| Or Zaruaa Synagogue | |
|---|---|
(Hebrew:בית כנסת אור זרוע, נחלאות, ירושלים) | |
 The synagoguefaçade, in 2009 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Rite | Nusach Sefard |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status |
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| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 3 Shmuel Refaeli Street,Nachlaot,Jerusalem |
| Country | Israel |
  Location of the synagogue inJerusalem | |
| Coordinates | 31°46′49″N35°12′45″E / 31.78036°N 35.21237°E /31.78036; 35.21237 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Neo-Mauresque |
| Founder | RabbiAmram Aburbeh |
| Groundbreaking | 1926 |
| Completed | 1927 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | East |
| Capacity | 150 worshippers |
| Materials | Jerusalem stone |
TheOr Zaruaa Synagogue (Hebrew:בית כנסת אור זרוע, נחלאות, ירושלים) is anOrthodoxJewish congregation andsynagogue, located at 3 Shmuel Refaeli Street, in theNachlaot Ahim neighbourhood ofJerusalem. The congregation was founded in 1926[a] byRabbiAmram Aburbeh forMaghrebi Jews from North Africa.[1][2]
The synagogue was named Or Zaruaa after theBeth Midrash (study hall) Aburbeh's father Rabbi Shlomo Aburbeh held in his home in Avraham Azriel's court in theOld City of Jerusalem.[3][4]
The Or Zaruaa Synagogue is listed among the sites forhistoric preservation by the Jerusalem municipality.[b][5][6][7][full citation needed] The preservation site number of the synagogue is 2638.[8] On 19 February 1997, Judge V. Ziler, President of the Jerusalem District Court, ruled the synagogue was permanentlyhekdesh,[citation needed] (הקדש).[c]
The Or Zaruaa Synagogue is 10 m (33 ft) high, built over two-stories, on a hill, 799 m (2,621 ft)above sea level, with an area of 258 m2 (2,780 sq ft),[clarification needed] in the Nachlaot neighborhood in central Jerusalem. The exterior walls are covered withJerusalem stone, as mandated for all buildings in Jerusalem. The first floor, originally built as a home for the rabbi, is a kindergarten. The synagogue itself, on the second floor, is designed in aNeo-Mauresque, or Spanish North-African style, where the men's seats surround the raisedBimah. The hall has a very high ceiling, and includes a women's section (ezrat nashim). Tall windows are accentuated by massive stone frames, curved at the top.[citation needed]
To build a new synagogue for the growing number ofMaghrebi Jews that were leaving the Old City of Jerusalem for newer neighborhoods,[citation needed] Aburbeh approached Don Yamin Ben Harroch, a philanthropist who led the Jewish community inMelilla, Spain,[9] who contributed funds for its construction.[citation needed]
On October 26, 1926,[d] the cornerstone laying ceremony for the building took place. Aburbeh said that only Jewish workers would be permitted to work on the building.[10]
Aburbeh led the synagogue from 1926 until 1951, when he was elected Chief Rabbi inPetah Tikva, Israel.[citation needed]
The synagogue was inaugurated in 1927 with Aburbeh as its rabbi. For a few years he lived in an apartment built for his family on the first floor of the building until he built a house nearby. The apartment then became the residence of Haim Kobi, thegabbai of the Synagogue, and his family for the next 40 years.Or Zaruaa was abeit midrash (study house), where lessons were taught, as well as a synagogue.
![A memorial parochet to Rabbi Shlomo Hai Knafo donated by his wife Esther.[11]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aOr_Zaruaa_synagogue_Jerusalem_interior_Parochet%2c_blue_with_golden_embroidered_letters_Rabbi_Shlomo_Hai_Knafo.jpg)
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