The reconstruction of Harbin Old Jewish Synagogue’s facades and its surrounding area was completed on Oct 15. The synagogue’s interior decoration will be finished  this year, according to Harbin municipal government.

The restoration project was launched on Aug 26 by Harbin government, capital of Heilongjiang province in Northeast China. The project is aimed to restore the old Jewish Synagogue to its original state with its historical looks and functions, according to the project’s construction headquarters.

Dan Ben-Canaan, a Jewish professor of Western Study School in Helongjiang University was invited to be the project’s consultant. He has provided many old photos to the project for reference. The synagogue’s former red and grey white exterior walls and vault were renovated into yellow and green during the reconstruction, which were based on a color photo of the synagogue taken in 1931.

As a part of the project, the old synagogue’s window frames on the second and third floor were all changed into pure Korean pine wood. The frames decorated with Star of David, a special symbol in Jewish culture, were made by 15 traditional wood-carving craftsmen with an average age of 50 years.

In addition to the restoration of vault and facades, the synagogue’s interior structure and decoration will also be reconstructed to highlight its functions in music, wedding ceremony and exhibition.

Harbin Old Jewish Synagogue was laid on May 3, 1907 and completed on Jan 15, 1909. It was reconstructed in 1931 after a fire. In order to build a historical and cultural city, the restoration of the synagogue was put on the agenda in Feb 2013 as Harbin’s first comprehensive restoration project. 

The reconstruction of Harbin Old Jewish Synagogue’s facades and its surrounding area was completed on Oct 15. The synagogue’s interior decoration will be finished  this year.