Or Thora Synagogue | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Judaism |
Status | Abandoned |
Location | |
Location | Tunis, Tunisia |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) |
Aimé Krief Jean Sebag |
Completed | 1930s |
The Or-Thora Synagogue ( Hebrew: בית הכנסת אור תורה; Arabic: كنيس أور تورا بتونس) is a synagogue located in the Hara (old city) of the city of Tunis.
It was completed in the early 1930s, prior to World War II. [1] It was designed by architects Aimé Krief and Jean Sebag. [1] Habib Bourguiba, who served as the President of Tunisia from 1957 to 1987, visited the synagogue on February 12, 1957. [1]
After the departure of most of the Tunisian Jews for Israel and France following the anti-Jewish riots during the Six-Day War, [2] which included the burning of the Torah Scrolls at the synagogue, [3] religious services stopped being offered at the synagogue. It is currently not in use. [4] [5]
There are ongoing discussions among the Tunisian Jewish community and the residents of the Hafsia to turn the Or-Thora Synagogue into a museum of the Hara, [6] [7] with a project led by Leila Ben Gacem [8] and a team of architects from the NGO Association de sauvegarde de la médina de Tunis, with the aim to save the synagogue from total degradation.
36°48′05″N 10°10′11″E / 36.801463°N 10.169655°E