Avraham Avinu Synagogue

Avraham Avinu Synagogue
  • Arabic: كنيس أفراهام أفينو
  • Hebrew: בית הכנסת על שם אברהם אבינו
The synagogue interior, in 2008
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
RiteNusach Sefard
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
StatusActive
Location
LocationOld City, Hebron, West Bank
CountryState of Palestine
Avraham Avinu Synagogue is located in the West Bank
Avraham Avinu Synagogue
Location of the synagogue in the West Bank
Geographic coordinates31°31′26.24″N 35°6′27.60″E / 31.5239556°N 35.1076667°E / 31.5239556; 35.1076667
Architecture
TypeSynagogue architecture
FounderHakham Malkiel Ashkenazi
Funded byBen Zion Tavger (1970s)
Completed1540; 1977 (rebuilt)
Demolished1948 (partial)
Dome(s)One
Website
aashul.org[dead link‍]

The Abraham Avinu Synagogue (Arabic: كنيس أفراهام أفينو; Hebrew: בית הכנסת על שם אברהם אבינו) is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the Jewish Quarter of Avraham Avinu in the Old City of Hebron, in the West Bank, in the State of Palestine.[1]

Built by Sephardic Jews led by Hakham Malkiel Ashkenazi in 1540,[2] its domed structure represented the physical center of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Hebron. The synagogue became the spiritual hub of the Jewish community there and a major center for the study of Kabbalah.[2]: 39–41  It was restored in 1738 and enlarged in 1864; the synagogue stood empty since the 1929 Hebron massacre,[3] was destroyed after 1948,[4] was rebuilt in 1977 and has been open ever since.[5]

History

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The synagogue is mentioned by Rabbi Naftali Hertz Bachrach in his 1648 book Emek HaMelech.[6] The book deals with the kabbalah, but in the introduction, he mentions a dramatic story about the Avraham Avinu synagogue.[2]: 39–41 [7]

The synagogue once housed the wooden doors of the Old Synagogue of Gaza, crafted from sycamore. They were lost during the 1929 Hebron massacre. Photographs of the doors still exist.[8][9]

Jordan took control of the area in 1948, and after this time a wholesale market, trash dump and public toilet were placed on the site of the Jewish Quarter. The ruins of the synagogue were turned into a goat and donkey pen. The adjacent, "Kabbalists' Courtyard" was turned into an abattoir.[2]: 79 

In 1971 the Israeli Government approved the rebuilding of the synagogue, courtyard and adjoining buildings.[10] The synagogue was reopened in 1977.[3][11]

The man instrumental in rebuilding the synagogue was local Hebron resident Ben Zion Tavger.[12][13] He was a prominent physicist in the Soviet Union at Gorky University noted for his work in the Magnetic Symmetry phenomenon. He moved to Israel in 1972 and became a chair at Tel Aviv University.[14][15]

The rebuilt synagogue is used by the Jewish residents on Shabbat to hold prayer services. The synagogue is also open to visitors each day of the week so they can learn about the history of the synagogue, and hold private services. A plaque with the cover of the book Emek HaMelech and the full text in the original printing hangs on a plaque on the wall of the rebuilt synagogue.[16]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Auerbach, Jerold S. (2001). Are we one? : Jewish identity in the United States and Israel. New Brunswick, USA: Rutgers Univ. Press. p. 153. ISBN 978-0813529172 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d Auerbach, Jerold S. (2009). Hebron Jews: Memory and conflict in the land of Israel. Lanham, USA: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780742566170.
  3. ^ a b Parks, Michael (November 4, 1976). "Claimed by both Israel and Arabs, once-calm Hebron grows tense". Baltimore Sun.
  4. ^ Fischbach, Michael R. (2008). Jewish property claims against Arab countries. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 86–7. ISBN 9780231517812 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "⁨ויצמן - לביקור בחברון ובשכם ⁩ — ⁨⁨דבר⁩ 27 יוני 1977⁩ — הספרייה הלאומית של ישראל │ עיתונים". www.nli.org.il (in Hebrew). June 27, 1977. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  6. ^ Pinson, R. DovBer; Hertz, R. Naftali (June 10, 2015). Mystic Tales from the Emek HaMelech. Iyyun Publishing.
  7. ^ "The Cave of Machpela - Legends". www.machpela.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ רובינשטיין, שמעון (1994). "לקורות הקהילה היהודית בעזה: מכתבו של אליהו אבן טוב אל יצחק בן צבי ב-20.8.1942". חוברת המאה של אריאל: מאמרים ומחקרים בידיעת ארץ ישראל. Vol. 2. הוצאת אריאל. p. 258.
  9. ^ שפירא, ישראל (November 9, 2023). "מסע היסטורי מרתק: כך התגלה בית הכנסת העתיק בעזה". כיכר השבת (in Hebrew). Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  10. ^ Grose, Peter (July 24, 1976). "After 42 Years, Jews Are Part of Hebron". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "⁨ויצמן - לביקור בחברון ובשכם ⁩ — ⁨⁨דבר⁩ 27 יוני 1977⁩ — הספרייה הלאומית של ישראל │ עיתונים". www.nli.org.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  12. ^ Hebrew video of Prof. Tavger at the Avraham Avinu Synagogue. YouTube.
  13. ^ "Avraham Avinu Synagogue". Jewish Community of Hebron. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  14. ^ "My Hebron by Ben Zion Tavger". www.hebron.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  15. ^ Arnon, Noam. "The physicist who changed Hebron: The 30th Anniversary of the passing of Prof. Ben-Zion Tavger". www.hebron.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  16. ^ Wilder, David. "The Avraham Avinu Synagogue: Miracle past and present". www.hebron.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
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