Ohel Leah Synagogue
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Ohel Leah Synagogue
The Ohel Leah Synagogue (Hebrew: בית הכנסת אהל לאה ''Beit Ha-Knesset Ohel Leah'') and its next-door neighbors, the Jewish Recreation Club and the Jewish Community Center, have formed the center of Jewish social and religious life in Hong Kong for over a century. Originally the community was mostly Baghdadi and the synagogue was under the superintendence of the Haham of the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation of London: it is now fully independent and has members from across the Jewish diaspora. Most of Hong Kong's Jews live only a short distance away from the Synagogue, which sits at the junction of Robinson Road and Castle Road. An example of Colonial Sephardic architecture, the two-storied, whitewashed, multi-turreted Synagogue nestles amid the soaring high-rises of steel and glass perched on the Mid-Levels of Hong Kong Island. The Synagogue was designed by the architects Leigh & Orange and was erected in 1901–1902. It underwent a US$6 million restorat ...
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Baghdadi Jews
The former communities of Jewish migrants and their descendants from Baghdad and elsewhere in the Middle East are traditionally called Baghdadi Jews or Iraqi Jews. They settled primarily in the ports and along the trade routes around the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Beginning under the Mughal Empire in the 18th century, merchant traders from Baghdad and Aleppo established originally Judeo-Arabic speaking Jewish communities in India, then in a trading network across Asia, following Mizrahi Jewish customs. These flourished under the British Empire in the 19th century, growing to be English-speaking and British oriented. These grew into a tight trading and kinship network across Asia with smaller Baghdadi communities being established beyond India in the mid-nineteenth century in Burma, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Baghdadi trading outposts were established across colonial Asia with families settling in Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Australia. Until the Second Worl ...
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Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the Middle East during the Bronze Age. Modern Judaism evolved from Yahwism, the religion of ancient Israel and Judah, by the late 6th century BCE, and is thus considered to be one of the oldest monotheistic religions. Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenant that God established with the Israelites, their ancestors. It encompasses a wide body of texts, practices, theological positions, and forms of organization. The Torah, as it is commonly understood by Jews, is part of the larger text known as the ''Tanakh''. The ''Tanakh'' is also known to secular scholars of religion as the Hebrew Bible, and to Christians as the " Old Testament". The Torah's supplemental oral tradition is represented by later texts s ...
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Edward Elias Sassoon
Two Sassoon baronetcies were created, in 1890 and 1909 respectively, for members of the Anglo-Indo-Iraqi and Indo-Iraqi branches of the Sassoon family of Baghdadi Jewish descent. The Sassoon baronetcy of Kensington-gore and of Eastern-terrace was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 22 March 1890 for the Anglo-Iraqi businessman Albert (formerly Abdullah) Sassoon, whose family hailed from Baghdad. The second Baronet, Sir Edward Sassoon, represented Hythe as a Liberal Unionist Party Member of Parliament from May 1899 until his death in 1912. The third Baronet, Sir Philip Sassoon, was a Conservative British politician, art collector and social host, who represented Hythe in the House of Commons from 1912. He served as Under-Secretary of State for Air from 1924 to 1929 and again from 1931 to 1937, and First Commissioner of Public Works in 1937. He was appointed Privy Councillor in 1929. On his death in 1939, the baronetcy became extinct. The Sassoon baronetcy of Bombay ...
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Ohel Rachel Synagogue
The Ohel Rachel Synagogue (Hebrew for "Tent of Rachel") is a Sephardi synagogue in Shanghai, China. Built by Sir  Jacob Elias Sassoon in memory of his wife Rachel, it was completed in 1920 and consecrated in 1921. Ohel Rachel is the largest synagogue in the Far East, and one of the only two still standing in Shanghai. Repurposed first under the Japanese occupation during World War II and again following the Communist conquest of Shanghai in 1949, the synagogue has been a protected architectural landmark of the city since 1994. It was reopened for some Jewish holidays from 1999 and briefly held more regular Shabbat services as part of the Expo 2010, 2010 Shanghai Expo. History Construction The Ohel Rachel Synagogue was constructed by Sirs  Jacob Elias Sassoon, Jacob Elias and Edward Elias Sassoon of the wealthy Sassoon family of Baghdadi-Jewish origin, who built many of Shanghai's historic structures. It replaced its predecessor, the Beth El Synagogue, which was est ...
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UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards
UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards (since 2000) are given with as the strategic purpose of UNESCO with in the region Asia Pacific. The objective is to motivate the protection of Cultural Heritage sites, which are initiated by any individual organization under private sector or institutional organization. Award categories The Awards consist of five categories. * Award of Excellence. * Award of Distinction. * Award of Merit. * Honourable Mention. * Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts Laureates 2022 Award of Excellence: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum, Mumbai, India Award of Distinction Stepwells of Golconda, Hyderabad, India Zarch Qanat, Yazd, Iran Neilson Hays Library, Bangkok, Thailand Award of Merit Topdara Stupa, Charikar, Afghanistan Nantian Buddhist Temple, Fujian, China Domakonda Fort, Telangana, India Byculla Station, Mumbai, India Sadoughi House, Yazd, Iran 25 Chivas in Kathmandu, Nepal Special Recognition for Sustai ...
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Legislative Council Of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under China's " one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Kong's hybrid representative democracy. The functions of the Legislative Council are to enact, amend or repeal laws; examine and approve budgets, taxation and public expenditure; and raise questions on the work of the government. In addition, the Legislative Council also has the power to endorse the appointment and removal of the judges of the Court of Final Appeal and the Chief Judge of the High Court, as well as the power to impeach the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. Following the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, the National People's Congress disqualified several opposition councilors and initiated electoral overhaul in 2021. The current Legislative Council consists of three groups of constituencies—geographical constituencies (GCs), ...
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Declared Monuments Of Hong Kong
Declared monuments of Hong Kong are places, structures or buildings legally declared to receive the highest level of protection. In Hong Kong, declaring a monument requires consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, the approval of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong as well as the publication of the notice on the ''Hong Kong Government Gazette''. As of February 2013, there were 101 declared monuments, of which 57 were owned by the Government and the remaining 44 by private bodies.Report No. 60 of the Director of AuditChapter 1: "Conservation of monuments and historic buildings" 28 March 2013. As of 10 March 2022, there were 132 declared monuments in Hong Kong, with 56 listed on Hong Kong Island, 53 on New Territories, 14 on Kowloon, and 9 on the Outlying Islands. Under Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, some other buildings are classified as Grades I, II and III historic buildings, and are not listed below. Monument declaration and historic buildings grading system There wa ...
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Government Of Hong Kong
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1983, an international treaty lodged at the United Nations. This government replaced the former British Hong Kong Government (1842–1997). The Chief Executive and the principal officials, nominated by the chief executive, are appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The Government Secretariat is headed by the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong, who is the most senior principal official of the Government. The Chief Secretary and the other secretaries jointly oversee the administration of Hong Kong, give advice to the Chief Executive as members of the Executive Council, and are accountable for their actions and policies to the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council. Under the " one co ...
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Antiquities And Monuments Ordinance
The Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, in Hong Kong Law (Cap. 53), was enacted in 1976 to preserve the objects of historical, archaeological and palaeontological interest and for matters ancillary thereto or connected therewith. It is administered by the Antiquities Authority (Secretary for Development), with the executive support of the Antiquities and Monuments Office under the Development Bureau, since 2007. Constitution of the Antiquities Advisory Board Section 17 of the Ordinance establishes the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB), which consists of members the Chief Executive may appoint, with one being appointed Chairman by the Chief Executive. The Ordinance does not mandate a minimum number of members, nor the qualifications to become a member. Under s.18 of the Ordinance, the AAB gives a recommendation for the Antiquities Authority on matters relating to antiquities, proposed monuments or monuments under s.2A(1), s.3(1), and s.6(4) of the Antiquities and Monuments Ord ...
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List Of Grade I Historic Buildings In Hong Kong
Grade I historic buildings in Hong Kong are those selected as those "outstanding merits of which every effort should be made to preserve if possible". These buildings may be protected under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance; after consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, with the approval of the Chief Executive and the publication of the notice in government gazette, the Antiquities Authority may legally declare the Graded historic buildings to be protected as Declared Monuments. Five Grade I historic buildings have been demolished in the last two decades. ''Note:'' This list is accurate Antiquities and Monuments OfficeList of Graded Historic Buildings in Hong Kong (as at 6 November 2009) A territory-wide grade reassessment has been ongoing since. Sethis linkfor the latest grading update. Central and Western District Eastern District Islands District Kowloon City District Kwun Tong District North District Sai Kung District ...
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Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generations moreso than from any divine revelation. It therefore views ''halakha'' as both binding and subject to historical development. The Conservative rabbinate employs modern historical-critical research, rather than only traditional methods and sources, and lends great weight to its constituency when determining its stance on matters of practice. The movement considers its approach as the authentic and most appropriate continuation of ''halakhic'' discourse, maintaining both fealty to received forms and flexibility in their interpretation. It also eschews strict theological definitions, lacking a consensus in matters of faith and allowing great pluralism. While regarding itself as the heir of Rabbi Zecharias Frankel's 19th-century Positive-H ...
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Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous search for truth and knowledge, which is closely intertwined with human reason and not limited to the theophany at Mount Sinai. A highly liberal strand of Judaism, it is characterized by lessened stress on ritual and personal observance, regarding ''halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...'' (Jewish law) as non-binding and the individual Jew as autonomous, and great openness to external influences and progressive values. The origins of Reform Judaism lie in German Confederation, 19th-century Germany, where Rabbi Abraham Geige ...
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