Haim Synagogue
Synagogue in Tehran, Iran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Haim Synagogue (Persian: کنیسه حییم, romanized: Kenisā-ye Hayim; Hebrew: בית הכנסת חַיִּים) is a synagogue at 30 Tir Street, formerly known as Qavam-os-Saltane, in central Tehran, Iran.[2][3][4][5]
| Haim Synagogue | |
|---|---|
The synagogue entrance in 2017 | |
  Location of the synagogue in Tehran | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Synagogue | |
| Status | Limited activity |
| Location | |
| Location | 30 Tir Street, Old Jewish Quarter, Tehran, 12 (Park-e Shahr) |
| Country | Iran |
| Coordinates | 35°41′34″N 51°24′48″E |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Azizollah Banayan |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Qajar period |
| Funded by |
|
| Completed | 1913 |
| [1] | |
As of February 2016[update], the synagogue was opened only on the occasions of Shabbat and the High Holy Days, due mainly to emigration and decline in membership.[5]
History
The Haim Synagogue was built following the Iranian Constitutional Revolution in 1913, under the reign of Ahmad Shah Qajar, by two Iranian Jewish residents Eshagh Sedgh and Eshagh Moradoff.[6] It has often been considered the first urban synagogue in Iran. Prior to its construction, most synagogues in Iran were built in ghettos.[6]
The building was designed by Azizollah Banayan, the only Jewish architect at the time.[1][dubious – discuss]
World War II
By the time of World War II, the Haim Synagogue hosted a number of Polish Jewish refugees.[7] After an increase in the number of Polish Jewish refugees, the Ashkenazi Danial Synagogue was built near the Haim Synagogue in 1940.[6]
Operation Ezra and Nehemiah
In the 1950s, the Haim Synagogue was used as a refugee camp to host a number of Iraqi Jewish refugees, who immigrated to Israel via Iran as part of Operation Ezra and Nehemiah.[7][5]
