Shiek Mordechai Synagogue (Armenian: Շեյք Մորդեխայ սինագոգ), was a Sephardic Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Up until 1924, Shiek Mordechai was a leading institution and center of communal Jewish life for Jews in Armenia.[1][2]
| Shiek Mordechai Synagogue | |
|---|---|
Armenian: Շեյք Մորդեխայ սինագոգ | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism (former) |
| Rite | Nusach Sefard |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue (1850–1924) |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Location | |
| Location | Yerevan |
| Country | Armenia |
| Architecture | |
| Date established | c. 1840 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1860 |
| Destroyed | 1924 |
History
editThe 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 Shiek 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 during the anti-religious politices of the Soviet Union.[5]
Currently, the Jewish population in Armenia is around only around 500–1,000 with a single synagogue serving Yerevan.[1] The Mordechai Navi Synagogue is said to have gotten its name from the earlier Shiek Mordechai Synagogue.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c Vladimirsky, Irena (2009). "Jews in Armenia". In Mark Avrum Ehrlich (ed.). Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture. Vol. 3. ABC-Clio. p. 1105. ISBN 9781851098736.
- ^ Seidel, Jeffrey (2000). Jewish Travelers' Resource Guide 2000. Feldheim Publishers. p. 21. ISBN 9781583304099.
- ^ Hovhannisyan, Hasmik (26 March 2007). Baghdasaryan, Erik (ed.). "There Have Always Been Jews in Armenia". Hetq Online. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ Karpenko, Ilya (July 2008). "В СТРАНЕ МНОГОЦВЕТНОГО ТУФА [IN THE LAND OF MULTICOLORED TUFF]". Lechaim Magazine. No. 195. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ Scheib, Ariel. "Armenia Virtual Jewish History Tour". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 19 October 2021.