Library), and the boarding house attached to it. According to other sources, the pinkish building with a porch is the former rabbi’s house, while the yellow building adjacent to it (Kirova St., 20) is the former school.

The Mir Yeshiva (yeshivot) (modern address: Kirova St., 25) held special significance for Jewish culture. "Yeshiva" in Hebrew means "session" or "sitting." This term refers to higher Jewish educational institutions where the Talmud is studied (that is, the body of Jewish law serving as a guide for daily life) and rabbis are trained.

The yeshiva building in Mir has been restored and is maintained in excellent condition. It currently houses a post office.

The Mir Yeshiva was founded in 1815 by the Talmudist and prominent merchant Samuel Tiktinsky and operated until 1939. The authority of the Mir Yeshiva in Belarus and other countries was exceptionally high. In the 1920s and 1930s, up to four hundred students from around the world studied at this famous educational center for followers of Judaism (well, how could one avoid a pun here). About a quarter of them came from Germany, England, Belgium, France, Ireland, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa, America, and other countries. By the number of students, it was the second largest yeshiva for rabbinical training (after the Volozhin Yeshiva).

The Mir Yeshiva is associated with the names of outstanding Torah scholars and Talmudists.

At the start of World War II, the yeshiva students and its head, Finkel, moved to Lithuania (Vilnius), and then evacuated to China: Japan issued visas to Jews and provided land in occupied Shanghai. The story of the Mir Yeshiva students’ relocation to Shanghai during World War II is exceptionally interesting. They were saved thanks to the Japanese consul in Lithuania.

This was Chiune Sugihara (1900–1986) — a man about whom entire books have been written. He issued Japanese transit visas to Jews (in the Far East, they could leave the USSR only through Japan). In total, Chiune Sugihara organized the evacuation of about 6,000 Polish and Lithuanian Jews.

The Soviet government provided transit for refugees who received visas. They crossed the Soviet border and traveled to Vladivostok, where they boarded a ship to Japan. Most of them were sent by the Japanese to Shanghai, where they safely survived the war. After the war, these Jews founded a new "Mir" yeshiva with branches in Jerusalem and New York. It is now the largest yeshiva in the world (again, no escaping the pun).

The former main synagogue of Mir — a stately two-story building with columns, designed in the neoclassical style — was built according to an 1896 project (modern address: Kirova St., 26). It was used only during major Jewish holidays.

The synagogue was a place of prayer gatherings and the center of spiritual and cultural life for the Jews. According to some reports, the synagogue was cold, meaning it was unheated. Later, it housed a vocational school. Currently, there are plans to convert the former synagogue into a hotel. For this purpose, the building is to be supplemented with an attic, which is unlikely to benefit its architectural appearance.

Behind the main synagogue stands a bright building with a green roof and striking arches on the end facade — the merchant’s synagogue, built in the 19th century. A couple of other, more modest synagogue buildings have also been preserved in Mir.

A little further along Kirova Street, at the corner with Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, is a large building of the former kahal (Jewish community administration), where a bank may also have been located.

Sources:

https://www.mishanita.ru/2014/08/06/22985/

https://shtetlroutes.eu/ru/mir-cultural-heritage-card/#religioznye-ucrezdenia