Menarsha Synagogue | |
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كنيس المنشارة | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Judaism |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Inactive |
Year consecrated | 19th century |
Location | |
Location | Jewish Quarter of Damascus |
Country | Syria |
Geographic coordinates | 33°30′29″N 36°18′46″E / 33.50803°N 36.312912°E |
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.
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]
The Menarsha Synagogue was built in the second half of the 19th 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 Elfrange Synagogue.
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]