A view of Huliaipole, Ukraine, shows the effects of Russian bombing, Jan. 14, 2023. (Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

(JTA) — Russian missile fire damaged an 113-year-old synagogue in the city of Huliaipole, Ukraine, last weekend.

An unconfirmed photo of the synagogue on Twitter shows a massive hole in the building’s exterior; the state of the interior is unclear.

??Оккупационные войска ударили по синагоге в Гуляйполе

Это здание постройки 1909 года регулярно страдает от российских обстрелов. pic.twitter.com/6x9FlRXRr3

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

— Serg (@NHunter007) January 31, 2023

“On behalf of the Jewish community of Ukraine, I strongly condemn the Russian bombardment of the Synagogue in the city of Huliaipole,” said Moshe Reuven Azman, a Ukrainian chief rabbi affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, according to Ynet. “It is common knowledge that holy sites are off-limits during an armed conflict. It’s an understanding the Russians chose to violate. I expect world leaders to condemn this act.”

In the late 1800s, Huliaipol was home to more than 1,000 Jews, over 10% of its population. By 1939, that number was less than 600, according to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust remembrance authority and museum.

Since the onset of the Russian invasion last February, Huliaipole has seen fierce fighting, as it is located in the center of the contested Zaporizhia oblast. In 2021, its overall population was around 12,000 but that number dipped to as low as 2,000 by March 2022.

This article originally appeared on JTA.org.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount