Great Synagogue of Baghdad: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary Tags: Reverted Visual edit |
Undid 2 edits, Original Research and synthesised content using dubious citations. |
||
| Line 44: | Line 44: | ||
| materials = |
| materials = |
||
}} |
}} |
||
The '''Great Synagogue of Baghdad''' ({{langx|ar|كنيس بغداد العظيم}}), also known as the '''Shaf ve’Yativ Synagogue''' or '''Shad veYativ Synagogue'''{{efn|Roughly translated as “the Divine Presence was removed and settled in this place”.<ref name=Diarna>{{cite web |author= |url=http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/299/ |title=The Great Synagogue (Oldest) at Baghdad, Iraq |work=Diarna.org |publisher=Digital Heritage Mapping |date=2015 |access-date=7 October 2024 }}</ref>}} is a former |
The '''Great Synagogue of Baghdad''' ({{langx|ar|كنيس بغداد العظيم}}), also known as the '''Shaf ve’Yativ Synagogue''' or '''Shad veYativ Synagogue'''{{efn|Roughly translated as “the Divine Presence was removed and settled in this place”.<ref name=Diarna>{{cite web |author= |url=http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/299/ |title=The Great Synagogue (Oldest) at Baghdad, Iraq |work=Diarna.org |publisher=Digital Heritage Mapping |date=2015 |access-date=7 October 2024 }}</ref>}} is a former [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] [[Judaism|Jewish]] congregation and [[synagogue]], located in [[Baghdad]], [[Iraq]]. Rebuilt several times, the building now serves as a [[Jewish museum]]. |
||
The building is traditionally believed to stand on the site of an [[Historic synagogues|ancient]] synagogue built by King [[Jeconiah]], who was exiled from the [[Land of Israel]] to [[Babylon]] in 597 [[BCE]]. It is said that material gathered from the ruins of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] was used in its construction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/English/nehardea/13/8.htm |title=Synagogues in Babylon |access-date=2007-05-29 |last=Avishur |first=Prof. Yitzhak |date=Summer 2001 |work=Nehardea: Journal of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070606233459/http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/13/8.htm |archive-date=2007-06-06 |df= }}</ref> The ancient synagogue is reputed to accommodate approximately 20,000 worshippers,<ref name=Diarna/> while the current former synagogue and museum building is one eighth in size of the original building.<ref>{{cite web |author= |url=https://www.bjhcenglish.com/post/2018/01/30/save-the-dayyy |title=The Great Synagogue |
The building is traditionally believed to stand on the site of an [[Historic synagogues|ancient]] synagogue built by King [[Jeconiah]], who was exiled from the [[Land of Israel]] to [[Babylon]] in 597 [[BCE]]. It is said that material gathered from the ruins of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] was used in its construction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/English/nehardea/13/8.htm |title=Synagogues in Babylon |access-date=2007-05-29 |last=Avishur |first=Prof. Yitzhak |date=Summer 2001 |work=Nehardea: Journal of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070606233459/http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/13/8.htm |archive-date=2007-06-06 |df= }}</ref> The ancient synagogue is reputed to accommodate approximately 20,000 worshippers,<ref name=Diarna/> while the current former synagogue and museum building is one eighth in size of the original building.<ref>{{cite web |author= |url=https://www.bjhcenglish.com/post/2018/01/30/save-the-dayyy |title=The Great Synagogue |
||
|work=Babalon Jewish Heritage Centre |publisher= |date=26 October 2021 |access-date=7 October 2024 }}</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | <ref>{{Cite web |title=الآثار العراقية |url=https://mawdoo3-com.translate.goog/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A2%D8%AB%D8%A7%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A9?_x_tr_sl=ar&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=موضوع |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=يهود العراق في رحلة بنيامين التطيلي: أمان وسلام وتقدير كبير من المسلمين {{!}} Irfaasawtak |url=https://www-irfaasawtak-com.translate.goog/history/2023/12/14/%D9%8A%D9%87%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%83%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86?_x_tr_sl=ar&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc&_x_tr_hist=true |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=www.irfaasawtak.com |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=اليهود العراقيون |url=https://alsubaih-yoo7-com.translate.goog/t310-topic?_x_tr_sl=ar&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=alsubaih.yoo7.com |language=ar}}</ref> |
||
== History == |
|||
=== Early history === |
|||
[[Jehoiachin|King Jehoiachin]], along with many other Jews, was exiled to the city of [[Nehardea]] in [[Babylon]], which corresponds to modern-day Baghdad.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Great Synagogue (Oldest) at Baghdad, Iraq {{!}} Archive {{!}} Diarna.org |url=http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/299/ |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=archive.diarna.org}}</ref> This city was strategically located at the confluence of the [[Euphrates]] and [[Malka (river)|Malka]] rivers.<ref name=":0" /> The Jewish community in Nehardea established the first Jewish settlement there, continuing to send offerings to the [[First Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]], which were transported from Babylon.<ref name=":0" /> Nehardea became the capital for the [[Exilarch|Babylonian exilarch]], and there is evidence suggesting that the first exilarch hailed from this community.<ref name=":0" /> Additionally, the Nehardean community founded an academy that became one of the most significant centers of Jewish learning in the [[Middle East]] by the early third century CE.<ref name=":0" /> It is believed that parts of the [[Babylonian Talmud]] were composed at this academy.<ref name=":0" /> However, the academy was destroyed in 259 CE, and its operations moved to [[Pumbedita]].<ref name=":0" /> |
|||
When the Jews were exiled to Babylon, the Prophet Ezekiel’s significant accomplishment was the construction of a synagogue. Ezekiel buried half of the soil he had collected in the bag that the defeated King Jehoiachin carried with him to Babylon for his eventual burial. This soil was placed in the synagogue's foundation.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=bataween |date=2021-10-22 |title=Miracles of the Great Synagogue in Baghdad - Point of No Return |url=https://www.jewishrefugees.org.uk/2021/10/miracles-of-the-great-synagogue-in-baghdad.html |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=www.jewishrefugees.org.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Great Synagogue of Baghdad - Srk University |url=https://www.srku.edu.in/read?s=Great+Synagogue+of+Baghdad |access-date=2024-12-01 |language=en}}</ref> |
|||
This synagogue is considered the first of its kind in history, and Ezekiel referred to it as ''Kehila Kedousha'', which means "Holy Community." It became a central place for uniting the exiled Jewish community. Jews worshipped there under the rule of the Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks, continuing even after Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia.<ref name=":1" /> |
|||
After the Persians took control of Babylon from the Greeks following Alexander's death, the Jewish community in Babylon lived relatively peacefully under their own leadership, known as the ''Resh Galuta'' (Head of the Diaspora), which the Greeks translated as ''Exilarch''. However, the new Persian rulers accused the Jews of collaborating with their Greek enemies, using this as a justification to strip them of self-rule. The position of ''Resh Galuta'' was abolished, and a Persian official was appointed to oversee the Jewish community, including collecting taxes. This position, which had been taken from the Jews, was later restored by the Arab invaders centuries later.<ref name=":1" /> |
|||
In response to their treatment, the Jews rebelled. The revolt, led by two brothers and a cousin from the [[Zutragum|Zutra family]], was quickly suppressed, and the leaders were executed. This shows the importance the Jews placed on freedom, as they were willing to sacrifice their lives for it.<ref name=":1" /> |
|||
=== Founding of Baghdad === |
|||
As conditions worsened under the Persian governors, the Jews sought a new settlement. They secretly moved to an area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, founding a new city called Baghdad, a name derived from the words ''Bagh'' (garden) and ''Dad'' (city). The Jews covertly dismantled the synagogue in Babylon and transported it, along with the soil from King Jehoiachin's bag, to Baghdad, where it remained in the same spot. |
|||
This synagogue, called ''Slat le-Kbiri'' (The Great Synagogue), had a unique structure—four walls but no roof, as the community needed natural light for reading the Torah during evening and morning prayers. The walls of the synagogue were over two feet thick. The reason for this thickness was revealed when a Sefer Torah became too damaged to be used in prayer. The Jews would bury the worn-out holy texts in the wall, sealing them with available materials. According to tradition, the Sefer Torah must be buried above the feet, not below, out of respect for its holiness. |
|||
Over time, the synagogue was repaired several times, especially after floods caused by the Tigris River. Despite these challenges, it remained the main place of prayer for most Baghdadi Jews. In 1897, Hacham Ezra Sasson Dangoor began to manage the synagogue as a volunteer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hacham Ezra Sasson Dangoor : HeHaCham HaYomi (The Daily Sage) |url=https://www.hyomi.org.il/eng/page.asp?id=129 |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=www.hyomi.org.il}}</ref> |
|||
=== Independent Iraq and miracle === |
|||
After World War I, Iraq came under British Mandate, and the British authorities worked to improve public infrastructure. In the 1920s, floodwaters from the Tigris reached the Jewish quarter, including the Great Synagogue, causing significant damage. A British city planner, inspecting the damaged buildings, found that a wall of the synagogue had collapsed and deemed it dangerous. He ordered its demolition, but the Jewish community protested. Undeterred, the city planner sent a demolition crew.<ref name=":1" /> |
|||
As the workers approached the wall to begin demolition, a mysterious fire broke out, followed by a powerful explosion. The workers’ clothes caught fire, and they fled in panic, shouting, “This is the God of the Jews! Do not anger the God of the Jews.” Following this incident, the city planner decided to reinforce the wall rather than demolish it.<ref name=":1" /> |
|||
There is a possible scientific explanation for the explosion. The Jews had buried old, unusable holy books in the thick walls. These books, written on calfskin, were organic materials, and when sealed tightly underground, they could produce methane gas. When exposed to air and sunlight, this gas can cause an explosion. However, the community believed that the explosion was the ''Shekhina'' (divine presence) protecting the synagogue, and this interpretation became widely accepted. As a result, the Great Synagogue was saved from demolition, and the event was regarded as a miracle.<ref name=":1" /> |
|||
=== Post exodus === |
|||
Since the mass exodus of Jews from Iraq in the early 1950s, the fate of the Great Synagogue has been uncertain. According to Sami Sourani, the synagogue is now under the control of the Custodian of Absentee Property, a department of the Iraqi government that manages Jewish assets that were frozen in 1951. Many Jewish properties, including synagogues and schools, have been repurposed as government warehouses, but there is little information about the current status or condition of the Great Synagogue. It remains unclear whether the synagogue is being properly maintained or how the Iraqi government is managing Jewish properties in general.<ref name=":1" /> |
|||
There have been rumors that some Jews have requested [[UNESCO]] to designate the Great Synagogue as a [[World Heritage site]]. However, architect [[Kanan Makiya]], who published a book on ancient buildings in Baghdad, made no mention of Jewish buildings in the city, aside from a brief general note, although he did refer to a nearby Chaldean church. In 1950, the [[Iraqi government]] issued [[Laissez-passer|laissez-passers]] to Jews leaving the country, but these were issued at the [[Meir Taweig Synagogue|Meir Tweg Synagogue]] in the [[Bataween|Bataween district]], not at Slat le-Kbiri. Jews who were leaving Iraq gathered at the Massouda Shemtov synagogue before being transported by bus to [[Baghdad International Airport]]. After this period, the Great Synagogue, located in a district that had once been home to a significant Jewish population, ceased to be used for prayer, along with the other synagogues in the area.<ref name=":1" /> |
|||
Allan Daly, who visited the synagogue in 1971 with his father to complete government paperwork, recalls seeing open scrolls of leather Sefarim scattered on the ground and benches inside the synagogue. His father, fearing that they might be recognized as knowing Hebrew, quickly called him away. This was Daly’s only visit to the synagogue. Sami Sourani offers a possible explanation for the presence of Sefarim in Slat le-Kbiri. He suggests that the Iraqi government may have collected the holy books from all synagogues in Baghdad and stored them in one central location, such as the Great Synagogue, as a precaution against theft. Sourani also mentions that the [[Iraqi Jew|Iraqi Jewish Community]] in the UK requested that the Iraqi government release a few Sefarim to Jewish communities in Europe and North America. In response, the Iraqi government agreed to send three Sefarim to the Jewish community in the UK, three to the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Montreal, and three to a synagogue in New York. However, details about the fate of these Sefarim are unclear.<ref name=":1" /> |
|||
== See also == |
== See also == |
||
Revision as of 22:10, 3 December 2024
| Great Synagogue of Baghdad | |
|---|---|
Arabic: كنيس بغداد العظيم | |
 The Great Synagogue, undated | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism (former) |
| Rite |
|
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | |
| Status |
|
| Location | |
| Location | Baghdad |
| Country | Iraq |
  Shown within Baghdad | |
| Geographic coordinates | 33°20′28.68″N 44°23′47.04″E / 33.3413000°N 44.3964000°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Mesopotamian |
| Date established | 597 BCE (as a congregation) |
The Great Synagogue of Baghdad (Arabic: كنيس بغداد العظيم), also known as the Shaf ve’Yativ Synagogue or Shad veYativ Synagogue[a] is a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Baghdad, Iraq. Rebuilt several times, the building now serves as a Jewish museum.
The building is traditionally believed to stand on the site of an ancient synagogue built by King Jeconiah, who was exiled from the Land of Israel to Babylon in 597 BCE. It is said that material gathered from the ruins of the Temple in Jerusalem was used in its construction.[2] The ancient synagogue is reputed to accommodate approximately 20,000 worshippers,[1] while the current former synagogue and museum building is one eighth in size of the original building.[3]
See also
- Al-Habibiyah Jewish Cemetery
- Baghdadi Jews
- History of the Jews in Baghdad
- History of the Jews in Iraq
- List of synagogues in Iraq
- Oldest synagogues in the world
Notes
References
- ^ a b "The Great Synagogue (Oldest) at Baghdad, Iraq". Diarna.org. Digital Heritage Mapping. 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ^ Avishur, Prof. Yitzhak (Summer 2001). "Synagogues in Babylon". Nehardea: Journal of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center. Archived from the original on June 6, 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
- ^ "The Great Synagogue". Babalon Jewish Heritage Centre. October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ^ "الآثار العراقية". موضوع (in Arabic). Retrieved October 13, 2024.
- ^ "يهود العراق في رحلة بنيامين التطيلي: أمان وسلام وتقدير كبير من المسلمين | Irfaasawtak". www.irfaasawtak.com (in Arabic). Retrieved October 13, 2024.
- ^ "اليهود العراقيون". alsubaih.yoo7.com (in Arabic). Retrieved October 13, 2024.
External links
- AYidsTravels (2021). The Great Shaf Veyativ Synagogue בית הכנסת שף ויתיב - Baghdad, Iraq (streaming video). YouTube. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
| History | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groups |
| ||||
| Synagogues | |||||
| Yeshivas / Schools | |||||
.svg){kind=small} | This article about a synagogue or other Jewish place of worship in Asia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about a building or structure in Iraq is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Categories:
- 6th-century BC religious buildings and structures
- Ancient synagogues
- Buildings and structures in Baghdad
- Jewish museums
- Jews and Judaism in Baghdad
- Museums in Baghdad
- Orthodox Judaism in the Arab world
- Orthodox synagogues in the Middle East
- Rebuilt synagogues
- Religious buildings and structures in Baghdad
- Sephardi Jewish culture in the Middle East
- Sephardi synagogues
- Synagogues in Iraq
- Synagogues preserved as museums
- Asian synagogue stubs
- Iraqi building and structure stubs