The project to erect the synagogue had its beginnings in the early 20^th century, when the Jewish Galician Society purchased a plot of land during the process of parcellation. The organisation was not named after the region of Galicia but after the nearby Galitsky Square (Ukrainian: Halytska Ploshcha – currently Ploshcha Peremohy), the location of a Jewish market and the exit of the traditional Kyiv–Galicia route. Construction works were carried out in the year 1909–1910. The impressive Neo-Romanesque building was designed by Fyodor Oltazhevsky. Today, it also has a vestibule which was probably added at a later date.

The synagogue was confiscated by the Bolsheviks in 1919, but it continued to provide religious services for a short period of time afterwards. In 1921, it was taken over by a 750-member association named the Prayer House in the Jewish Market, later renamed to Beit Yaakov. In 1929, the synagogue became the property of the state, which handed it over to the Southwest Railway. The petition to seize the building and convert it into electrical workshops for the purposes of the rail company was signed by 78 party activists; interestingly, the Bolsheviks “added” several hundred signatories by forcing people to participate in special rallies. After the synagogue was confiscated from its Jewish owners, it turned out that the industrial facilities were no longer needed and the building was converted into… a canteen. In the early 1930s, the “Transsignal” electrotechnical plant was founded in the area, with the synagogue-canteen located on its premises, hidden behind a high wall. Its function went unchanged until the end of the 20^th century.

The process of returning the synagogue to the Jewish community started in 2001. In the years 2002–2004, the building was restored. Today, the synagogue is owned by the Midrash Tzionit organization, which carries out educational activities in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Due to its particular location, the synagogue is still difficult to access.