Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue

The Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue (Hebrew: קהל צור ישראל, dt: Rock of Israel ) is located in Recife, the capital of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. It was founded in 1636 by Dutch Jews and is the oldest synagogue in the New World.

History

During the Dutch rule over the northeast of Brazil 1630-1654, many Jews emigrated from the Netherlands to New Holland, where the Governor-General Prince John Maurice of Nassau- Siegen had proclaimed freedom of religion. Many of them were descendants of Portuguese Jews who had fled because of persecution in the Netherlands. The Synagogue Kahal Zur Israel was founded in Mauritsstad (now Recife ) in 1636 in the Rua dos Judeus 203 (now Rua do Bom Jesus). Starting in 1642, was Aboab Isaac da Fonseca ( 1605-1693 ), the first rabbi of the synagogue. 1645 was one of the Jewish community of over 1,600 members. With the expulsion of the Dutch in 1654, most of the Jews emigrated to the Dutch and English colonies in North America. Members of the Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue were among the founders of New York City. With the disappearance of the Jewish community in Recife, the use of the building was finished as a synagogue.

The building was demolished in the 20th century. In 1999, the remains of the synagogue were excavated (especially the ritual ) by archaeologists. Since 2001, a two-story building houses a Jewish museum, which tells about the history of Judaism and the synagogue. The synagogue is used Recife for weddings and bar mitzvah celebrations of their historic significance of the Jewish population.

Gallery

Interior

Ark