Anan ben David Synagogue

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Synagogue entrance

The Anan ben David Synagogue ( Kenesa Anan ben David ) is one of the oldest synagogues still in use in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem's old town .

location

The Anan ben David Synagogue is on the east side of Hurva Square. Its entrance is at 12 Karäer Strasse opposite the Tifferet Yisrael Synagogue .

Religious affiliation

The Anan ben David synagogue belongs to the Jewish religious community of the Karaites . It was named after Anan ben David , who is considered one of the spiritual fathers of the Karaites.

history

Interior of the synagogue

According to Karaean tradition, Anan ben David lived in a cave in Jerusalem in the 8th century and founded the synagogue there today.

A Karaean community had lived in Jerusalem since 880, and at that time it was an influential part of Oriental Judaism. The neighborhood of Jerusalem in which this community lived was called "Samartaka", "Zela ha-Elef" and "Quarter of the East". This quarter was on the Ophel and in the Kidron Valley .

In the 15th century, the Karaite community managed to find a place in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem's old town, where their synagogue, which still exists today, was built. The construction of the synagogue is also partly dated between the 10th and 12th centuries. A letter from the first half of the 16th century testifies to 20 Karaean families in Jerusalem. There is also written evidence of a cave venerated by the Karaites in Jerusalem and an underground synagogue.

The structure of the synagogue goes back to the Mamluk period.

The synagogue was badly damaged in the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. After the Six Day War in 1967 the synagogue was returned to the Karaite community. By 1982 it was restored and a small museum was set up.

description

Like many old buildings in Jerusalem, the Anan ben David Synagogue is a few meters below street level today. It is a rectangular building that is divided into two naves with groin vaults by two pillars . On the east side of the ships there are niches for the Torah scrolls . The women pray separated by a screen on the west wall.

Tourist information

The museum can be visited, but access to the synagogue is not permitted. The museum can only take a look inside the synagogue through a small window.

Web links

Commons : Anan ben David Synagogue  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d e f g h i Max Küchler: Jerusalem: A handbook and study travel guide to the Holy City , Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; 2007, ISBN 978-3-525-50170-2 , pp. 562, 565, 597
  2. ↑ A Tatar-Jewish minority in Europe: the Karaimen. In: gfbv.de. Society for Threatened Peoples , May 4, 2019.
  3. ↑ Kevin Alan Brook: The Genetics of Crimean Caraites. In: Karadeniz Araştırmaları. Journal of Black Sea Studies. 2014, No. 42, ISSN  1304-6918 , pp. 69-84 ( PDF; 491 kB [accessed on May 4, 2019]).
  4. ↑ ANAN BEN DAVID at Jewish Encyclopedia. Accessed May 1, 2019.
  5. ↑ La synagogue karaïte Anan Ben David, plus ancienne synagogue de Jerusalem at miqra-kalah. Accessed May 1, 2019.

Coordinates: 31 ° 46 ′ 31.3 ″  N , 35 ° 13 ′ 56 ″  E