Just 500 meters away from the Kotel, at the entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem rests A 12,000-foot Monumental Site identifying our Sephardic Jewish Heritage.
This historical structure, contains 4 Synagogues interconnected to one another allowing access to each, as one building.
The 4 Sephardi Synagogues
Now, over 50 years later, it is time for the larger Sephardic Community of the world to fully restore the Four Sephardi Synagogues to its holiness and glory.
20th Century
During the Jordanian Occupation of the Old City of Jerusalem in the Mid-1900s, the shuls were misused as donkey stables and storage. Serious damage was caused as a result of this and additionally, the synagogues' contents were looted. In 1972, a restoration of the structure was funded by the Jerusalem Foundation allowing local communities to practice in the synagogues once again.
FOUNDED IN 1586
The Synagogues were developed over hundreds of years, beginning in 1586. The structure was then built in the 18th Century, on the site of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai's earlier Beit Midrash, which rested on the ruins of the 2nd Temple.
The Yochanan ben Zakkai Synagogue
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai was one of the greatest sages of the generation of the destruction of the
Second Temple. According to local authorities the synagogue is located on the same place where the prayers of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai took place, which
what points to the source of its name.
The Elijah HaNavi Synagogue
The synagogue was given its name during the
17th century following an extraordinary event. On the eve of Yom Kippur, the sun had begun to set and one more person was needed to complete a minyan. Out of nowhere appeared a man who was totally unfamiliar to complete the minyan. Legend has it that the same person was none other than “Elijah the prophet”.
The Emstai Synagogue
Also known as the "Middle Synogague" due to its location between Yochanan ben Zakkai, Elijah HaNavai, and the Istanbuli Synagogue.
During the 18th century the community had
grown and needed another place of worship; a wide corridor was chosen and renovated into this synagogue.
It is used today as a museum with an exhibition of photographs and artifacts
from different periods.
The Istanbuli Synagogue
The newest and largest of the 4 synagogues was inaugurated in 1753 while the city of Jerusalem began to flourish, requiring another synagogue to meet the needs of the community. The Istanbuli Synagogue
primarily served the Jews of Turkey.
Museum of the History of the Sephardic Community
The Holy site contains a museum displaying artifacts dating back to the 14th Century that shed light on the history of the Sephardic
community in Jerusalem its coping with daily difficulties under foreign rule.
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Walkthrough the Structure in its Current Condition
Tour The 4 Synagogues now
OUR ANCESTORS PRAYED HERE
Sephardic lineage have prayed here for centuries and we can return and honor the tradition at the highest level, restoring the holy site to its original glory