The Great Synagogue of Jerusalem, ( he, בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת הַגָּדוֹל בּיְרוּשָׁלַיִם), is located at 56 King George Street,

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Rabbi Zalman Druck was the spiritual leader from the synagogue's establishment until his death on 11 December 2009.

History

As early as 1923 the

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

s of Israel,

Abraham Kook Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbinate of Israel, Chief Rabbi of ...

and

Jacob Meir Yaakov Meir CBE (1856–1939), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Sephardic Chief Rabbi appointed under the British Mandate of Palestine. A Talmudic scholar, fluent in Hebrew as well as five other languages, he enjoyed a reputation as one of Jeru ...

, mooted plans for a large central synagogue in Jerusalem. It was over 30 years later in 1958 when

Heichal Shlomo Heichal Shlomo (Hekhal of Solomon: he, היכל שְׁלֹמֹה, ''Heikhal Shlomo''; meaning 'Palace of Solomon') is the former seat of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. It is located adjacent to the Great Synagogue on King George Street, Jerusa ...

, seat of the Israeli Rabbinate, was founded, that a small synagogue was established within the building. As time passed and the need for more space grew, services were moved and held in the

foyer A lobby is a room in a building used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer, reception area or an entrance hall, it is often a large room or complex of rooms (in a theatre, opera house, concert hall, showroom, cinema, etc. ...

of Heichal Shlomo. Soon afterwards, when the premises could not hold the number of worshippers attending, it was decided that a new, much larger synagogue be built. The plot of land next to Heichal Shlomo was purchased with the efforts of Dr Moshe Avrohom Yaffe, chairman of the

Board of Management A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of Heichal Shlomo. The main sponsor for construction of the new synagogue was Sir

Isaac Wolfson Sir Isaac Wolfson, 1st Baronet FRS (; 17 September 1897 – 20 June 1991) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist. He was managing director of Great Universal Stores (G.U.S. or Gussies) 1932–1947 and chairman 1947–1987. He establishe ...

, a Jewish

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

from

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. The Wolfson family consecrated the synagogue in the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered in the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

and to the fallen soldiers of

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

. The style of the building was modeled on the Jewish Temple by German-born architect Dr.

Alexander Friedman Alexander Alexandrovich Friedmann (also spelled Friedman or Fridman ; russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Фри́дман) (June 16 .S. 4 1888 – September 16, 1925) was a Russians, Russian and USSR, Soviet physicis ...

(see selective list of works

. The

inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugu ...

took place on

Tu B'Av Tu B'Av () is a minor Jewish holiday. In modern-day Israel, it is celebrated as a holiday of love ( ). It has been said to be an auspicious day for weddings. Historical significance According to the Mishna, Tu B'Av was a joyous holiday in the day ...

1982.

Naftali Hershtik Naftali Herstik ( he, נפתלי הרשטיק) (born 1947) is a well known ''chazzan'' (cantor) and teacher. He was born in Salgótarján, Hungary and came with his family to Israel at the age of three. He is descended from a long line of Hazzan, ...

was appointed the chief

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

of the synagogue, a position he held until succeeded by Chief Cantor Chaim Adler on 31 December 2008. In addition, Cantors Avraham Kirshenbaum and Tzvi Weiss often lead the prayers, either alone or together with Chief Cantor Adler. The sanctuary seats 850 men and 550 women. A comprehensive private collection of

mezuzah A ''mezuzah'' ( he, מְזוּזָה "doorpost"; plural: ''mezuzot'') is a piece of parchment, known as a ''klaf'', contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah ( and ). These verses consist of the J ...

cases is on show inside the lobby.

Image gallery

Image:Central Synagogue02.jpg, Image:Jerusalem Great Synagogue03.jpg,

References

External links

Jerusalem Great Synagogue Official Website
{{Coord, 31.7758, N, 35.2169, E, type:landmark, display=title Synagogues in Jerusalem Orthodox synagogues in Israel Buildings and structures in Jerusalem 1982 establishments in Israel Rehavia Synagogues completed in 1982

History

Image gallery

See also

References

External links