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Deir el Qamar Synagogue
Deir el Qamar Synagogue
Arabic: كنيس دير القمر
	The former synagogue in 2007
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism (former)
Rite	Nusach Sefard
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue (1638–2016)
Status	Inactive; (maybe temporary)
Location
Location	Deir el Qamar, Chouf
Country	Lebanon
	Location of the former synagogue in Lebanon
Geographic coordinates	33°41′52″N 35°33′48″E / 33.6979°N 35.5632°E
Architecture
Completed	1638
Materials	Stone

The Deir el Qamar Synagogue (Arabic: كنيس دير القمر) is a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Deir el Qamar, a village in south-central Lebanon. Completed in the 17th century during the Ottoman era, the synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Mount Lebanon.^[1] The synagogue served the local Jewish population, some of whom were part of the immediate entourage of Fakhr al-Din II.

The synagogue remained under Jewish ownership even after the dispersal of the local Jewish community in the aftermath of the sectarian conflict in Mount Lebanon in 1860. However, it was eventually sold in 1893, contrary to the counsel of the sages of Jerusalem, who advised against its sale unless for the construction of a new synagogue.^[2]

As of 2016^[update], the synagogue was in excellent condition. Subsequently, the synagogue was closed to the public for security reasons and was entrusted to the French cultural center by Lebanon's Direction Générale des Antiquités, translated as the General Directorate of Antiquities.

References

^ Scham, Sandra A. (November 1, 2015). "The Legacy of Fakhreddine II—Renaissance Prince of Mount Lebanon". Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies. 3 (4): 428–438. doi:10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.3.4.0428. ISSN 2166-3548.
^ Ben-Zvi, Itzhak (1967). שאר ישוב: מאמרים ופרקים בדברי ימי הישוב העברי בא"י ובחקר המולדת [She'ar Yeshuv] (in Hebrew). תל אביב תרפ"ז. pp. 447–452.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)