| Ohr ha-Chaim Synagogue | |
|---|---|
Hebrew:בית הכנסת אור החיים | |
 Interior of the synagogue, in 2007 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Rite | |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status |
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| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Ohr ha-Chaim Street (Ezra Street),Jewish Quarter,Old City,Jerusalem |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | RabbiChaim ibn Attar |
| Established | 1742(as a congregation) |
TheOhr ha-Chaim Synagogue (Hebrew:בית הכנסת אור החיים), is aKabbalisticJewish congregation andsynagogue, located on Ohr ha-Chaim Street, in theJewish Quarter of theOld City ofJerusalem. The synagogue was named in honour ofChaim ibn Attar.
Arriving in Jerusalem fromMorocco in 1742, Rabbi Attar established a study hall in this building together with a women's section. In a room at the back of the men's section is where, according to tradition, Rabbi Attar would study withEliyahu Ha-Navi. A number of years ago, amikveh was uncovered near the stairs which lead to the women's section, confirming a long-standing tradition of its existence.
The synagogue is located on the top floor of a building which also houses theAri Synagogue and Old Yishuv Court Museum. It is named after RabbiChaim ibn Attar'smagnum opus, theOhr ha-Chaim, a popular commentary on thePentateuch.[1]
Though the synagogue was founded by akabbalist ofSephardic descent, the synagogue eventually came to serve theAshkenazi community, headed by Rabbi Shlomo Rosenthal. When the Jewish Quarter fell to theArab Legion in 1948, during theArab-Israeli War, the synagogue was closed.[2] It was reopened and refurbished after Israel captured the Old City in 1967.
Media related toYeshivat Knesset Yisrael (founded by Rabbi Chaim Ben Atar) at Wikimedia Commons
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