Kahal Kadosh Sha'are Shalom (''Holy Congregation of the Gates of Peace''), also known as the United Congregation of Israelites, is a historic synagogue in the city of

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

on the island of Jamaica.

History

With the influx of Jews to Jamaica in the 17th century, multiple synagogues were constructed across the island in such cities as

Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Por ...

Spanish Town Spanish Town ( jam, label=Jamaican Creole, Panish Tong) is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. Th ...

Port Royal Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and co ...

, and Kingston. Originally, two synagogues were built in Spanish Town, the Sephardi ''K.K. Neveh Shalom'' ("Habitation of Peace") consecrated in 1704, and the

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

''K.K. Mikveh Yisrael'' ("Hope of Israel") erected in 1796. These two congregations would later merge as Jews began to migrate from Spanish Town to Kingston, the new capital city. As in Spanish Town, two congregations (Sephardi and Ashkenazi) existed in Kingston. Initial attempts to form a merger were unsuccessful. The United Congregation of Israelites constructed the original Sha'are Shalom synagogue in 1885, but an earthquake destroyed it. The building was reconstructed by the Henriques Brothers in 1912. This structure still stands. In 1921, the Ashkenazi community merged with the Sha'are Shalom Synagogue to form a unified congregation which continues to exist. On 23 March 2002,

Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...

leader Louis Farrakhan visited Shaare Shalom, his first visit to a synagogue, in an attempt to repair his controversial relationship with the Jewish community."Louis Farrakhan's first visit to a Jewish Synagogue... 'It took courage to bring me here'"
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 26 March 2002. Farrakhan was accepted to speak at Sha'are Shalom in the native country of his father, after being rejected to appear at American synagogues, many of whom feared sending the wrong signal to the Jewish community.

Today

The synagogue can accommodate more than 600 persons for services in its sanctuary. Its sanctuary floor is covered in sand (from the Sephardi custom) to remind persons of the time when Jews covered their floors with sand to muffle the sound of their prayers during the Spanish Inquisition. The sanctuary also features a 52-stop

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

. Though once an Orthodox community, the Sha'are Shalom synagogue now belongs to the Reform branch of Judaism, also incorporating prayers in both Hebrew and English. The congregation maintains the

Hillel Hillel ( he, links=no, הלל, lit=praise) is a Jewish masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name * Hillel the Elder (110 BC–10 AD), Babylonian sage, scholar, and Jewish leader * Hillel, son of Gamaliel III (3rd century), ...

Academy, one of the top

prep school Preparatory school or prep school may refer to: Schools *Preparatory school (United Kingdom), an independent school preparing children aged 8–13 for entry into fee-charging independent schools, usually public schools *College-preparatory school, ...

s in Jamaica. The school has a total enrollment of more than 800 students and maintains a non-denominational status. It additionally maintains a museum of Jamaican Jewish history adjacent to the synagogue. As a collector of historical Judaica from all over the island, it is considered one of the finest historical collections in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. On June 24, 2012, a Nyabinghi (a Rastafarian sect) concert was held at the synagogue as a part of the Kingston On The Edge urban arts festival.

References

{{Reflist Jewish Jamaican history Jewish Spanish history History of Jamaica Buildings and structures in Kingston, Jamaica Reform Judaism in North America Reform synagogues Synagogues completed in 1912 Sephardi Jewish culture in the Caribbean Sephardi Reform Judaism Sephardi synagogues Synagogues in Jamaica Tourist attractions in Kingston, Jamaica 1912 establishments in Jamaica

History

Today

See also

References