Menarsha Synagogue
كنيس المنشارة
Religion
AffiliationJudaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusInactive
Year consecrated19th century
Location
LocationJewish Quarter of Damascus
CountrySyria

The Menarsha Synagogue (Arabic: كنيس المنشارة;[1] Hebrew: בית כנסת אלמנשה),[2] also known as the Great Synagogue of Damascus,[3] is a former synagogue in Damascus, Syria completed in the 19th century. In 1949, it was the target of a terrorist attack.[4] The building stands today, but has not been used as a synagogue since the anti-Jewish pogroms in the 1940s.

Location

The synagogue is located in the Jewish Quarter of Damascus on the east side of al-Mansha Street (Arabic: شارع المنشأ), a north-facing cross street of Talat al-Hijara Street (Arabic: شارع تلة الحجارة), opposite to the northern end of the large historical state of Beit Farhi Muallim.[5]

History

The Menarsha Synagogue was built in the second half of the 20th century.[6] On August 5, 1949, the synagogue, which was filled with people for Shabbat services, was the target of a terrorist attack that killed 12 people, most of them children.[7] The attack on the synagogue a year after the establishment of the State of Israel led to a mass exodus of Jews from the city, mostly to the newly-formed State of Israel. A second wave, mostly to the United States, occurred in 1992 when the government of Hafiz al-Assad allowed Jews to leave the country.[8] There are very few Jews in the city in modern times, which has led to the closure and inactivity of the synagogue.[6] The last active synagogue in Damascus was the Faranj Synagogue.

Architecture

The building the synagogue is contained in is a three-Nave hall building on a rectangular ground plan. Its arches rest on white columns with a round cross-section. There is a memorial plaque in the synagogue for the 12 victims of the 1949 terrorist attack.[9]

References

  1. "صوت العاصمة |يهود دمشق: ممتلكات منهوبة وحقوق مسلوبة، وشعائر على شفير الانهيار". صوت العاصمة (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  2. "كنيس المنشا | مواقع سياحية في دمشق القديمة". www.lovedamascus.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  3. "Great Synagogue at Damascus, Syria". archive.diarna.org. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  4. "Syrian Jews". www.histclo.com. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  5. "The Farhi House in 19th Century Damascus". www.farhi.org. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  6. 1 2 "Al-Menarsha Synagogue | Tourist Attractions in Damascus Old City". www.lovedamascus.com. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  7. "Syria (1946-present)". uca.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  8. England, Andrew (2010-05-19). "Damascus gives old Jewish quarter new life". Financial Times. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  9. Kataf, Rania (November 2020). "Hidden Stories of Damascene Jews" (PDF). minor-kontor.de. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
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