Haim Synagogue | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue |
Status | Limited activity |
Location | |
Location | 30 Tir Street, Old Jewish Quarter, Tehran, 12 (Park-e Shahr) |
Country | Iran |
Location of the synagogue in Tehran | |
Geographic coordinates | 35°41′34.0″N 51°24′47.6″E / 35.692778°N 51.413222°E |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Azizollah Banayan |
Type | Synagogue architecture |
Style | Qajar period |
Funded by |
|
Completed | 1913 |
[1] |
The Haim Synagogue (Persian: کنیسه حییم, romanized: Kenisā-ye Hayim; Hebrew: בית הכנסת חַיִּים) is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in 30 Tir Street, formerly known as Qavam-os-Saltane, in central Tehran, Iran.[2][3][4][5]
As of February 2016[update], the synagogue was opened only on the occasions of Shabbat and the High Holy Days, due mainly to emigration and decline in membership.[5]
The Haim Synagogue was built following the Iranian Constitutional Revolution in 1913, under the reign of Ahmad Shah Qajar, by two Iranian Jewish residents Eshagh Sedgh and Eshagh Moradoff.[6] It has often been considered the first urban synagogue in Iran. Prior to its construction, most synagogues in Iran were built in ghettos.[6]
The building was designed by Azizollah Banayan, the only Jewish architect at the time.[1]
By the time of World War II, the Haim Synagogue hosted a number of Polish Jewish refugees.[7] After an increase in the number of Polish Jewish refugees, the Ashkenazi Danial Synagogue was built near the Haim Synagogue in 1940.[6]
In the 1950s, the Haim Synagogue was used as a refugee camp to host a number of Iraqi Jewish refugees, who immigrated to Israel via Iran as part of Operation Ezra and Nehemiah.[7][5]