Zoharei Chama Synagogue
| Zoharei Chama Synagogue | |
|---|---|
בית המדרש זהרי חמה | |
 Zoharei Chama Synagogue | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Mahane Yehuda Clock Tower Sundial Building |
| General information | |
| Location | Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem |
| Address | 92 Jaffa Road |
| Town or city | Jerusalem |
| Country | Israel |
| Construction started | 1906 |
| Completed | 1908-1917 |
| Renovated | 1980 |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | 5-metre (16 ft) sundial |
Zoharei Chama Synagogue (
History
The tall, narrow building, which towers over the neighboring structures, was constructed by Rabbi Shmuel Levy, an American tailor[6] who immigrated to Israel from the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1906 he purchased a one-story house in the Mahane Yehuda neighborhood on Jaffa Road with the intention of adding to it in stages and providing rooms for immigrants as a public service.[1] He raised money for the construction in America[4] by selling lottery tickets for 20 francs apiece, awarding two grand prizes of 2,000 francs each and other prizes of 1,000, 500, 100, 50, and 20 francs. The tickets depicted the planned three-story building with a fourth-floor attic and fifth-floor gallery, together with pictures of the Four Holy Cities in Jewish tradition—Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias and Safed—and a written description of Levy's goals to build a synagogue, study hall and hostel.[1]
Completed in stages from 1908 to 1917,[3] Levy's three-story stone building with attic and gallery[2] was the tallest in Jerusalem for its time.[5] After construction was complete, Levy consecrated the upper floor as the Zoharei Chama (Sunrise) Synagogue for worshippers who prayed at sunrise (vasikin)[2] and also provided a beth midrash called Shoneh Halakhos (literally, "Review of Jewish Laws").[7] The Tiferet Zion V'yerushalayim (Glory of Zion and Jerusalem) Hostel on the lower floors accommodated 50 guests.[2][6] The large sundial was added later to the fourth-story façade.[1]
In 1927 the fifth-floor gallery collapsed during an earthquake.[5] In 1941, an electrical short circuit ignited a fire that spread throughout the building, destroying the gallery and damaging the rest of the building[5][8] together with the sundial and clocks.[9]
In 1980 the Jerusalem municipality
Sundial
The
Sundials were of crucial use for
The Zoharei Chama sundial measures 5 metres (16 ft) in diameter.[3][4] A horizontal gnomon marks the sun's progress along a half-circle marked at each hour, with sub-markings at 15, 30, and 45 minutes.[3] For cloudy days, Levy installed two mechanical clocks on either side of the sundial, one set for European time and one for local time.[1][5][12] Shapiro also designed three sundials for the third floor of the building.[4] Only the large sundial on the fourth floor is still extant.
The sundial was featured on a December 2014 Israeli postage stamp that was part of a 3 stamp series titled Sundials in Eretz Israel.[13]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Rossoff 1998, pp. 392–393.
- ^ a b c d Kroyanker 1983, p. 316.
- ^ a b c d e Adam, Shaul (2007). "The Israel Sundial Trail". sundials.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g Eylon, Lili (1 April 1999). "Jerusalem: Architecture in the late Ottoman Period". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bar-Am, Aviva (7 September 2009). "Yemin Moshe, Bukharan Quarter, Nahlaot and Jaffa Road". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ a b Veeder, Nechama (12 December 2003). "Time to Pray". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ Metal dedication plaque above sundial.
- ^ Be'er 2004, p. 18.
- ^ Noy & Frankel 2006, p. 28.
- ^ Rossoff 1998, p. 411.
- ^ Fischer, David. "Hebrew 51 – Lesson 39". University of Vermont. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- Israel Ministry of Tourism. 2005. Archived from the originalon 29 November 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Zoharei Chama Synagogue Jerusalem, Stamp". Israel Postal Company. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
Sources
- Be'er, Haim (2004). Feathers. Brandeis University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-58465-371-4.
- Gordon, Buzzy (2010). Frommer's Jerusalem Day to Day: 20 smart ways to see the city. ISBN 978-0-470-67636-3.
- ISBN 965-261-019-4.
- Noy, Dov; Frankel, Ellen (2006). Folktales of the Jews, Volume 1: Tales from the Sephardic dispersion. The Jewish Publication Society. ISBN 978-0-8276-0829-0.
- Rossoff, Dovid (1998). Where Heaven Touches Earth: Jewish life in Jerusalem from medieval times to the present. Guardian Press. ISBN 0-87306-879-3.
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