The building is a domed basilica. The interiors of the synagogue are decorated with floral and geometric ornaments. On the southern wall, there is a mosaic depicting a Lebanese cedar, which serves as a reminder of the destroyed Temple of Solomon. The synagogue has four prayer halls with balcony galleries for women. The building also houses the Chief Rabbinate, the Rabbinical Court of the CIS and the Baltics, and a religious school operates there. A Jewish cuisine restaurant and a bookstore are open at the synagogue.
In 1859, Emperor Alexander II issued a decree that made the construction of the synagogue possible. The decree allowed Jews who held the highest merchant rank to live outside the Pale of Settlement, including in capital cities. Soon, the decree was extended to Jewish scholars, university graduates, and craftsmen. Thus, by 1890, about 35,000 Jews lived in Moscow. The head of the Moscow Jewish community, Lazar Polyakov, appealed to the Governor-General of Moscow, Prince Vladimir Dolgorukov, with a request to build a prayer house. In 1886, the community was able to purchase land in the former potters' settlement. The location was chosen deliberately: in the neighboring Zaryadye district since 1828, the Glebov estate was located — the only place where Jews visiting Moscow could live until 1856. This made it possible to reach the synagogue on foot on the Sabbath.
Initially, the prayer house was located in a rented tenement house owned by Ryzhenkov, but in 1886 architect Semyon Eibuschitz developed a project for the synagogue, designed as a domed basilica. On May 28, 1887, the foundation of the future prayer house was laid. A capsule with a foundation charter was embedded in the eastern wall of the building. A year later, construction was halted due to a complaint from the Synod prosecutor Konstantin Pobedonostsev. In his complaint, he stated that the synagogue with a dome offended the feelings of Orthodox Christians. By order, the dome was dismantled, and the images of the Tablets of the Covenant were removed from the building's pediment.
In 1891, construction work was completed, but the Moscow city authorities prohibited the opening of the prayer house. In 1892, the Moscow Jewish community was instructed to sell the building or convert it into a charitable institution. The synagogue was re-registered as a school-orphanage, and this status remained until 1897.
During the 1905 revolution, a royal manifesto on freedom of religion appeared, allowing the resumption of religious life in the Moscow synagogue. The interiors were restored by architect Roman Ivanovich Klein, invited by the community. On June 1, 1906, the synagogue building was opened to worshippers.
The Choral Synagogue continued its work during the USSR, despite existing persecutions of believers. In 1923, the Jewish Commissariat issued a decree to close synagogues and transfer the buildings to schools. However, due to protests from worshippers, the closure decision was canceled. That same year, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Council of People's Commissars decreed to transfer the library located in the building to the Belarusian State University. Three years later, part of the premises was handed over to "Textilstroy," and in the 1960s, another part was allocated as a reserve shaft for the Metro.
On September 11, 1948, the synagogue was visited by Golda Meir — the first Israeli ambassador to the USSR. In a solemn ceremony, a Torah scroll brought from Israel and a charitable donation were presented.
The meeting of Moscow Jews at the synagogue with Israeli ambassador Golda Meir on the Israeli 10-shekel banknote
In 1957, the building of the prayer house saw the opening of the first religious educational institution in the Soviet Union — the yeshiva "Kol Ya'akov."
In February 2001, under the patronage of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, the synagogue underwent reconstruction as part of a large joint project of the Russian Jewish Congress, the Jewish Community of Moscow, and the Joint Distribution Committee — the creation of the "Na Gorke" center. Besides reconstruction, the project included the creation of a Jewish orphanage, social, and community centers. In May of the same year, the building was restored to its historic appearance — a dome topped with the Star of David was added above the synagogue. At the same time, opposite the prayer house, the composition "Bird of Happiness" by sculptor Igor Burganov was installed, symbolizing the friendship of peoples, and a symbolic Western Wall was opened. In 2006, restoration work was completed for the synagogue's centennial anniversary.
Weekday and Sabbath prayers, religious ceremonies, and Torah study are held in the synagogue. Various religious services operate to help worshippers observe the commandments of the Torah. There is also an educational and recreational club for the elderly. The synagogue cooperates with several educational institutions, instilling respect for Jewish traditions in children.
On October 1, 2016, an attack was carried out on the Choral Synagogue. An unknown man wounded a security guard with a traumatic pistol. The man had a canister of flammable liquid with him and, according to his words, planned to set himself on fire in front of the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Adolf Solomonovich Shaevich.
Sources:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Московская_хоральная_синагога
https://centralsynagogue.ru/
