This Historical Building
Constructed in 1919, The Vilna Shul was the former home to the Anshe Vilner (“People of Vilna”) Congregation, of first and second generation immigrants from the city of and region around Vilna/Vilnius. Presently the capital of Lithuania, Vilna was previously part of Poland and then Russia Vilna was within the Pale Settlement, which by decree of the Czar, was the area of Northwest Russia designated for Jewish habitation. Conditions for Jews under Polish rule were difficult; the persecution under the Russians worsened Jewish life drastically and gave impetus to massive immigration to America.
This Vilna Shul is historically significant for many reasons. It is located in what was once the heart of Eastern European Jewish Boston, and it was the last synagogue to close its doors in 1985, long after the other 50 synagogues in the City of Boston. The adaptation of the synagogue building into Boston’s Jewish Museum and Cultural Center continues its use for Jewish and other community purposes. It stands here as a historic marker, the only remnant of a thriving immigrant community of decades gone by. See more of the Vilna Shul's facilities at our Gallery!
