The Or-Thora Synagogue ( he, בית הכנסת אור תורה; ar, كنيس أور تورا بتونس) is a
synagogue located in the
Hara (old city) of the city of
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
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, population_urban =
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.
History
It was completed in the early 1930s, prior to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
It was designed by architects
Aimé Krief and
Jean Sebag.
Habib Bourguiba, who served as the President of Tunisia from 1957 to 1987, visited the synagogue on February 12, 1957.
Decline
After the departure of most of the
Tunisian Jews
The history of the Jews in Tunisia extended nearly two thousand years and goes back to the Punic era. The Jewish community in Tunisia is no doubt older and grew up following successive waves of immigration and proselytism before its develo ...
for
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 ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
following the
anti-Jewish riots during the
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...
, which included the burning of the
Torah Scroll
A ( he, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה; "Book of Torah"; plural: ) or Torah scroll is a handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Tor ...
s at the synagogue, religious services stopped being offered at the synagogue. It is currently not in use.
There are ongoing discussions among the Tunisian Jewish community and the residents of the Hafsia to turn the Or-Thora Synagogue into a museum of the Hara, with a project led by
Leila Ben GacemMuslim locals seek Tunis synagogue revival to honor once vibrant Jewish quarter
i24News and a team of architects from the NGO '' Association de sauvegarde de la médina de Tunis'', with the aim to save the synagogue from total degradation.
References
See also
* List of synagogues in Tunisia
*History of the Jews in Tunisia
The history of the Jews in Tunisia extended nearly two thousand years and goes back to the Punic era. The Jewish community in Tunisia is no doubt older and grew up following successive waves of immigration and proselytism before its develo ...
Religious buildings and structures in Tunis
Former synagogues in Tunisia
Synagogues completed in the 1930s
Jews and Judaism in Tunis
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