Sidon Synagogue ( Arabic: كنيس صيدا ) - is one of the oldest synagogues in the world [1] . It is located in the old city of Sidon (Sayda, Lebanon ) in the former Jewish district known as “Harat al Yahud” ( Arabic: حارة اليهود ).
| Sight | |
| Sidon synagogue | |
|---|---|
| Arab. كنيس صيدا | |
 Rabbis before prayer in synagogue in 2012 | |
| A country |  Lebanon |
| Sidon | Harat al yahud |
| Denomination | Judaism |
| Type of building | synagogue |
| Build Date | 833 |
| Status | inactive |
History
Built in 833 , it is believed, on the foundation of an old synagogue, which dates back to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD [1] . Jesus is believed to have preached in or near her, as the Gospels of Matthew (15:21) and Mark (7:24) [1] [2] testify.
| And, having left from there, Jesus withdrew to the countries of Tire and Sidon. |
(Matthew (15:21))
| And, having departed from there, he came into the borders of Tire and Sidon; and when he entered the house, he did not want anyone to know; but could not hide. |
(from Mark (7:24))
It is considered one of the main synagogues in Lebanon, along with the Magen Abraham synagogue in Beirut , built in 1925 .
Many Jews have lived in Sidon since ancient times, especially in the former Jewish region. Their property is still registered with them or transferred to the Jewish community in Lebanon [3] .
A small number of Jews left the city, fearing persecution, after the founding of Israel in 1948 . A significant number of Jews began to leave Sidon after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1975 .
After the Israeli invasion of Sidon in 1982 , some former Jewish residents who fled the city returned. Accompanied by Israeli officers, they explored Jewish cemeteries, synagogues, and the place where, according to tradition, Zebulun , the head of one of the 12 biblical tribes of ancient Israel , is buried [3] .
During the Israeli occupation of the city in 1982-1985, Jews began repairing the Jewish cemetery and the tomb of Zebulun, who suffered during the bombing of Israeli aircraft at the beginning of the invasion [3] .
But Jewish places were abandoned again after the Israeli army withdrew from Sidon in 1985.
In April 2012, for the first time after decades of disuse, two rabbis from the international movement Neturei Karta , p. Isroel Dovid Weiss and r. Alter Wakshal, participating in the march in honor of Earth Day , organized a prayer in the synagogue [3] .
See also
- Deir al-Kamar Synagogue (Mountain Lebanon)
- Magen Abraham (synagogue) (Beirut)
- Jewish cemetery of Beirut
- History of Jews in Lebanon
- Wadi Abu Jamil
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Sacy, Andre. 2011. Saida D'hier Et D'aujourd'hui. Beyrouth: Editions Aleph
- ↑ “Sidon.” 2007. Encyclopaedia Judaica . Macmillan
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Mohammed Zaatari, “Sidon synagogue opens for rare prayers”, The Daily Star Lebanon, April 03, 2012