Continuing past the former Jewish school, at 5 Volodarsky Street, you will see the former synagogue, striking in its grandeur. Its story begins in 1901 with its construction, lasting 5 years. The Minsk doctor Joseph Lunts initiated the project, leading the fundraising for the construction of a Jewish temple in Minsk, as over 56% of the population of Minsk was Jewish. Built in the Moorish style, the Great Choral Synagogue threw open its doors to observant Jews in 1906.Graced with a majestic arch, the facade of the building featured a round window, known as the eye of Aaron. According to Jewish mythology, upon meeting the righteous Aaron, even the most tawdry people changed their ways, for they were ashamed of looking into his eyes. The interior held its own in beauty: a bimah, storage for the Torah scroll, and richly decorated balconies. Furniture for the Minsk synagogue had been specially ordered from Vienna. A yeshiva, a heder, a kollel, a school of cantors, music, and theater studios operated within the Great Synagogue.The purpose of the synagogue changed in 1921 – it became a Jewish theater, and in 1923 – a workers' club. The club was reorganized into a House of Culture, which was later leased to the enterprise Belgoskino, housing one of the largest cinemas in the Soviet Union, called “Cultura”.During the Great Patriotic War, the choral synagogue sustained damage in a fire. During the subsequent renovation under the direction of architect M. Baklanov, it was so modified that the result bore no resemblance to its original appearance. Only the side facades of the synagogue were left untouched by the renovation, and can still be observed by looking into its inner courtyard.The Maxim Gorky Russian Drama Theater, today called the National Drama Theater of the Republic of Belarus, operates in the renovated former synagogue building. Two commemorative plaques hang on the walls of the once choral synagogue and now theater: one in memorializing the Fourth All-Belarusian Congress of Soviets held here and the second in honor of Vladimir Mayakovsky.