Nehardea Magazine

Journal of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center
No.13, Summer 2001

JEWS OF IRAQ IN RECENT GENERATIONS

SYNAGOGUES IN BABYLON
Prof. Yitzhak Avishur

<<< The Babylonian Jewish Community has a unique synagogue as well in Damascus. Documents of that era were found describing it as "Kaniset El-Iraqiyin El-Sghira " (the small Iraqi Synagogue). Tens of marriage certificates (Ketubah) from the 10th-11th Centuries and promissory notes were found, detailing the wealth of the Babylonian Community, which comprised merchants and sages who resided in Damascus and had their own synagogues and rabbinical courts.

The Babylonian Jews founded synagogues for their community in Eretz Yisrael too. We know of a Babylonian synagogue built in Ramla in the 11th Century and another in Tyre in Lebanon, Dan(Famias) and Tiberias. Babylonian Jews would not abandon their leaders and refused to be assimilated into the local Jewish community. They kept a "book of exchange ", listing the rotation of leaders between Babylon and Eretz Yisrael.

There is accurate information recounting the number of Babylonian Synagogues in Babylon, especially in Baghdad during the Geonim period. By the end of the 12th Century, the Jewish traveler Benyamin Metudela counted no less than 28 synagogues in Baghdad. Rabbi Ptahia of Regansburg, who visited the city ten years later, counted 30 synagogues. Later on, during the Mongolian Reign, there followed a period of severe decline in Baghdad. This is corroborated by a manuscript from the 14th Century, providing a rare description of this decline. We refer to a "Diwan " (book of poetry) written by a Jewish poet residing in Baghdad, called Rabbi Aharon Hakiman who wrote in an Arabic preface to his poems entitled "Lamentation on the pogroms in Baghdad in 1344 ". In the preface he wrote: "on the events which occurred ten years ago, when the synagogues were destroyed in 1344, Jews were attacked on a Saturday in their synagogues, were taken away and sold in the market place in shame and degradation. Few were spared and able to keep their faith either because they went unnoticed or held high positions. "

In the 18th & 19th Centuries travel books were written by Jews and non-Jewish visitors and tourists who reached Babylon. They noted various details about synagogues there. In 1824, there were only four synagogues. In 1828 another visitor noted that there were five, in 1848 nine and in 1860 twelve synagogues. Nine years later, the number grew to 13 synagogues, 15 in 1876, 20 in 1880, 30 in 1884 and in 1894 the number reached to 35 synagogues.
The 20th Century brought wide and detailed descriptions of the synagogues. Rabbi David Sassoon, who visited Baghdad in 1910, wrote down the names of all the synagogues and their various histories and photographed all the important ones. He described them in detail including the Holy articles, which they contained, such as Ark Scrolls, religious ornaments and the "Parocheth " (curtain of the Ark of the Law). Rabbi David Sassoon reported 37 synagogues in Baghdad alone.

Menashe Salih, the well-known philanthropist, demolished some of the ancient synagogues. He erected on their site a big synagogue topped by a "Midrash " for teaching the Torah, called "Midrash Talmud Torah in the name of Menashe Salih ".
After the immigration of the Babylonian Jews to Israel, many synagogues (more than 50) were closed down and only a few operated. Now, the only synagogue in existence is the Meir Tweig.

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JEWS OF IRAQ IN RECENT GENERATIONS
SYNAGOGUES IN BABYLON Prof. Yitzhak Avishur
<<< The Babylonian Jewish Community has a unique synagogue as well in Damascus. Documents of that era were found describing it as "Kaniset El-Iraqiyin El-Sghira " (the small Iraqi Synagogue). Tens of marriage certificates (Ketubah) from the 10th-11th Centuries and promissory notes were found, detailing the wealth of the Babylonian Community, which comprised merchants and sages who resided in Damascus and had their own synagogues and rabbinical courts. The Babylonian Jews founded synagogues for their community in Eretz Yisrael too. We know of a Babylonian synagogue built in Ramla in the 11th Century and another in Tyre in Lebanon, Dan(Famias) and Tiberias. Babylonian Jews would not abandon their leaders and refused to be assimilated into the local Jewish community. They kept a "book of exchange ", listing the rotation of leaders between Babylon and Eretz Yisrael. There is accurate information recounting the number of Babylonian Synagogues in Babylon, especially in Baghdad during the Geonim period. By the end of the 12th Century, the Jewish traveler Benyamin Metudela counted no less than 28 synagogues in Baghdad. Rabbi Ptahia of Regansburg, who visited the city ten years later, counted 30 synagogues. Later on, during the Mongolian Reign, there followed a period of severe decline in Baghdad. This is corroborated by a manuscript from the 14th Century, providing a rare description of this decline. We refer to a "Diwan " (book of poetry) written by a Jewish poet residing in Baghdad, called Rabbi Aharon Hakiman who wrote in an Arabic preface to his poems entitled "Lamentation on the pogroms in Baghdad in 1344 ". In the preface he wrote: "on the events which occurred ten years ago, when the synagogues were destroyed in 1344, Jews were attacked on a Saturday in their synagogues, were taken away and sold in the market place in shame and degradation. Few were spared and able to keep their faith either because they went unnoticed or held high positions. " In the 18th & 19th Centuries travel books were written by Jews and non-Jewish visitors and tourists who reached Babylon. They noted various details about synagogues there. In 1824, there were only four synagogues. In 1828 another visitor noted that there were five, in 1848 nine and in 1860 twelve synagogues. Nine years later, the number grew to 13 synagogues, 15 in 1876, 20 in 1880, 30 in 1884 and in 1894 the number reached to 35 synagogues. The 20th Century brought wide and detailed descriptions of the synagogues. Rabbi David Sassoon, who visited Baghdad in 1910, wrote down the names of all the synagogues and their various histories and photographed all the important ones. He described them in detail including the Holy articles, which they contained, such as Ark Scrolls, religious ornaments and the "Parocheth " (curtain of the Ark of the Law). Rabbi David Sassoon reported 37 synagogues in Baghdad alone. Menashe Salih, the well-known philanthropist, demolished some of the ancient synagogues. He erected on their site a big synagogue topped by a "Midrash " for teaching the Torah, called "Midrash Talmud Torah in the name of Menashe Salih ". After the immigration of the Babylonian Jews to Israel, many synagogues (more than 50) were closed down and only a few operated. Now, the only synagogue in existence is the Meir Tweig.
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