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Synagogues & Yeshivas
(225 build before 1947)
Israel is richly decorated with ancient Jewish religious buildings in all parts of the country.
(Photos thanks to wikimedia commons)
Photo: anatavital
UMM AL UMDAN SYNAGOGUE
3th-2nd century/1st century BC - Modi'in
Excavations conducted at Umm el-‘Umdan within the modern Israeli city of Modi’in have uncovered evidence of an ancient Jewish village. Directly beneath a Herodian synagogue lies a structure that smaller building securely dated to the end of the third or beginning of the second century B.C. According to the excavators, this structure must have been contemporaneous to the time of the Maccabees and the Maccabean revolt. While this Early Hellenistic building influenced the location and shape of the two synagogues built atop it in subsequent centuries, the excavators believe that there is not enough information at the time to conclude that the Early Hellenistic building was also a synagogue. The ancient Jewish village dating to Hasmonean period however remains unique and the Herodean Synagogues on top of this village on of the oldest within Israel and in the world.
WADI QELT SYNAGOGUE
75-50 BC Jericho
The Wadi Qelt Synagogue was discovered by archaeologist Ehud Netzer, as a Hasmonean-period synagogue. It is part of the royal winter palace complex built by the Hasmoneans in Wadi Qelt, Jericho, to the west of the town Jericho. It dates from between 70 and 50 B.C., and is one of the oldest synagogues ever found. The Synagogue in design is very similar with the Gamla synagogue in the Galilee. The picture shows a Mikve not far from the synagogue.
Photo: Bukvoed
HERODEAN AND ROMAN BUILDINGS
The earliest traces of the existence of synagogues were found in Egypt. Two inscriptions, dating from the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes (246-221 BCE) mention synagogues. Until recently Synagogues (from before the destruction of the Temple) were thought to be places of learning, assembly and study and the Temple in Jerusalem was the holy place of worship. However perhaps synagogues were also a place of worship before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. (see also other synagogues and the Migdal stone in 'Valuable inscriptions')
MASADA FORTRESS & SYNAGOGUE
37 -31 BC
Masada is an ancient fortification and settlement in the Southern Judean Desert near the dead sea on top of an isolated rockplateau. It was build by Roman king Herod the Great who fortified msada and built two palaces (see also the masada mosaic floor). According to the Roman historian Josephus, the siege of Masada by the Roman Army took place from 73 to 74 CE , at the end of the First Roman-Jewish War. The siege ended in the mass suicide of the nearly thousand of Jewish rebels who were hiding there. However, this story is debated by some scholars. Within the buildings of Masada a synagoge was found (10 BC), one of the oldest in the world. The main pillared hall does not contain any ark niche, so the scrolls may have been brought out from the small room as needed. Strengthening this possibility is the fact that the small room’s floor appears to have been used as a genizah, a place to bury worn-out sacred writings. Two shallow pits found in its floor contained scrolls — a copy of Deuteronomy in one, Ezekiel in the other. Also a Hebrew scroll of Ben Sirah was found.
Photo: Godot13
HERODIUM SYNAGOGUE
20 BC
The synagogue at Herodium was initially built as a dinning hall (triclinium) during the time of Herod. Here Herod received his guests, and threw intimate dinner parties. Josephus tells us that the Roman emperor's representative Agrippa was Herod's guest in Herodion in 15 BCE. It is located inside the fortified Herodium complex also famous because of the Grave of King Herod.
PUBLIC HALLS FROM SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD
20-30 CE Jerusalem
The newly found halls next to temple mount consist of two identical magnificent chambers with an elaborate fountain between them. The walls of the halls were decorated with pillars topped with Corinthian style capitals. This decorating style is typical of the Second Temple-period architecture. According to archaeologist Shlomit Weksler-Bdolach the building dates back to approximately 20-30 CE. The excavation revealed that the hall, which is now being opened to the public, was no longer in use by the 7th Century CE. It is one of the most magnificent public buildings from the Second Temple period that has ever been uncovered outside the Temple Mount walls in Jerusalem. The building, which apparently stood along a street leading up to the Temple Mount seems to be used mainly for public functions. But also near these rooms a mikveh was found. The building from the Second Temple-period and what remains illustrate Jewish life in Jerusalem between the Hasmonean and the Roman periods.
BURNT HOUSE & HERODIAN MANSIONS
1st Century CE - Jerusalem
Beneath the houses of the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, the remains of the Herodian Quarter can be found, The Herodian Quarter was named this because the houses date to King Herod’s reign. The houses are parts of the Wohl Archeological Museum. Here we find the remains of homes of wealthy Jerusalemites from the time of Herod’s Second Temple. Within this vast underground complex we find beautiful mosaic floors, mikvaot (ritual baths), storage rooms, ovens, pottery, coins, wall frescos, furniture, a carved Menorah of the period and much more. All of these exhibitions allow us a glimpse into the life of the Sadducee community of Jerusalem Jews of the time.
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Photo:Proa 500
Photo: Deror Avi
USHA MIKVEH
3th Century CE - Usha
Usha has a rich history in the making of wine and olive-oil. A large industrial site for the making of Wine and olive-oil can still be admired. During the Roman period Usha was one of the places were the Sanhedrin was located. In Usha a 1800 year Mikveh can still be found as a testimony to the important Jewish History of Usha.
SYNAGOGUES AND BUILDINGS FROM THE LIVE OF JESUS (10)
The significance of this 10 buildings would probably be less without the Christian value of these sites. However if Cristianity would not have existed, these sites would stil be important and ancient Jewish sites. A biblical point of view tells us "Jesus was traveling through all the cities and villages teaching in synagogues" (Matthew 9:35) and "Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues"(Matthew 4:23). There are seven known first century A.D. synagogues and the oldest is the one at Magdala. Both Gamla and Magdala are within walking distance of Jesus base of ministry at Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. (More on Life of Jesus)
SYNAGOGUE OF CAPERNAUM
Main building 4th -5th Century CE on top of a 1st Century Building
The ruins of a great synagogue are probably not the synagoge referred to in the Gospel of Mark. But dating of this synagoge remained difficult. The synagogue appears to have been built around the 4th or 5th century. Beneath the foundation of this synagogue lies another foundation made of basalt, and it has been suggested that this is the foundation of a synagogue from the 1st century, The architectural ornamentation of the Capernaum building is far more elaborate than other nearby synagoges.
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TOWER OF DAVID
6th century BC & later - Jerusalem
The citadel visible today dates to Mamluk and Ottoman periods. It is build on ancient fortifications of the Hasmonean, Herodian, Byzantine and Early Muslim periods, all destroyed by Ayyubid and Mamluk rulers. The northeastern Herodian tower was replaced by a much more massive tower, called the “Tower of David” beginning in the 5th century C.E. The name “Tower of David” is due to Byzantine Christians who believed the site to be the palace of King David. They borrowed the name “Tower of David” from the Song of Songs. The citadel contains important archaeological finds dating back over 2,500 years including a quarry dated to the, First Temple period and is a popular venue for benefit events, craft shows, concerts, and sound-and-light performances. One of the most remarkable facts about the Tower of David is that part of the stones used during this Herodian period are still visible in the tower today. Herod also named the towers after his family members. The tallest tower stood an estimated 44 meters (144 feet) tall and was named “Phasael” after his late brother who committed suicide in captivity. Another was named Mariamne after his second wife whom he executed and buried nearby.
EIN KESHATOT SYNGOGUE
1st - 5th century CE - Ein Keshatot
The synagogue, with its ornately carved basalt Torah ark, was built in the 1st century but extensively renovated some 500 years later. The building, which collapsed in the catastrophic earthquake of 749 CE, measured 18 meters long by 13 meters wide, and is calculated to have been 12 meters high. That impressive size made it one of the biggest of the 30 ancient synagogues discovered in the Golan Heights. Several factors indicate the wealth of this Jewish village during the Byzantine era. The springs supported a flax and textile industry, while the twin olive presses produced oil for export. The villagers’ wealth was displayed in their elaborate synagogue. The beautiful ruins have been partly restored with innovative high tech computer reconstruction.
Photo: Veni Koenigsberg
EARLY SYNAGOGUES - MIDDLE OF ISRAEL TO THE LOWER GALILEE (19)
Together with the above mentioned synagogues of Migdal, Gamla and Capernaum synagogues these 18 synagogues are some of the most important and beautiful of Israel.
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Photo: : Betty Nudler
BET ALPHA SYNAGOGUE & MOSAICS
6th century AD Israel
Beth Alpha (Hebrew: בית אלפא; Bet Alpha) is a sixth-century CE synagogue located near Beit She'an. Beit Alpha still has beautiful mosaics. On remarkable mosaic is the a Zodiac wheel (also found in contemporaneous synagogues throughout Israel). The question remains whether this was evidence of Roman-Greco elements that became part of proces of Judaization and adaptation into the Jewish calendar and liturgy. Other scolars claim to see the existence of a "non-Rabbinic" or a mystical and Hellenized form of Judaism, that embraced the Greco-Roman elements.
ANCIENT SYNAGOGUES OF THE SOUTH OF ISRAEL (10)
10 Ancient synagogues in the South of Israel (Gaza is not included although an ancient synagogue can be found in Gaza.)
EIN GEDI SYNAGOGUE
Photo: Carol Cantrell
3th-6th Century AD - Ein Gedi
The synagogue with its perfectly preserved mosaic floor dates back to the 3th century AD. It was used until the synagogue was destroyed around 530 AD in a time when the Jews were proescuted by Emperor Justinanus (527-565). Coins dating from this time were found. The northern wall of the synagogue is facing towards Jerusalem. There is a raised platform (a bima) and a semicircular niche for storing the Torah scroll. Important archaeological discoveries are the bronze seven branched menorah and the famous the Ein Gedi scroll (a 4th century scroll from the book of Leviticus). Eusebius, an early 4th century father of the Christian Church, wrote of a "very large village of Jews" at Ein Gedi. Early manuscripts also tell of Ein Gedi's inhabitants who grew date palms and persimmons. The persimmon bush (Ommiphora opobalsamum) yielded a substance from which a valuable perfume could be extracted. Ein Gedi seems to have earned a lot from selling this perfume. An inscription in the ancient mosaics reminds the visitor of the synagogue not to 'reveal the secret of the town'.
Synagogues still in use today
(build before 1947 AD)
Today Jerusalem houses hundreds of Synagogues both small and large. Even before 1947 hundreds of synagogues existed in the old parts of Jerusalem. And many ancient Jewish places of worship can be found in other cities in Israel (Safed, Tiberias, Hebron, Acre and Haifa/Tel Aviv). Many of these old & beautiful synagogues are still in use today.
Photo: David Shankbone
RAV GETZ SYNAGOGUE - WARREN GATE
7th Century - Jerusalem, Temple mount
Warren's Gate first described by the nineteenth century surveyor Charles Warren, is an ancient entrance into the Temple platform in Jerusalem which lies about 150 feet (46 m) into the Western Wall Tunnel. In the second Temple period, the gate led to a tunnel and staircase onto the Temple Mount. After the Rashidun Caliphate conquest of Jerusalem from the Byzantines, Jews were allowed to pray inside the tunnel. The synagogue was destroyed in the First Crusade in the siege of Jerusalem in 1099. The tunnel then became a water cistern, thus its name Cistern 30. The area is surrounded by a vaulted 18-foot (5.5 m) tunnel.Rabbi Yehuda Getz, the late official Rabbi of the Western Wall, believed that the Gate represented the point west of the Wall closest to the Holy of Holiest part of the original temple on Temple mount.
THE MAGNIFICENT SYNAGOGUES IN THE OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM (19)
19 old synagogues in the Old City of Jerusalem. All Damaged in 1948 (except the Zemach Zedek synagogue) & Restored
MORE ANCIENT SYNAGOGUES IN JERUSALEM (16)
DIASPORA YESHIVA SYNAGOGUE
Photo: Onceinawhile
12th-14th century Building
The Diaspora Yeshiva is the only yeshiva situated on the Mount Zion. Located near the Dormition Abbey (now called Hagia Maria Sion Abbey), the Yeshiva was established in 1967 by Rabbi Mordechai Goldstein. The building served as the official Religious Court of Jerusalem until the 1948 Israeli War of Independence when, because of its vulnerable location, it was no longer usable on a regular basis. The Diaspora Yeshiva manages the adjacent King David's Tomb, located in a Crusader Period building (12th-14th century) which was erected on an earlier Judeo-Christian site. The room before the tomb chamber is now a synagogue.
BEIT YISRAEL
1895 AD - Yemin Moshe, Jerusalem
The Beit Yisra’el Synagogue (dedicated 1895) was one of the first synagogues built outside the Old City walls. Services continued in the synagogue after 1948, despite the exposure to enemy sniping on the edge of no-man’s land. The Sephardic synagogue was renovated in 1967. The Foundation supported creation of Beit Midrash Ephra’im, a hall for Torah study located in a former water cistern under the building’s terrace in 1981, and renovations to repair structural damage to the synagogue following a major snowstorm in 1992. The synagogue was rededicated in 1994, following repairs to the building’s substructure, walls and roof, addition of a new kitchen, and installation of new plumbing, electrical and heating systems.
Photos: Isaac Shweky
OTHER SYNAGOGUES OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS - JERUSALEM (27)
Nahalat Shivta, Mishkenot Sha’ananim and Mahane Yisrael
There used to be 300 synagogues in the old neighbourhoods of West Jerusalem although some were very small. In 1886 a first wave of Iranian-Jewish immigrants arrived and started in the Nahlaot neighbourhood after difficult and dangerous travels from Iran. The Israeli name for Jews of Iranian (Persian) descent is 'Parsim'. They started very poor living in tents or houses made of tin gasoline cans. Although poor these Parsim were very religious and soon started building synagogues. In 1894 also Jews from Anatolia settled in this area just like Jews from Uzbekistan (Bukhara). In 1900 Jews from Aleppo arrived and 1925 Yemenite Jews.
SYNAGOGUES OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS - NAHLAOT
Nahlaot - Jerusalem
Neighborhoods in Nachlaot (plural of nachala, lit. "homestead") include Batei Broide, Batei Goral, Batei Minsk, Batei Munkacs, Batei Rand, Bet Ya'acov, Even Yisrael (built in 1875 it is the oldest of the group), Knesset Yisrael, Mahane Yehuda, Mazkeret Moshe, Mishkenot Yisrael, Nahalat Ahim, Nahalat Zion, Neve Bezalel, Neve Shalom, Ohel Moshe, Shevet Ahim, Shevet Zedek, Sukkat Shalom, Zikhron Tuvya, Zikhron Ya'acov, and Zikhron Yosef.
BEIT YEHUDA SYNAGOGUE
Photo: Nettadi
1877 AD - Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem
The Beit Yehuda synagogue at the David avisar street 7-9, in Mahane Yehuda was built in 1877 - making it 140 years old. The synagogue is still active to this day and has a unique old-time atmosphere about it. The congregation consists of committed neighbourhood residents who make it a point to keep this keepsake alive and running. People of all kinds feel comfortable and welcome in the synagogue, due to the friendly and respectful atmosphere.
THE ANCIENT ABRAHAM AVINU SYNAGOGUE
1540 AD & 1976 - Hebron
The Abraham Avinu Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Hebron was built by Hakham Malkiel Ashkenazi. The domed structure became the spiritual center of the Jews in Hebron and a centre for the study of Kabalah. The Synagogue was named in the book Sefer Emek Hamelech written in 1648 by Rabbi Naftali Hertz Bachrach.
Hebron became the centre of Arab riots, resulting in the Hebron massacre in 1929. Many residents of the Jewish Quarter were murdered, raped and their homes were destroyed by Arab rioters. In 1948 Jordan took control of Hebron and the Jordanian leaders tried to erase all Jewish elements. The Jewish Quarter was destroyed en desecrated. Goats and donkeys were kept at the ruins of the Synagogue. After the Six Day War in 1967, the gradual return of Jews took place in the Jewish Quarter. In 1976 the synagogue was uncovered and was rebuilt. Today, this synagogue is used by the Jewish residents of Hebron to hold prayer services and is also open to visitors. (See also Tombs of the patriarchs, Ruth & Yishai.)
Photo: Dirk-Pieter Mellema
ARI ASHKENAZI SYNAGOGUE
16th century
The Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue was built in memory of Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534 - 1572), who was known by the Hebrew acronym "the ARI". It dates from the late 16th-century, it being constructed several years after the death of Luria was a great Kabbalist and writer who arrived in Safed in 1570. The synagogue is known for its colorful and ornate Holy Ark. It may be the oldest synagogue continuously in use in Israel. Today it serves as a place of worship for Hasidic and Sephardic Jews and remains popular among worshippers. (See also graves of important Rabbi's in Israel
SYNAGOGUES OF TIBERIAS (5)
Tiberias founded by the Romans is decorated with Jewish heritage and beautiful synagogue mosaics like those Hammat Tiberias. The city was once the seat of the Sanhedrin and the Beth HaMidrash between 193 until 425 AD and influential Jewish rabbis were buried in and near the city. In Tiberias. the Aleppo Codex was written when the city was a major Jewish centre in the Middle Ages.
ETZ CHAIM ABULAFIA SYNAGOGUE,
Photo: Bukvoed
1742 AD - Tiberias
Etz Chaim/Hahayim Synagogue or Abulafia Synagogue, established in 1742 by Rabbi Chaim Abulafia on the site of earlier synagogues. Abulafiah immigrated to Tiberias from Istanbul in 1740 at the invitation of Zahir al-Umar. The synagogue he built still stands, although it underwent major reconstruction following the Near East earthquake of 1759, the Galilee earthquake of 1837 and the great flood of 1934.
OLD SYNAGOGUES IN THE NORTH OF ISRAEL (14)
Acre, Haifa, Zikhron Yaakov, Shefa Amr, Rosh Pina, Kfar Tabor, Metula, Peki'in, Yesud HaMa'ala
Many Jews lived in the north of Israel since ancient times. Half of these religious buildings that are still in use, were build before 1900.
RAMCHAL SYNAGOGUE
18th century - Acre
In the 16th Century there were two synagogues in Acre. One was the smaller Achav Synagogue and the other the larger Ramchal Synagogue. The larger RachalI synagogue was destroyed in 1758 by the local ruler Zahir el-Omar who constructed the el-Mualek Mosque at the original place of the Synagogue. As compensation, Zahir el-Omar gave the Jews a smaller building. This building was situated along the market street in Acre within the old city (Unesco World heritage Site). Interesting is the existence of this synagogue in close vicinity to a mosque and to the church of St John the Baptist in the old town of Acre. It seems that local peaceful coexistence existed since 1758 in this part of Acre. The Ramchal Synagogue was named after Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, also known by the Hebrew acronym RaMCHaL. Ramchal lived from 1743 until 1747 in Acre. He was a prominent Italian-Jewish rabbi, kabbalist, and philosopher. In recent years the Ramchal Synagogue has been renovated and restored. It is also called “Ohel Chaim” after its famous benefactor, the nobleman Chaim Farchi. Chaim Farchi was an adviser to the Turkish Sultan, and led the resistance to the invasion of the French armies under Napoleon.
BETWEEN TEL AVIV AND HAIFA (9)
Herzliya, Ra'anana, Hadera, Benyamina, Bat Shlomo, Karkur, Afula, Hod Hasharon
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE
1925 AD - Afula
The Bet Shalom community was founded in 1917 and the synagogue in 1925 The current building dates from after the 1996 fire that ravaged the synagogue. With help from the entire Pittsburgh community, the congregation was able to rebound with remodeling and expansion of the synagogue. The synagogue with modern elements maintained the same white clour, its shape and the beautiful dome as can be seen in the picture of the Afula Synagogue of 1937.
Photo: Deror Avi
TEL AVIV-JAFFA SYNAGOGUES (17)
Tel Aviv, Neve Tzedek, Jaffa, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva, Kfar Ganim
(pre-1947)
Photo's: FLLL
THE LIBYAN SYNAGOGUE
1740 AD - Jaffa
The history of the modern city of Tel Aviv has its humble origins in the ancient city of Jaffa. Jaffa, the chief port city of ancient Israel, was the site of a number of Biblical events, including being the jumping-off point for Jonah’s ill-fated voyage. Largely abandoned by Jews during the Diaspora, it was nevertheless an important transit point for Jews visiting the Holy Land. In the mid-19th century, Jaffa became a natural drawing point for European Jews imigrating to Palestine. By the early 1900s Jaffa had one of the largest Jewish populations in the Middle East. The Libyan Synagogue was originally built as a khan (hostel) in 1740 near the Port of Jaffa by the Ottomans. It was the only Jewish khan in the city, available for Jewish Pilgrims going to Jerusalem and other holy cities in the area. In addition to reception rooms for pilgrims, the khan also had a synagogue and a mikveh (Jewish ritual bath).
OLD SYNAGOGUES IN THE SOUTH OF ISRAEL (9)
Rishon Lezion, Cholon, Mazkeret Batya, Rehovot, Gedera, Arad
Photo; Israel Preker
GREAT SYNAGOGUE OF RISHON LEZION
1889 AD - Rishon Lezion
The Great Synagogue, which became a major focus of life in Rishon LeZion, was built between 1885 and 1889. it was funded and build under Baron Edmund James de Rothschild's patronage, who also helped to improve agriculture of the village and the establishment of a winery. See also the pictures from 1890.
OLD YESHIVOT IN JERUSALEM (15)
18th - 20th century (All build before 1947)
A Yeshiva (yeshivot or yeshivos) is a Jewish educational institution mainly focused on the study of traditional religious texts like the Talmud, Torah and Jewish law (halacha). Half of these ancient religious buildings, that are still in use today, were build before 1900.
BEIT EL YESHIVA
1737 AD - Jerusalem
Modern Yeshiva rebuild on the original site opposite the Hurva Synagogue
The Yeshiva was founded in 1737 by Rabbi Gedaliah Hayon, originally from Istabul, for the study of Kabbalah in the Holy City. It became the centre of kabbalistic study in Jerusalem. In July 1927, the Jericho earthquake inflicted damage to the Yeshiva's edifice, prompting the British Municipality to issue an order for its demolition. Almost immediately, plans were set into motion for reconstruction, and within a mere eight months, by March 1928, the newly expanded premises were completed. During the 1930s, as the revered Chazon Ish made his way to the Western Wall, he deliberately paused at the yeshiva to engage in study there, remarking, “I have great merit to see the place where such great and holy people learnt and prayed”. After 1948, it was rebuilt in the Ruhama neighbourhood of West Jerusalem. In 1974, a new branch opened in the Old City.
THE LEGACY OF RABBI ISAAC kOOK
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865 – 1935), known as Rav Kook was born in Latvia but became Rabbi in Jaffa in 1904. In 1919 he was appointed the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, He was one of the father of religious zionism in The British Mandate of palestine.
The original Beit Ha-Rav Yeshiva.
MERCAZ HA-RAV
House of Rabbi Kook. Photo: DMY
1924 - Jerusalem
Mercaz HaRav meaning "The Center of Rabbi [Kook] - the Central Universal Yeshiva", was founded in 1924 by Ashkenazi Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. It was originally housed in Beit HaRav, built by the noted American philanthropist Harry Fischel. Rabbi Kook's vision was to create a new yeshiva curriculum, integrating traditional Talmudic studies with Jewish philosophy, Bible, Jewish history, geography, and literature. Rabbi A.Y. Kook regarded the return from the diaspora to the Land of Israel and Zionism as “Atchalta d’Geula”, (Aramaic for “the beginning of salvation”) and he formed a spiritual, deep and original way of explaining this perception. The Rabbi was a man of the Halacha (Jewish Law), a thinker, kabbalist and poet.
The modern Yeshiva in Jerusalem
RABBI ISAAC KOOK HOUSE
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook's residence and workplace from 1923 until his passing in 1935 is located on the second floor of Beit David neighborhood, which was the fourth neighborhood constructed outside the city walls. Known as the "A Yard Neighborhood," it features a single central courtyard where communal activities took place. This historic house has been preserved as a museum, maintaining its original furniture and belongings, including the yeshiva hall.
OTHER YESHIVOT IN ISRAEL (5)
YESHIVAT SHAVEI HEBRON & BEIT ROMANO
1876 AD - Hebron
This building was constructed in 1876 by the wealthy Turkish merchant Haim Yisrael Romano as a grand residence and spiritual center. Later on, the famed Rabbi Chaim Hezekiah Medini, ran a yeshiva here where he completed his Talmudic encyclopedia Sde Chemed. In 1912, the building was purchased by the Fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn and established Yeshivat Torat Emet. Turkish police used the building in World War I, and it later became a British police headquarters. In 1982, Beit Romano finally reverted to Jewish ownership and underwent renovation and expansion. Today, it is the home of Yeshivat Shavei Hebron and its 300 students.
Photo: Eman
YESHIVA HEBRON
1924 AD - Hebron
Hebron Yeshiva, also known as Yeshivas Hevron, or Knesses Yisroel, is a yeshiva devoted to high-level study of the Talmud. It originated in 1924 when the Roshei Yeshiva and 150 students of the Slabodka Yeshiva, known colloquially as the "mother of yeshivas", relocated to Hebron. Twenty-four students were murdered in the 1929 Hebron massacre, and the yeshiva was re-established in the Geula neighbourhood of Jerusalem. The yeshiva moved into a new and larger campus in the south-central Givat Mordechai neighbourhood in 1975
Photo: Joe Mabel
SHAAREI TORAH YESHIVA
1890 - Jaffa
The Shaarei Torah Talmud was founded in 1890 on the basis of the older and smaller Talmud Torah "Degel Torah". It was founded by Rabbi Naftali Herz Haleviand and by local activists such as Yitzhak Isaac Ben-Tovim, Zerach Barnett and Simcha Goldberg. Yitzchak Isaac Ben-Tovim and Rabbi Naftali Hertz both were orignally from Bialystok in Poland.
Photo; Shalom Books
LOMZA YESHIVA
1926 AD Petah Tikva
The Lomza Yeshiva is an orthodox Yeshiva originally from Poland. A branch of the yeshiva was established in Petach Tikva in Israel in 1926. It became a major centre of Torah study in Israel.
Photo: Dr Avishai Teicher
KFAR HAROEH
1933 - Kfar Haroeh
Kfar Haroeh is a religious moshav in central Israel. Located between Hadera and Netanya, Kfar HaRoeh was established on 23 November 1933 and named for Abraham Isaac Kook, the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine. "Haroeh" is an acronym for HaRav Avraham HaCohen Kook. The founders were religious Jews who immigrated from Europe. The land which the village was built on had been bought by the Jewish National Fund. The yeshiva on the moshav was founded by Rabbi Moshe Zvi= Neria. This was the forerunner of the numerous Mamlachi Dati Torah associated with Bnei Akiva. In 2009, the yeshiva celebrated its 70th birthday in the presence of many distinguished alumni.
Photo : Yaakov Rosner
photo public domain
PONEVEZH YESHIVA
1944 AD Bnei Brak
Yeshivah Ponevezh is located in Bnei Brak since 1944. Before the Shoa/holocaust the yeshiva was originally located in city Panevezys in Lithuania (since 1908) until the founder, Rabbi Yitzhak Yaakov Rabinovich died. Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman who lived in the British Mandate Palestine reestablished the Yeshiva in Bnei Brak in 1944.
