The Beit Yehuda Synagogue, also known as Assayag Synagogue, is a former

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located in

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. The synagogue was completed in 1890. Last used as a synagogue in the , the building has housed the Jewish Museum of Tangier, a

Jewish museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area. Notable Jewish museums include: Albania * Solomon Museum, Berat Australia * Jewish Museum of Australia, Melbourn ...

and cultural landmark, since 2022.

Overview

Unlike other Moroccan cities, Tangier had no walled Jewish quarter or

mellah A ''mellah'' ( or 'saline area'; and ) is the place of residence historically assigned to Jewish communities in Morocco. The urban ''mellah'', as it exists in numerous cities and large towns, is a Jewish quarter enclosed by a wall and a fortifi ...

. Even so, its synagogues were clustered in a neighborhood on the southwestern side of the

medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

, known as Beni Idder for the family that initiated its development. The Beit Yehuda Synagogue was founded in 1890 slightly north of Beni Idder on the other side of rue Es-Siaghine. It remained in service until the late 1950s. It was then abandoned for about six decades. The former synagogue's revival as a museum was one of the cultural initiatives launched by the Moroccan government in the wake of the

Israel–Morocco normalization agreement The Israel–Morocco normalization agreement is an agreement announced by the United States government on December 10, 2020, in which Israel and Morocco agreed to begin normalizing relations. On December 22, 2020, a joint declaration was sign ...

of December 2020. The renovation was led by architect Malika Laâroussi, and the creation of the museum by museographer Isabelle Timsit. The museum was inaugurated on .

References

19th-century synagogues in Morocco Buildings and structures in Tangier Former synagogues in Morocco Jewish museums Jewish museums in Morocco Jews and Judaism in Tangier Synagogues completed in 1890 Synagogues preserved as museums Tourist attractions in Tangier {{Morocco-synagogue-stub

Overview

See also

References