The Great Synagogue of Europe, formerly known as the Great Synagogue of Brussels (french: Grande synagogue de Bruxelles; nl, Grote Synagoge van Brussel), is the main

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

in Brussels, Belgium which was dedicated as a focal point for European Jews in 2008. The building was designed in 1875 in a Romanesque- Byzantine style by the architect

Désiré De Keyser Désiré is a French male given name, which means "desired, wished". The female form is Désirée. Désiré may refer to: * Amable Courtecuisse (1823 - 1873), French baritone known simply as Désiré * Désiré Bastin (1900–1972), Belgian foot ...

and constructed in 1878. It is located at 32 Rue de la Régence in Brussels. The synagogue survived the Holocaust in which 25,000 Belgian Jews died. Its chief rabbi is Albert Guigui and there are approximately 15,000 persons of Jewish faith in the city (as of 2008).New status for Brussels synagogue
BBC News 2008-06-04 On

Rosh Hashanah Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

, 18 September 1982, the synagogue was attacked by a man with a submachine gun, seriously wounding four people. The attack has been attributed to the Abu Nidal Organization. It was dedicated as the "Great Synagogue of Europe" on 4 June 2008 by President

José Manuel Barroso José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and university teacher, currently serving as non-executive chairman of Goldman Sachs International. He previously served as the 11th president of the European Commi ...

and two of Europe's leading rabbis who signed a document of dedication. The ceremony also involved singing by the European Choir and the reading of a "Prayer for Europe." The prayer wished for EU leaders to act justly in creating a "spiritual union" and to ask for happiness for European citizens.Runner, Philippa (2008-06-04
Barroso to inaugurate European synagogue
EU Observer The act was of a more political nature, as in the 19th century, responding to the Age of Enlightenment, Great Synagogues were built in many capitals of Europe to show that Jews were full and free citizens. This is something the Jewish community now wished to show at a European level. It is hoped that the building will become a focus for Judaism in Europe, as St. Peter's Basilica is for

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Synagogue Of Europe Jews and Judaism in Brussels Synagogues in Belgium Religious buildings and structures in Brussels Romanesque Revival synagogues Abu Nidal attacks Palestinian terrorist incidents in Europe Synagogues completed in 1878 20th-century attacks on synagogues and Jewish communal organizations 1878 establishments in Belgium Byzantine Revival synagogues

See also

References