Ramban Synagogue
The Ramban Synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת הרמב"ן) is the oldest active synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was founded by Nahmanides (also known as the Ramban) in 1267.[1] Today it is located at the corner of Ha-Yehudim Street and the square in the Jewish Quarter (the Rova).
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Features
The building foundation is comprised of vaults resting on Romanesque and Byzantine capitals which, along with the fact that there are no Gothic or Muslim architectural features, suggest that the original building predates the Crusader period.
The synagogue is located three meters below street level, to comply with Muslim restrictions for Dhimmi houses of prayer to be higher than mosques.[2]
History
13th century
After the Disputation of Barcelona, Nahmanides was exiled from Aragon and in 1267 he emigrated to the Land of Israel. In a letter to his son, he described the Jewish community of Jerusalem devastated by the Crusades:
"Many are its forsaken places, and great is the desecration. The more sacred the place, the greater the devastation it has suffered. Jerusalem is the most desolate place of all. ... There are ten men who meet on the Sabbaths they hold services at their home. ... Even in its destruction, it is an exceedingly good land."[1]
Seventy two years old, he undertook the effort to rebuild the Jewish community and chose a ruined house on Mount Zion to reconstruct it as a synagogue. The number of Jews moved to Jerusalem after hearing of Nahmanides' arrival. The Torah scrolls that were moved to Shechem before the Mongol invasion were returned. In three weeks, for Rosh Hashanah, the synagogue was ready for use.
16th century
In 1586, the synagogue was closed under the order of the Turkish governor of Jerusalem.[2] Subsequently, the Sephardi community established their center in the adjacent place, where the academy belonging to the tanna Yochanan ben Zakai was said to have stood during the Second Temple period.
19th century
In 1835, the leaders of the community managed to overcome many obstacles and obtained a permission from the Ottoman authorities for the renovation of the synagogues, which were unified into a single unit.
20th century
Over the years, the building has been the home to the Sephardi community, was converted into a mosque after being confiscated by a Mufti, was used as a flour mill, and a cheese factory. Today it is used by the Ashkenazi community.
After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the building was destroyed by the Arab Legion. In result of 1967 Six-Day War, Jews regained their right to the property and 700 years after the Ramban revived the ancient building, the synagogue was reopened.
References
- ^ a b The Ramban Synagogue; Hope Amidst Despair by Larry Domnitch (The Jewish Magazine)
- ^ a b Sephardic Synagogues of Old Jerusalem
External links
- Synagogues of the World. Jerusalem (JVL)
- Moshe ben Nahman RaMBaN Synagogue (sephardiccouncil.org)
- How Nachmanides Rebuilt Jerusalem (aish.com)