Great Synagogue of Aden
The Shield of Abraham Synagogue ( Hebrew בית הכנסת מגן אברהם Beth HaKenesset Magen Abraham , Arabic كنيس ماغين أبراهام, DMG Kanīs Māġīn Abrāhām ) or Great Synagogue was a historical synagogue of the Jewish community in the South Arabian city of Aden . It was one of the most valuable buildings in the former Jewish quarter of the old town, but was destroyed by Muslims during anti-Semitic riots against Zionism in 1947 and has not been reconstructed to this day .
The church was built in 1858 and had space for 2000 prayers. It belonged to the Orthodox Jews and followed the Yemeni rite . The traveler Heinrich von Maltzan mentioned the splendor of the synagogue of the Jewish community of Adens, which at the time had 2000 members and where Shabbat services were also held. The pulpit and the 7 steps leading to it were made of white polished marble , the floor was in a checkerboard pattern made of black alabaster and white marble. In the Torah shrine , known for its size , the Torah scrolls were also accompanied by crowns and pomegranates made of gold and silver. The roof was supported by eight wooden pillars that were 40 feet high. The synagogue had stained glass windows that created optical grids of colors. The separate area for women had 200 places, and a mikvah was built south of the synagogue .
The destruction by a mob of Muslim residents in the course of the bloody expulsions of Jews in 1947 could not be prevented by the British Crown Colonial administration.
literature
- Heinrich von Maltzan : Journey to southern Arabia and geographic research in and about the southwestern part of Arabia . Vieweg, Braunschweig 1873, ISBN 3-487-12622-2 , p. 176 ( online reprint: Olms, Hildesheim 2004).
- Reuben Ahroni: The Jews of the British Crown Colony of Aden . EJ Brill, Leiden, New York, Cologne 1994, chap. 2 , p. 50 ( limited preview in Google Book search).