The Great Synagogue of Petah Tikva, ( he, בית הכנסת הגדול בפתח תקוה), is the city's central synagogue and located on Hovevei Zion Street, in the centre of
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. The building was designed by Daniel HaCohen Lifshitz, one of the pioneering residents of the city and is named after
James Mayer de Rothschild
James Mayer de Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild (born Jakob Mayer Rothschild; 15 May 1792 – 15 November 1868) was a German- French banker and the founder of the French branch of the Rothschild family.
Early life
James de Rothschild was born ...
, the father of the Baron
Edmond James de Rothschild.
History
Construction of the Great Synagogue of Petah Tikva began in 1885 with a contribution from the
Hovevei Zion
Hovevei Zion ( he, חובבי ציון, lit. ''hose who areLovers of Zion''), also known as Hibbat Zion ( he, חיבת ציון), refers to a variety of organizations which were founded in 1881 in response to the Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian ...
movement. Edmond James de Rothschild donated the money needed to complete the building, which was named Beit Yaacov in honor of his father.
[Religious Renewal, ]Haaretz
''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
, November 22, 2019
The building includes a main sanctuary with overlooking women's section, as well as two smaller adjoining prayer rooms, and another room used for studying and praying. In the 1930s, a copper dome was added on the eastern facade. Six medallion images were painted between the arches of the central hall with depictions of
Rachel's Tomb
Rachel's Tomb ( ''Qǝbūrat Rāḥēl''; Modern he, קבר רחל ''Qever Raḥel;'' ar, قبر راحيل ''Qabr Rāḥīl'') is a site revered as the burial place of the Bible, Biblical matriarch Rachel. The site is also referred to as the ...
, the
Western Wall, the
Tomb of Absalom, a seven-branched
menorah and the burial sites of
Zaddikim in
Tiberias.
The official ''
nusach Nusach can refer to:
* Nusach (Jewish custom)
In Judaism, Nusach ( he, נוסח ''nusaħ'', modern pronunciation ''nusakh'' or ''núsakh''), plural nuschaot () or Modern Hebrew nusachim (), refers to the exact text of a prayer service; sometimes ...
'' of the prayer is ''
Nusach Ashkenaz
Nusach Ashkenaz is a style of Jewish liturgy conducted by Ashkenazi Jews. It is primarily a way to order and include prayers, and differs from Nusach Sefard (as used by the Hasidim) and Baladi-rite prayer, and still more from the Sephardic rite p ...
'', but throughout the day, the synagogue facilities act as a ''
shtiebel'' with multiple parallel prayer sessions where the ''nusach'' is decided by the ''
hazzan
A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.
In English, this pr ...
''.
In the late 2000s, the synagogue was the target of vandals who spray-painted
swastika
The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...
s and other
Nazi-themed words on the building and inside on multiple events.
Conservation work was then carried out on the synagogue, restoring it in keeping with blueprints from the 1930s.
See also
*
List of synagogues in Israel
*
Religion in Israel
*
Great Synagogue
*
Architecture of Israel
References
Image gallery
Image:Clock_on_the_Synagogue.jpg,
Image:Sundial_in_petach_tiqva.jpg,
Image:Great_Synagogue-Petah_Tikva.jpg,
Image:Petach_Tiqwa_Great_Synagogue_Ground_Floor.jpg,
{{Coord, 32, 5, 20.52, N, 34, 53, 4.6, E, display=title
Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Israel
Ashkenazi synagogues
Orthodox synagogues in Israel
Buildings and structures in Petah Tikva
Buildings and structures in Central District (Israel)
Synagogues completed in 1900
1900 establishments in the Ottoman Empire