Kurkle

This May I have visited the restored former synagogue in Kurkliai.

The Kurkle synagogue, built in 1936, is located in a beautiful place near the Dubele stream. The seemingly modest wooden prayer house was visible from afar: the turret on the roof, interesting doors and unusual almost stained-glass windows caught the eye.

Kurkle Jews gathered here not only to pray, but also to discuss community matters. After the war, the synagogue was turned into a warehouse, and since 1990 stood abandoned and unused.

The building was restored in 2022, but is still not in use.

The Jewish community settled in Kurkliai in the 18th century. In 1897, out of 789 inhabitants of the town, 257 were Jews (32%). Just before World War II, about 50 Jewish families lived in Kurkliai. On September 5, 1941, the Jews of the town of Kurkliai were brutally murdered in the Pivonia forest near Ukmergė.