Updated: Aug 3, 2020
Žygimantų street is a street in the Old Town of Vilnius, running along the left bank of the Vilija (Neris) River between King Mindaugas' Bridge and the Green Bridge, repeating the bend of the river. Before World War II, the street was called Zygmuntowska. In Soviet times, both streets, Žygimantų and Goštauto, were named after K. Požėla. The current name is associated with the names of the Polish kings and grand dukes of Lithuania Sigismund I the Old and Sigismund II Augustus.
The Beth Midrash at the Green Bridge (Briker kloyz) was located at former 45 Vilenskaia (today 13 Žygimantų) Street. A beth midrash is a Jewish study hall located in a synagogue. A large masonry beit midrash was built around 1860 by a rich timber merchant. In 1904, it was called the new prayer house, without a name, the epithet "new" still functioned in 1915, while in 1920 its name was registered as Sheinuk's kloyz. Before
WWI There were about 70 worshippers donating to the kloyz, while in 1916, 20 worshippers were "paying" and 35 others "not paying". The kloyz possessed also a small house in the same courtyard. In 1935, there were 57 worshippers. Unfortunately, by 1942 the kloyz was badly damaged.
After the World War II, the wooden house of prayer was turned into a two-story brick box. The building of the beth midrash is preserved but has been heavily reconstructed. The beth midrash's liturgical axis was directed toward the south with a slight turn to the east. An additional floor was added to the building in 2000s, it is separared from the original two-storey structure by a horizontal molding from the original features, the corner lesenes are preserved as well as the division into the prayer hall (the southern windows) and the women's section with vestibule (two northern windows) on the western facade. Today it houses various institutions.
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