Shiek Mordechai Synagogue

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
AffiliationJudaism (former)
RiteNusach Sefard
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue (1850–1924)
StatusDestroyed
Location
LocationYerevan
CountryArmenia
Architecture
Date establishedc. 1840 (as a congregation)
Completed1860
Destroyed1924

History

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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 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

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References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Seidel, Jeffrey (2000). Jewish Travelers' Resource Guide 2000. Feldheim Publishers. p. 21. ISBN 9781583304099.
  3. ^ Hovhannisyan, Hasmik (26 March 2007). Baghdasaryan, Erik (ed.). "There Have Always Been Jews in Armenia". Hetq Online. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  4. ^ Karpenko, Ilya (July 2008). "В СТРАНЕ МНОГОЦВЕТНОГО ТУФА [IN THE LAND OF MULTICOLORED TUFF]". Lechaim Magazine. No. 195. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  5. ^ Scheib, Ariel. "Armenia Virtual Jewish History Tour". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 19 October 2021.