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Great Synagogue of Gibraltar
(Kahal Kadosh Sha'ar HaShamayim)
Great Synagogue of Gibraltar; (Kahal Kadosh Sha'ar HaShamayim)
Ladino: Esnoga Grande; (Hebrew: קהל קדוש שער השמיים); (Ladino: Esnoga Sha'ar Hashamayim);
	Torah ark in the synagogue, early 20th century
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Rite	Nusach Sefard
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Synagogue
Status	Active
Location
Location	47/49 Engineer Lane, Gibraltar, British Overseas Territories
Country	United Kingdom
	Location of the synagogue in Gibraltar
Geographic coordinates	36°08′31″N 5°21′09″W / 36.141828°N 5.352511°W
Architecture
Type	Synagogue architecture
Style	Regency
Founder	Rabbi Isaac Nieto
Date established	1724 (as a congregation)
Groundbreaking	1724
Completed	1812

The Great Synagogue of Gibraltar (Ladino: Esnoga Grande), also known as Kahal Kadosh Sha'ar HaShamayim^[a] (Hebrew: קהל קדוש שער השמיים, lit. 'Holy Congregation Gate of Heaven'; Ladino: Esnoga Sha'ar Hashamayim), is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It was the first synagogue on the Iberian Peninsula to operate following the Jewish expulsions from Spain and Portugal in 1492 and 1497 respectively.^[4] Completed in the 1720s, it is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in Gibraltar^[5]^[6] and is Gibraltar's principal synagogue.^[7]

History

The Sha'ar HaShamayim congregation was founded in 1724^[b] by Isaac Nieto from London. Nieto was also the first Rabbi to lead the congregation^[9]^[11] and was one of the Jewish merchants who settled in Gibraltar in the early eighteenth century. During the 1727 Siege of Gibraltar, he was Gibraltar's sole importer of food supplies from Morocco.^[3] Following the death of his father in 1728, Nieto returned to London where, in 1732, he was appointed Chief Rabbi of the Bevis Marks Synagogue.^[2] His partner James Argatt became the beneficiary of his decision to leave Gibraltar; the monopoly of Moroccan food imports was transferred to him.^[3]

The synagogue was inaugurated in 1724 on a plot of land granted to the Jews by the then Governor of Gibraltar, Richard Kane. Having been rebuilt several times, the present building largely dates from 1812, completed in the Regency style,^[5] and shares features in common with the parent Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam (1675) and Bevis Marks Synagogue (1701).^[12]

The entrance to the original building was on Synagogue Lane, now Serfaty's Passage.

Following its destruction in the storm of 30 December 1766, a larger synagogue was rebuilt at the same site in 1768, but with an entrance on Engineer Lane. The second building was also destroyed during attacks by the Spanish on 17 May 1781. A third building was constructed after the conclusion of the Great Siege of Gibraltar.

In 1812, that version of the synagogue was damaged by fire and had to be partially rebuilt. The current vaulted ceiling of the synagogue dates from that 1812 renovation.^[3]^[7] The synagogue at 47/49 Engineer Lane has colourful tiles, marble floors, wrought iron spindles, and wooden furniture.^[13] The façade of the two-and-a-half-storey, domestic-scale building features round-arched windows flanking a round-arched doorway.^[14]

The building is listed under the Heritage and Antiquities Act.^[5]

Gallery

Main entrance to the synagogue
Window of the synagogue with Hebrew and English writing
Inside the synagogue

Notes

^ Also: Qahal Kadosh Sha'ar ha-Shamayim.
^ However, there is substantial disagreement between authorities as to whether the synagogue was built in 1723-4^[3]^[8] or 1749.^[9]^[6]^[10]

References

^ "Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue, Gibraltar". Jewish Communities & Records UK. JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Judaic Treasures of the Library of Congress: The First Translations". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Benady, Tito (July 2009). "The Synagogues of Gibraltar" (PDF). Rock Talk: Friends of Gibraltar (2): 14–15. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
^ "Official Government of Gibraltar London Website". Archived from the original on 6 March 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Sha'ar HaShamayim Synagogue Engineer Lane". Heritage and Antiquities Act: Listings. HM Government of Gibraltar. Ministry of Heritage. 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
^ ^a ^b "The Jewish Community of Gibraltar". European Jewish Congress. 17 April 2006. Archived from the original on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Synagogues". Gibraltar Jewish Community. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
^ Benady, Tito. "Communal History". jewishgibraltar.com. Gibraltar Jewish Community. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
^ ^a ^b "The Jews of Gibraltar". Manfred and Anne Lehmann Foundation. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
^ Hassan, Isaac (2005). Gibraltar Heritage Journal: special edition to commemorate the Gibraltar Exhibition at the Jewish Museum, London, 2004. Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society. p. 85. ISBN 9780955025501. Retrieved 2 September 2012 – via Google Books.
^ Williams, Jonathan (18 December 2008). "A True Rock of Ages". Jewish Exponent. Jewish Publishing Group. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
^ "Gibraltar Jewish Heritage". Jewish Heritage UK. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
^ "Virtual Jewish History Tour". jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
^ Kadish, Sharman (2007). Jewish Heritage in Gibraltar: An Architectural Guide. Reading, UK: Spire Books. p. 42.