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Jerusalem Great Synagogue

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The Jerusalem Great Synagogue

For similarly named synagogues, see Great Synagogue.
Jerusalem Great Synagogue
Hebrew: בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת הַגָּדוֹל בּיְרוּשָׁלַיִם
The synagogue in 2007
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
Rite
Synagogue
Leadership
StatusActive
Location
Location56 King George Street, Jerusalem
CountryIsrael
Jerusalem Great Synagogue is located in Jerusalem
Jerusalem Great Synagogue
Location of the synagogue in Jerusalem
Coordinates31°46′33″N 35°13′01″E / 31.7758°N 35.2169°E / 31.7758; 35.2169
Architecture
ArchitectAlexander Friedman
TypeSynagogue architecture
StyleModernist
Funded bySir Isaac Wolfson
Established1958 (as a congregation)
Completed1982
Construction cost
US$18 million
Capacity1,400
Website
jerusalemgreatsynagogue.com

The Jerusalem Great Synagogue (Hebrew: בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת הַגָּדוֹל בּיְרוּשָׁלַיִם, romanized: Beit HaKnesset HaGadol b'Yerushalayim) is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 56 King George Street, Jerusalem, Israel.[1] Different parts of the congregation worship in the Ashkenazi and Sephardic rites.

History

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As early as 1923 the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Abraham Kook and Jacob Meir, mooted plans for a large central synagogue in Jerusalem. It was over 30 years later in 1958 when Heichal Shlomo, seat of the Israeli Rabbinate, was founded, that a small synagogue was established within the building.[2] As time passed and the need for more space grew, services were moved and held in the foyer 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 of Heichal Shlomo. The main sponsor for construction of the new synagogue was Sir Isaac Wolfson, a Jewish philanthropist from Britain.[3] The Wolfson family consecrated the synagogue in the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust and to the fallen soldiers of Israel Defense Forces.[4]

The style of the building was modeled on the Jewish Temple by German-born architect Alexander Friedman [he].[5]

The inauguration took place on Tu B'Av 1982.[6][7] Rabbi Zalman Druck was the synagogue's first rabbi and he officiated until his death in 2009. Following that the Chief Rabbis of Israel and of Jerusalem, and Grand Rabbi Y. A. Korff (Zvhil-Mezbuz Rebbe of Boston) officiate. Naftali Hershtik was appointed the chief cantor of the synagogue[8], a position he held until succeeded by Chief Cantor Chaim Adler on 31 December 2008.[9][10] Today Cantors Avraham Kirshenbaum and Tzvi Weiss lead the prayers, either alone or together.

The sanctuary seats 850 men and 550 women. A comprehensive private collection of mezuzah cases is on show inside the lobby.[11]

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  • Exterior
    Exterior
  • Main entrance
    Main entrance

See also

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References

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  1. ^ סופר, גילי (September 24, 2004). "הכי קרוב לאלוהים: בתי כנסת בירושלים". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Hechal Shlomo | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  3. ^ "Hechal Shlomo | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  4. ^ "Sir Isaac Wolfson, Dead at 93, Remembered for His Magnanimity". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  5. ^ "Great Synagogue of Jerusalem". This Is Bar Mitzvah. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  6. ^ "Sir Isaac Wolfson, Dead at 93, Remembered for His Magnanimity". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  7. ^ "World-Famous Cantor Allegedly the Target of Entrapment Plot". The Forward. April 4, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  8. ^ "Naftali Herstik". Milken Archive of Jewish Music. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  9. ^ "World-Famous Cantor Allegedly the Target of Entrapment Plot". The Forward. April 4, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  10. ^ Gross, Sara Kosowsky (September 26, 2024). "Remembering Chazan Naftali Hershtik, z"l". The Jewish Link. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  11. ^ Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am (March 21, 2015). "History amid the hubbub on Jerusalem's King George Street". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
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