| Old Motza Synagogue | |
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Hebrew:בית הכנסת העתיק מוצא | |
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status |
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| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Motza,West Jerusalem |
| Country | Israel |
  Location of the synagogue inJerusalem | |
| Coordinates | 31°47′32″N35°09′51″E / 31.79222°N 35.16417°E /31.79222; 35.16417 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Yehoshua Yellin |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Completed | 1871 |
TheOld Motza Synagogue (Hebrew:בית הכנסת העתיק מוצא) isJewish congregation andsynagogue, located inMotza, inWest Jerusalem,Israel. Completed in 1871, theOttoman-era synagogue is just offHighway 1.
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In 1871, acaravanserai was built in the city of Motzah, and the year of its founding is engraved in a stone on the arch of the modern-day building that is used as the synagogue.[1] It was built on the foundation of aCrusader-era building. The modern building was built byYehoshua Yellin to serve as an inn for travellers along the Yafo-Jerusalem road.[2] In 1905, a group of tourists arrived at the inn, including Rabbi Binyamin Ze'ev Kraus ofDebrecen and RabbiShlomo Tzvi Shik [he] ofKartzag. They were informed that there was no synagogue in the neighborhood, and Kraus began fundraising to build a synagogue in the caravanserai. The establishment by Kraus and Shik is commemorated on a memorial at the building.[3]
The building served as a synagogue for Jews of theOld Yishuv, and was abandoned due to violence towards Jews in the1929 Palestine pogrom.[4][5] The building became part of the Arab settlement ofKalonia, nowMevaseret Zion. In 1961, when Jews returned to the area, the building was renovated and converted back into a synagogue.[3] In 1973, archaeological excavations were carried out near the synagogue, where many artifacts from the period ofRoman settlement were discovered.[6]
The synagogue is used for typical Shabbat services, and is used as an event venue for religious lectures and celebrations for locals in the area. On the wall of the outer synagogue is a presentation of the history of the families of the first Jewish settlers to the area, and in front is a mosaic describing the location of the synagogue relative to the Motza Valley.[3]
Media related toOld Synagogue in Motza (Jerusalem) at Wikimedia Commons
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