This article deals in more detail with some of the notable synagogues of Jerusalem.
Former synagogues
Beis Aharon Synagogue of Karlin-Stolin. In around 1870 the first Karlin-Stolin Hasidim settled in Jerusalem and by 1874 had established their own synagogue in the Old City. It was named Beis Aharon (House of Aaron) after a work authored by Rabbi Aharon II Perlow of Karlin (1802–1872). After it was destroyed during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, a new centre was established in Jerusalem's Beis Yisrael neighbourhood.
Beit Meir and Ohel Yitzhak Synagogue. Located in the Batei Mahse complex and inaugurated in 1881, it served as a synagogue for the community of German immigrants in the Jewish Quarter. It was named after Rabbi Meir ben Yitzhak Frenkel Eiseman, Rabbi in Weitzenhausen. In 1948, after the conquest of the Jewish Quarter by the Jordanian Legion, the Arabs completedly destroyed the synagogue. Today, there are no remnants of the synagogue, nor is there any known photograph of its interior. Unlike other synagogues in the Old City destroyed during the War of Independence and rebuilt after the liberation of Jerusalem, such as the Hurva or Ohel Yitzhak, there have been no plans to rebuild the Beit Meir
Chesed El Synagogue, a synagogue located on Chabad Street in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was established by immigrants from Iraq in 1853 and served as a centre for Jews of Iraqi descent living in Jerusalem. It also served as a yeshiva for kabbalists and had a famous library of Kabbalistic works. The synagogue was active until the fall of the Jewish Quarter during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War when it was taken over by an Arab family. After the Six-Day War the building became the centre of Bnei Akiva and didn't revert to use as a synagogue.Jerusalem Quartered: The 'Armenian' Quarter, by Rabbi Yakov Goldman
Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue has been destroyed in 1948, but, as of 2025, is in the process of being rebuilt, much like the Hurva Synagogue.
Yanina Synagogue, a Romaniote synagogue established by the Jews of Ioannina, Greece. It was located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The community also has a synagogue in the "new city", located in the Ohel Moshe neighborhood of Nahlaot.
Active synagogues Karaite Synagogues NameLocationAdditional InformationImageOld City of Jerusalem, Jewish Quarterfounded by Anan Ben David, the founder of the Karaites, is the oldest synagogue in the Jewish Quarter
Orthodox Synagogues NameLocationAdditional InformationAri SynagogueOld City of Jerusalem, Armenian QuarterOhr ha-Chaim SynagogueOld City of Jerusalem, Armenian QuarterBeit El SynagoguesOld City of Jerusalem, Jewish Quarter and Ruhama neighbourhoodTwo synagogues with this name operate in Jerusalem, along with the Yeshivat HaMekubalim school of Kabbalah. One is located in the Jewish Quarter, the another one, continuing the same pre-1948 tradition and functioning under the same name (Beit El Synagogue and Yeshivat HaMekubalim), was built in West Jerusalem in 1974The Four Sephardic SynagoguesOld City of Jerusalem, Jewish Quarter A complex consisting of four different institutions:
Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai Synagogue and Kahal Kadosh Gadol Istanbuli Synagogue Eliahu Ha'navi Synagogue, aka Kahal Talmud Torah Emtsai or Middle Synagogue, aka Kahal Tzion SynagogueOld City of Jerusalem, Jewish Quarter A Breslov synagogue founded in 1860Hurva SynagogueOld City of Jerusalem, Jewish Quarter(English: Ruined Synagogue) is the currently largest synagogue in the Jewish Quarter. It was originally intended for construction in the 18th century. A small building was constructed, but due to financial difficulties, the intended larger building was not completed. The building was destroyed by an earthquake, and a second attempt to build a large synagogue was blocked by Arab landowners in the early 19th century failed. In the 1830s, multiple small synagogues were built around the site. In the 1860s, the large synagogue was completed. It was destroyed by the Jordanians following the 1947–1949 Palestine war. The synagogue was rebuilt in 2010 and is a distinguished feature of Jerusalem's Old City skyline.Old City of Jerusalem, Jewish QuarterCompleted in 1837. Built by the Perushim, it was named after their leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Shklov and after the blessing of consolation recited on Tisha B'Av: "Blessed be He who consoles (menachem) Zion and rebuilds Jerusalem." Rabbi Daniel Sperber leads the congregation.Ramban SynagogueOld City of Jerusalem, Jewish QuarterThe oldest Rabbinic synagogue of the Jewish Quarter.Sukkat Shalom SynagogueOld City of Jerusalem, Jewish QuarterFounded in 1836 by the Perushim of Kollel Hod (HollandDeutschland), in "The Chush" or "the Hush" (חצר החוש), compound of residential courtyards dating from the early 1800s.Old City of Jerusalem, Jewish QuarterA Chabad synagogue founded in 1879.Tzuf Dvash SynagogueOld City of Jerusalem, Jewish QuarterA Sephardic synagogue which was founded in 1860.Western WallOld City of Jerusalem, Jewish QuarterThe holiest Jewish site alongside the Temple Mount, functions as a synagogue including the area beneath Wilson's Arch.Old City of Jerusalem, Muslim QuarterHzon Yehezkel SynagogueOld City of Jerusalem, Muslim QuarterIgud Lohamay Jerushalaim Ateret CohanimOld City of Jerusalem, Muslim QuarterOhel Yitzchak Synagogue,Old City of Jerusalem, Muslim QuarterFormerly known as Shomrei HaChomos Synagogue or Ungarin Shul (Hungarian synagogue)Ades SynagogueNachlaot neighborhoodKnown as the Great Synagogue Ades of the Glorious Aleppo Community, was established by Syrian immigrants in 1901Baka Chabad Center for the English SpeakingBaka neighborhoodBeis Hamedrash GurGeula neighborhoodBeit Knesset Tzameret ArnonaArnona neighborhoodBelz Great SynagogueKiryat Belz neighbourhoodChanichei Yeshivos,RomemaDavid's TombMount ZionLocated just outside the Old City wallsGreat SynagogueKing George StreetYemin Moshe neighborhoodHaNassi SynagogueRehaviaLocated alongside, and named for, the residence of the President of IsraelHecht SynagogueHebrew University, Mount Scopus CampusHecht Synagogue: A fortress of faith overlooks JerusalemHaTzvi Yisrael SynagogueTalbiehHeichal ShlomoKing George StreetIncludes the Renanim Synagogue transferred from PaduaIsrael Goldstein SynagogueHebrew University, Givat Ram campusItalian Synagogue (Jerusalem)Hillel StreetKehilas Bnei TorahHar NofOhavei Zion SynagogueNachlaotThe synagogue was established by Persian immigrants from Shiraz in 1906.Ohel Moshe SynagogueOhel Moshe neighborhoodSephardi synagogue established in 1883, part of NachlaotOhel Moshe Synagogue in Jerusalem, IsraelOr Zaruaa Synagogue, Jerusalem, IsraelNahlat Ahim neighbourhoodPart of NachlaotShai Agnon SynagogueTalpiotThe full official Hebrew name is Beth Midrash "Tiferet Yisrael" al Shem Shai Agnon", lit. "House of Learning 'Glory of Israel' in the name of S. Y. Agnon". The Talpiot neighborhood in Jerusalem was established immediately after World War I. Its planners' intention was to make it into the capital city of the nascent State of Israel. The first synagogue in the neighbourhood was in a hut, which was established to serve as a structure for the builders of the neighbourhood and after the completion of the construction was converted into a mixed Ashkenazi and Sephardic synagogue. Among the first worshipers of the minyan in the hut was the writer Shmuel Yosef Agnon, who lived in the neighbourhood. He described the hut and how the prayer was conducted in it in the short story "The Symbol" (The Fire and the Trees), Tel Aviv Press 1961. The cornerstone of the current building was laid in Chanukah 1934, in the presence of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook. With the outbreak of the 1936–1939 riots, the construction of the synagogue was delayed and the structure remained neglected. After the outbreak of World War II in 1939 the British confiscated the building and established in it a police station and a warehouse. After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, during the period when Talpiot was a transit camp (ma'abara), the State used the building as a warehouse of equipment for the transit camp. In the 1950s the building was leased to the Hebrew University and served as a warehouse of its medical school. In the late 1960s the building returned to the Jerusalem municipality, who renovated the building with the assistance of the Jerusalem Foundation and with a contribution received from author S. Y. Agnon, a resident of the neighbourhood, out of the money he received for the Nobel Prize. In the month of Elul 5772 (1972) the synagogue was again inaugurated in a procession where the Torah scrolls from the hut were brought in.The synagogue's Hebrew-language websiteShir HadashTalbiya and German ColonyA multi-site Synagogue founded by Rabbi Ian (Haim) Pear.Zoharei Chama SynagogueJaffa RoadYad Tamar SynagogueRehaviaYakar SynagogueOld Katamon neighborhoodIncludes the Yakar Center for Social Concern and the Center for Arts and Creativity—Anglo and Israeli congregationYeshurun SynagogueKing George Street, Rehavia
Conservative Judaism NameLocationAdditional InformationConservative YeshivaAgron StreetSchechter Institute of Jewish StudiesNayot neighborhood
Reconstructionist Judaism NameLocationAdditional InformationKehillat Mevakshei DerechShai Agnon Street
Reform Judaism NameLocationAdditional InformationHebrew Union CollegeKing David StreetKehillat Har-ElShmuel haNagid Streetthe first Reform synagogue in JerusalemCongregations: Jerusalem region, Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism. Accessed 28 July 2019.Kehillat Kol HaNeshamaThe Baka neighbourhoodKehillat Mevakshei DerechThe San Simon neighbourhood
See also
History of the Jews in Israel List of synagogues in Israel
References