STEP INSIDE THE BANJA LUKA SYNAGOGUE (PHOTO)

The synagogue in Banja Luka is part of the Aryeh Livne Jewish Cultural Center, which was built in 2014.

PHOTO: Upoznaj Srpsku

The Jewish Cultural Center is located at Gavre Vučkovića Street No. 2, near the Venice Bridge. It is named after Aryeh Livne, the President of the Presidency of the Republic of Srpska in Israel.

This cultural center is the only facility of its kind built in the Balkans after World War II. It serves as a hub for promoting Jewish culture, history, and tradition.

Within the Jewish Cultural Center is the Ilona Weiss Synagogue, dedicated to the mother of Aryeh Livne, who perished in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. The synagogue is housed in one of the center's rooms and can accommodate about thirty worshippers. It provides a space for prayer and the study of sacred texts.

Jews were first mentioned in Banja Luka in the 16th century, with the largest influx occurring in the 19th century. Before World War II, the Jewish community in Banja Luka consisted of several hundred families and had four synagogues. However, nearly all Jewish landmarks were destroyed during the war.

Today, the Jewish population in Banja Luka comprises only a few dozen families. Besides the synagogue in Banja Luka, there is one more synagogue in the Republic of Srpska, located in Doboj.