Maghen Abraham Synagogue

An older synagogue in Beirut was demolished in 502 by a great earthquake which destroyed several cities in Lebanon.[4] Maghen Abraham was constructed in 1925 and named after by its funder and benefactor the son of Abraham Sassoon, Moise Abraham Sassoon of Calcutta, on land donated by Isaac Mann. It was designed by the architect Bindo Manham and construction was overseen by Ezra Benjamin and Joseph Balayla."[5] The head of the Jewish community, Josef Farhi, helped in raising additional funds to complete the interior. The synagogue was also used for Torah and scientific lectures, weddings and other festive events.[6]

In the 1950s and 1960s there were sixteen synagogues in Beirut and they were all full, according to a Lebanese expatriate who moved from Beirut to Paris in 2003. Jews were entitled to the same rights as other minorities and the number of Jews was increasing even after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, by which time there were about 14,000 Jews in Lebanon.[7] In 1976, a year after the civil war began, Joseph Farhi transferred the Torah scrolls from the synagogue to Geneva and entrusted to renowned Jewish-Lebanese banker Edmond Safra, who preserved them in his bank's coffers. Most of them have since been relocated to Sephardic synagogues in Israel.[8]

Maghen Abraham Synagogue in Beirut, Lebanon, prior to restoration.

Although the greater part of the community had already emigrated after the 1958 Crisis and the Lebanese Civil War, there were approximately 100 Jewish families still living in the quarters of the synagogue prior to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. During the 1982 Lebanon war, Yasir Arafat's PLO forces and the Christian Phalangists were situated in Wadi Abu Jamil, leading to Israeli suspicion of there being Palestinian weapons in the quarter. On 12 August 1982, an Israeli bombardment damaged the synagogue. The synagogue was abandoned after Israeli shells hit the building, leaving rubble and debris strewn across the floor. Two marble tablets representing the Ten Commandments and a marble Star of David were also shattered. Dozens of Jewish families were among those displaced by shelling of the area.[9][10] In September 1982 during the war, a special event also occurred: IDF General Yitzhak Mordechai arrived with his forces at the Magen Avraham synagogue in the day before the Rosh Hashana holyday. The IDF soldier Isaac Balayla joined the forces. Balayla himself was born in Wadi Abu Gamil and used to pray as a child in that synagogue (he is a descendant of the brothers Yaacov & Joseph Balayla who were among the founders of that synagogue). This time mr.Balayla returned as an IDF soldier. Mordehai gathered the Jews (who lived in the Wadi Abu Jamil), to the side room adjacent to the synagogue and they held a prayer for the holiday. Some of the participants knew Isaac Balayla and were excited to see him as an IDF soldier. Then the forces helped several Jews who wanted to immigrate to Israel. Some of the holy books in the synagogue were taken to a synagogue in Israel to preserve them.

Renovations of the ruined synagogue began in 2009. The project's authorization were agreed by the Lebanese government, Hezbollah, and other community leaders. The renovation, funded by $200,000 worth of private donations, also received a $150,000 grant from Solidere, a Lebanese construction firm privately owned by the family of Rafik Hariri.[2][11]

Long ago, there was a decision by the late former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, to restore the synagogue and surround it with a garden.[12]

By the spring of 2008, the Jewish expatriates expressed their desire to renovate the synagogue. They wished to proceed once stability within Lebanon improved.[13] Long afterwards, the expatriates stated that the synagogue, along with the Jewish cemetery in Sodeco, would be renovated from October 2008. According to Bloomberg, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was quoted as saying:

We respect Judaism, just as we respect Christianity. Our only problem is with Israel.

Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, welcomed the renovation, saying "This is a religious place of worship and its restoration is welcome." Also, Hussain Rahal, a spokesman for Hezbollah, said his group also supported the restoration of the synagogue: "We respect the Jewish religion just like we do Christianity. The Jews have always lived among us. We have an issue with Israel's occupation of land."[14]

Fundings had already been received by the 65-year-old leader of the minute Jewish community, Isaac Arazi. Arazi estimated that the synagogue would require up to $1 million for renovation. He managed to raise up to $40,000 for the project, promising more to come. Solidere SAL, civil-engineering company owned by the Hariri family, had also given $150,000 to each of 14 religious organizations that are restoring places of worship in Lebanon, about $2.1 million in all. "We help all the communities," said Solidere chairman Nasser Chammaa.[14][15] Also, in Switzerland, a couple of banks, whose owners were of Lebanese-Jewish roots, had agreed to provide financing. One offered a sum of $100,000, but Arazi declined to mention its name.[14][15]

The restoration was due to have started in November 2008, but the global financial crisis delayed those plans.[16] However, renovation has started,[17] as other construction projects around the area are being executed.[18] As of October 2010, the Renovations were nearing completion. Haaretz reported that "synagogue restored to glory" and "has been renovated beautifully".[2] The synagogue reopened, but was slightly damaged in the 2020 Beirut explosions.[3]

• Zaki Cohen, Beirut Chief Rabbi
• Deir el Qamar Synagogue (Mount Lebanon)
• Jewish Cemetery (Beirut)
• History of the Jews in Lebanon
• Wadi Abu Jamil
• Congregation Maghen Abraham (Montreal)

• Karam, Dima (October 2003), Beirut Synagogue is a Reminder of a Departed People, Daily Star.
• Hendler, Sefi (August 19, 2006), Beirut’s last Jews, Ynetnews.

• Corporation of Lebanese Jews in Canada
• Photographs
• Beirut Maghen Abraham Synagogue in 360 (before restoration)

33°53′50.81″N 35°30′0.36″E