Sheikh Mordechai Synagogue
Former synagogue in Yerevan, Armenia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sheikh Mordechai Synagogue (Armenian: Շեյք Մորդեխայ սինագոգ), was a Sephardic Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Up until 1924, Sheikh Mordechai was a leading institution and center of communal Jewish life for Jews in Armenia.[1][2]
| Sheikh Mordechai Synagogue | |
|---|---|
Armenian: Շեյք Մորդեխայ սինագոգ | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism (former) |
| Rite | Nusach Sefard |
| Synagogue (1850–1924) | |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Location | |
| Location | Yerevan |
| Country | Armenia |
| Architecture | |
| Established | c. 1840 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1860 |
| Destroyed | 1924 |
History
The Jewish community in Armenia has a history of 2,000 years, when first Jewish groups settled in Armenia after the destruction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.[1]
From 1840, two groups of Jews existed in Armenia, Ashkenazis from the Russian Empire and Sephardis from Persia. Both communities had their own separate houses of worship and community leaders.[3] The Sheikh Mordechai Synagogue began operating in 1860 to serve the Persian Sephardic population of Yerevan. The Persian language was used along with Hebrew in prayer at the synagogue.[4] The synagogue remained in use until 1924 when it was destroyed under the Soviet Union.[citation needed]
As of 2009 the Jewish population in Armenia was around 500–1,000 with one synagogue in Yerevan.[1]
