A project for the reconstruction of the synagogue in Slonim has been prepared

Who is currently involved in the synagogue's restoration?

The project organization LLC "TopazWestEngineering" is engaged in the restoration of the ancient synagogue in Slonim. In May 2026, the Slonim District Executive Committee held a meeting with the company's director, Dmitry Volchek. The organization submitted documentation to officials. It was also noted at the meeting that "a complex of research works aimed at preserving the architectural monument" has already been carried out.

The completion of the design and coordination of documentation with the Ministry of Culture is planned for September 2026.

What result have the restorers achieved?

In September, citizens inquired about the decision made regarding the synagogue. In particular, they were concerned why the promised synagogue restoration project had not yet been provided, whether the state construction expertise had been passed, and whether the documentation had been approved by the Ministry of Culture.

They also inquired why the building had not been conserved and whether the owners planned to cover the building's contours before the onset of frost.

"To stop the destruction of authentic 17th-century frescoes from dampness and bird infestation behind the installed decorative fence with one small gate and no entrance gate for transport," the residents of Slonim explained the necessity of such works.

The Slonim District Executive Committee's response to the citizens' inquiry was published by the slonim_live public page. It states that the design documentation work has been completed, and permission from the Ministry of Culture has been obtained. The project is currently awaiting approval from the Grodno Regional Executive Committee.

In 2018, the British Jewish Heritage Foundation planned to buy the Slonim synagogue. Representatives of the organization included the synagogue in Slonim in the list of the most significant objects of Jewish world heritage that need help.

The authorities first put the synagogue up for auction in early summer 2020. The architectural monument, built in 1642, was initially valued at 137,000 rubles ($50,000 at the then-current exchange rate). From May to December, auctions were announced three times, but there were no buyers. As a result, by the last auction, the synagogue's price had fallen to 27,000 rubles.

At the end of 2020, the Slonim synagogue was bought by children's writer Joanna Reeves (Ilona Karavaeva) for 30,000 rubles. To do this, she sold an apartment in Minsk. To raise funds, she created the "Saving Heritage" foundation. The reconstruction required 164,000 rubles — an amount the woman could not collect. In June 2022, Karavaeva liquidated the fund. The synagogue's restoration was hindered by sanctions and the war in Ukraine. No investors or state programs were found to support the project either. The Slonim District Executive Committee took the synagogue back.

In May 2024, the building of the former synagogue in Slonim was bought by Denis Dudarov, the director of the Russian Joint-Stock Company "Agency for the Development of Promising Technologies" (ARPT). The architectural monument cost Dudarov only 42 rubles.

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