The Haim Synagogue ( fa, کنیسه حییم, ; he, בית הכנסת חַיִּים) is an Orthodox synagogue in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. It is located in 30 Tir Street, formerly known as ''Qavam-os-Saltane'', in central Tehran. In recent years, the synagogue is only opened on the occasions of Shabbat and the

High Holy Days The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jewi ...

, due mainly to emigration and decline in membership.

History

The Haim Synagogue was built following the

Iranian Constitutional Revolution The Persian Constitutional Revolution ( fa, مشروطیت, Mashrūtiyyat, or ''Enghelāb-e Mashrūteh''), also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, took place between 1905 and 1911. The revolution led to the establishment of a par ...

in 1913, under the reign of

Ahmad Shah Qajar Ahmad Shah Qajar ( fa, احمد شاه قاجار; 21 January 1898 – 21 February 1930) was Shah of Persia (Iran) from 16 July 1909 to 15 December 1925, and the last ruling member of the Qajar dynasty. Ahmad Shah was born in Tabriz on 21 Januar ...

, by two

Iranian Jewish Persian Jews or Iranian Jews ( fa, یهودیان ایرانی, ''yahudiān-e-Irāni''; he, יהודים פרסים ''Yəhūdīm Parsīm'') are the descendants of Jews who were historically associated with the Persian Empire, whose successor s ...

residents Eshagh Sedgh and Eshagh Moradoff. It has often been considered the first urban synagogue in Iran. Prior to its construction, most synagogues in Iran were built in

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...

s. The building was designed by Azizollah Banayan, the only Jewish architect at the time.

World War II

By the time of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the Haim Synagogue hosted a number of Polish Jewish refugees. After an increase in the number of Polish Jewish refugees, a new Ashkenazi synagogue by the name of Danial Synagogue was built near the Haim Synagogue in 1940.

Operation Ezra and Nehemiah

In the 1950s, the Haim Synagogue was used as a refugee camp to host a number of Iraqi Jewish refugees, who immigrated to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

via Iran as part of

Operation Ezra and Nehemiah From 1951 to 1952, Operation Ezra and Nehemiah airlifted between 120,000 and 130,000 Iraqi Jews to Israel via Iran and Cyprus. The massive emigration of Iraqi Jews was among the most climactic events of the Jewish exodus from the Muslim World. ...

Gallery

نمای داخل کنیسه.jpg, A panel in the synagogue, reading "this is the God's gate; the righteous will enter it" (

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

118:20). Haim Synagogue کنیسه حیم 4.jpg, Entrance of the yard. Haim Synagogue 02.jpg, Haim Synagogue from the outside. بخشی از محراب کنیسه.jpg, Detail of the synagogue's bema. Haim Synagogue کنیسه حیم 3.jpg

History

World War II

Operation Ezra and Nehemiah

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading