Lost Treasures: The Wooden Synagogues of Eastern Europe The Artwork of Bill Farran
Pogrebishche, Ukraine - Original Linocut
Pogrebishche, Ukraine - Original Linocut
Yiddish name: Probishta
Previous name, country: Pohrebyszcze, Poland
Pogrebishche was established in the 12th century. In 1690, the Jews of this small shtetl constructed a wooden synagogue on the ruins of the previous synagogue which had been severely damaged during the Khmelnytsky uprising, of 1648-1649, a Cossack and peasant uprising against Polish rule in Ukraine, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of Jewish communities.
Following the partition of Poland, Pogrebishche became part of Galicia, Austria-Hungary, populated by Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews. The Jews of Pogrebistche were well known for their self-defense forces during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1920. Almost all Jews were armed with rifles, revolvers, hand grenades, bombs, and more. It was not an uncommon thing to see in the street an old Jew with a long grey beard carrying a rifle on his shoulder. The men of the self-defense detachment were organized on a military basis, holding off many attacks. However, they were disarmed by "friendly government forces", promising to protect them, but who quickly killed them in horrible pogroms.
When the Russians took over Pogrebishische in 1919, the wooden synagogue ceased to be a house of worship. The city was overrun by the Germans on July 21, 1941. On October 18th, over 1,750 Jews were murdered in a nearby forest and the Jewish town of Probishta ceased to exist.
Purchase a print
Original linocut prints are 8x10 inches, and are available either unmatted or in an 11x14 matte.
I also offer matted 5x7 digital prints. These prints are created from high-res digital images and come in an 8x10 matte.
For this synagogue I have created an additional digital print, with Hebrew lettering in the background. These prints are also created from high-res digital images and come in an 8x10 matte.