It is worth exiting the highway midway between Brest and Minsk and heading toward Slonim: in the middle of the village of Ruzhany, a beautiful synagogue still stands today. Its roof is in imminent danger of collapsing, however.
The Jewish presence in Roujany dates back at least to the 17th century, when, according to archives, a pogrom took place. Following widespread discrimination and heavy taxation, the Jewish population declined before regaining some strength from the mid-19th century onwards, representing two-thirds of Roujany’s population by the end of that century. In the 20th century, Jews worked mainly in trade and crafts in the textile and agricultural industries. Faced with pogroms, the population took action to defend themselves and repel the attacks, but some inhabitants were killed.
Despite this, between the wars, Jewish schools, both religious and secular, developed, as did famous yeshivot and a Yiddish public library.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica.