Synagogues in Latvia

The Jewish built heritage in Latvia is a “star system” dispersed in time and space. Its visible and tangible “stars” are the preserved synagogues, which are valuable physical, cultural, and historical assets. Their shining—when properly investigated, conserved, restored, and maintained—reflects the light of the once existent edifices, whose physical loss is irreversible. These lost synagogues are only a virtual legacy of no material use. The book visualizes and interprets the preserved and lost heritage that constituted the environment for Latvia’s once-flourishing Jewish religious and social life and was part of Latvia’s historical cityscape.