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Larnaca Synagogue
Great Synagogue of Cyprus, also known as "Cyprus Central Synagogue" is the biggest and oldest of 5 synagogues in Cyprus. Located in Larnaca, it was inaugurated on 12 September 2003. Overview The synagogue is affiliated with the Orthodox denomination, but welcomes Jews from other denominations and visitors of all backgrounds. Until its opening, Cyprus was the only EU nation without a synagogue. Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger told a crowd at the inauguration ceremony, "This is a historic event for Cyprus. We are very happy Cyprus is open to all religions." Cypriot Education Minister Pefkios Georgiades said, "Cyprus is a state where all religions are tolerated and we welcome the Jewish synagogue." The ceremony included the inauguration of a Torah scroll and the laying of the cornerstone for a mikveh. There is also a Jewish cemetery. See also *History of the Jews in Cyprus The history of the Jews in Cyprus dates back at least to the 2nd century BC, when a considerable numb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larnaca
Larnaca ( el, Λάρνακα ; tr, Larnaka) is a city on the south east coast of Cyprus and the capital of the Larnaca District, district of the same name. It is the third-largest city in the country, after Nicosia and Limassol, with a metro population of 144,200 in 2015. Larnaca is known for its palm-tree seafront also called Finikoudes (Greek: Φινικούδες) as well as the Church of Saint Lazarus, Larnaca, Church of Saint Lazarus, Hala Sultan Tekke, Kamares Aqueduct, and Larnaca Castle. It is built on the ruins of ancient Kition, Citium, which was the birthplace of stoicism, Stoic philosopher Zeno of Citium, Zeno. Larnaca is home to the country's primary airport, Larnaca International Airport. It also has a seaport and a marina. Names The name ''Larnaca'' originates from the Ancient Greek noun 'coffer, box; chest, e.g. for household stores; cinerary urn, sarcophagus, coffin; drinking trough, chalice'. An informal etymology attributes the origin of the name to the m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and faithfully transmitted ever since. Orthodox Judaism, therefore, advocates a strict observance of Jewish law, or '' halakha'', which is to be interpreted and determined exclusively according to traditional methods and in adherence to the continuum of received precedent through the ages. It regards the entire ''halakhic'' system as ultimately grounded in immutable revelation, and beyond external influence. Key practices are observing the Sabbath, eating kosher, and Torah study. Key doctrines include a future Messiah who will restore Jewish practice by building the temple in Jerusalem and gathering all the Jews to Israel, belief in a future bodily resurrection of the dead, divine reward and punishment for the righteo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arie Zeev Raskin
Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin ( he, אריה זאב רסקין; born 1976) is the Chief Rabbi of Cyprus and the first rabbi on the island in many years. Career Raskin's brothers are also serving as rabbis in Jewish communities, with Shlomo Raskin in Frankfurt and Shmuel Raskin in Budapest. He moved to Cyprus in 2003 with his wife, Shaindel, and their children in an effort to reintroduce Jewish life onto the island. He had previously lived in Kiryat Malachi. He is a follower of the Chabad-Lubavitch branch of Hasidic Judaism. In Cyprus, he set up the Cyprus Jewish Community Centre in Larnaca, close to Larnaca Airport, to serve around 630 Jewish families on the island as well as Jewish travellers and tourists. Besides the Larnaca Synagogue, the Jewish community of Cyprus also built a dining room, English and Hebrew library, a mikveh, and a kindergarten. Other activities at the Centre include a wide variety of classes and programmes designed to reach all ages and levels of Jewish learning. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Synagogues
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worship. Synagogues have a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels), where Jews attend religious Services or special ceremonies (including Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs or Bat Mitzvahs, Confirmations, choir performances, or even children's plays), have rooms for study, social hall(s), administrative and charitable offices, classrooms for religious school and Hebrew school, sometimes Jewish preschools, and often have many places to sit and congregate; display commemorative, historic, or modern artwork throughout; and sometimes have items of some Jewish historical significance or history about the Synagogue itself, on display. Synagogues are consecrated spaces used for the purpose of Jewish prayer, study, assembly, and read ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been described as a ''sui generis'' political entity (without precedent or comparison) combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation. Containing 5.8per cent of the world population in 2020, the EU generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around trillion in 2021, constituting approximately 18per cent of global nominal GDP. Additionally, all EU states but Bulgaria have a very high Human Development Index according to the United Nations Development Programme. Its cornerstone, the Customs Union, paved the way to establishing an internal single market based on standardised legal framework and legislation that applies in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where the states have agree ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel, Israel has had two chief rabbis, one Ashkenazi and one Sephardi. Cities with large Jewish communities may also have their own chief rabbis; this is especially the case in Israel but has also been past practice in major Jewish centers in Europe prior to the Holocaust. North American cities rarely have chief rabbis. One exception however is Montreal, with two—one for the Ashkenazi community, the other for the Sephardi. Jewish law provides no scriptural or Talmudic support for the post of a "chief rabbi." The office, however, is said by many to find its precedent in the religio-political authority figures of Jewish antiquity (e.g., kings, high priests, patriarches, exilarchs and ''gaonim''). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yona Metzger
Yona Metzger ( he, יונה מצגר; born 1953) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and the former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. In 2013, while chief rabbi, a fraud investigation was opened. Metzger later pleaded guilty to a number of corruption charges, was tried and convicted, and after a plea bargain was rejected, served prison time. Early life Metzger was born in Haifa in 1953. He served in the Israel Defense Forces as a chaplain in the 7th Armored Brigade, and was discharged with the rank of captain. Metzger received his ordination from the Yeshivat Kerem BeYavne hesder yeshiva before working as a religious teacher. He served as rabbi of the Tiferet Zvi Synagogue in Tel Aviv, and was later appointed regional rabbi of northern Tel Aviv. Metzger has written ten books, two of which were awarded prizes by the President of Israel. While Metzger is from a national religious family and educational background, he had been closely identified with Haredi Judaism, and often sought th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haaretz
''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the ''International New York Times''. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the internet. In North America, it is published as a weekly newspaper, combining articles from the Friday edition with a roundup from the rest of the week. It is considered Israel's newspaper of record. It is known for its left-wing and liberal stances on domestic and foreign issues. As of 2022, ''Haaretz'' has the third-largest circulation in Israel. It is widely read by international observers, especially in its English edition, and discussed in the international press. According to the Center for Research Libraries, among Israel's daily newspapers, "''Haaretz'' is considered the most i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inauguration Of A Torah Scroll
Inauguration of a Torah scroll ( he, הכנסת ספר תורה, ; Ashkenazi: ) is a ceremony in which one or more Torah scrolls are installed in a synagogue, or in the sanctuary or study hall of a yeshiva, rabbinical college, university campus, nursing home, military base, or other institution, for use during prayer services. The inauguration ceremony is held for new and restored scrolls alike, as well as for the transfer of Torah scrolls from one sanctuary to another. If the Torah scroll is a new one, the ceremony begins with the writing of the last letters of the scroll in the home of the donor. All scrolls are then carried in an outdoor procession to the scroll's new home, characterized by singing, dancing, and musical accompaniment. Inside the sanctuary, there is more singing and dancing, a short prayer service, placement of the scroll in the Torah ark, and a '' seudat mitzvah'' (festive meal). Background The mitzvah to write a Torah scroll is the last of the 613 commandm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mikveh
Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or ( Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purified through immersion in any natural collection of water. However, some impurities, such as a zav, require "living water", such as springs or groundwater wells. Living water has the further advantage of being able to purify even while flowing, as opposed to rainwater which must be stationary to purify. The ''mikveh'' is designed to simplify this requirement, by providing a bathing facility that remains in contact with a natural source of water. In Orthodox Judaism, these regulations are steadfastly adhered to; consequently, the mikveh is central to an Orthodox Jewish community. Conservative Judaism also formally holds to the regulations. The existence of a mikveh is considered so important that a Jewish community is required to construct ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jewish Cemetery
A Jewish cemetery ( he, בית עלמין ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Halakha, Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' (house of sepulchers), ''beit almin'' (eternal home) or ''beit Olam Haba, olam [haba],'' (house of afterlife), the ''beit chayyim'' (house of the living) and ''beit shalom'' (house of peace). The land of the cemetery is considered holy and a special consecration ceremony takes place upon its inauguration. According to Jewish tradition, Jewish burial grounds are sacred sites and must remain undisturbed in perpetuity. Establishing a cemetery is one of the first priorities for a new Jewish community. A Jewish cemetery is generally purchased and supported with communal funds. Placing stones on graves is a Jewish tradition equivalent to bringing flowers or wreaths to graves. Flowers, spices, and twigs have sometimes been used, but the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Of The Jews In Cyprus
The history of the Jews in Cyprus dates back at least to the 2nd century BC, when a considerable number of Jews in Cyprus was first recorded. The Jews had close relationships with many of the other religious groups on the island and were seen favourably by the island's Roman Cyprus, Roman rulers. During the war over the city of Ptolemais between Alexander Jannaeus and Ptolemy IX Lathyros, King Lathyros, many Jews remained committed to King Lathyros and were subsequently killed. Jewish rebellions and Byzantine rule The Jews lived well in Cyprus during Roman Cyprus, Roman rule. Christianity was preached to the Jews in Cyprus at an early date, with Paul of Tarsus, St Paul being the first and the Apostle Barnabas (a native of Cyprus) the second. They attempted to convert the Jews to Christianity. Aristobulus of Britannia, the first bishop of Britain, was the brother of Barnabas. Cypriot Jews participated in the Kitos War against the Romans and their leader Trajan in 117 CE under t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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