Kahal Shalom Synagogue
| Kahal Shalom Synagogue | |
|---|---|
 Synagogue entrance |
|
| Construction year: | |
| Location: | 36 ° 26 '31.7 " N , 28 ° 13' 49.4" E |
| Address: | Simmiou Rhodes South Aegean , Greece |
| Purpose: | Judaism synagogue |
The Kahal Shalom Synagogue ( Hebrew בית הכנסת קהל קדוש שלום Beit HaKnesset Kahal Kadosh Shalom , translated synagogue of the Holy Congregation for Peace , Greek Συναγωγή Καχάλ Σαλόμ ) is a Sephardic synagogue.
history
The Kahal Shalom Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Greece. It is the last of the six original synagogues or prayer halls on Rhodes that is still in use today. The synagogue is located in the former Jewish quarter of La Juderia and was probably built in 1577.
In the 1930s a balcony was built in the synagogue, from now on women could take part in the church service. Before that, the room for the women was on the south wall of the synagogue, and you could look into the synagogue room through decorated windows. The interior is decorated with religious murals.
The Kahal Shalom Synagogue was the only synagogue to survive the bombing raids during the Second World War . In the 1930s, the Jewish community of Rhodes consisted of approximately 4,000 people. From 1923 the island of Rhodes was in Italian possession, due to the incipient state-decreed anti-Semitism in the 1930s, many Jews left Rhodes. When Hitler Germany took control, around 1,700 Jews were still living here, of which more than 1,550 were deported, only 151 people survived. Today only an estimated 30 to 35 Jews live on Rhodes. Sabbath services take place during the summer as well as on additional Fridays when a minyan is reached.
The former prayer room for women now serves as the Rhodes Jewish Museum .
Web links
- Kahal Shalom Synagogue Website of the Jewish Community of Rhodes
- Jews in Rhodes
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c The Synagogue. Jewish Community of Rhodes, accessed April 21, 2016 .
- ↑ a b La Juderia. Jewish Museum Rhodes, accessed on April 21, 2016 (English).
- ↑ a b Rhodes, Greece. In: Judaica Philatelic Resources. Accessed April 21, 2016 . , English