Keter Torah Synagogue (Hebrew: כתר תורה) is a Jewish Synagogue in the Tunisian city of Sousse.
| Keter Torah synagogue | |
|---|---|
כתר תורה كنيس كتر التوراة | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Location | |
| Location | Sousse |
| Country | Tunisia |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°49′56″N 10°38′23″E / 35.832356°N 10.639659°E |
History
The city of Sousse has had a large Tunisian Jewish community dating back to the Punic period. An 1853 census counted 400 Jewish families in Sousse.[1]
It is in this context that Keter Torah Synagogue was built in 1913[2] at the initiative of Yossef Guez, Chief Rabbi of Sousse and the first native Tunisian Chief Rabbi.[1] The synagogue is the main synagogue in the city.
In 1946, the Jewish community in Sousse numbered 3,500 but continued to decrease. As of 2006, there are 36 Jews left in Sousse.[3] Sousse once had six synagogues, today only Keter Torah is still operational.[1]
On December 6, 2019, the National Heritage Institute of Tunisia announced that the synagogue was placed on the list of heritage sites of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.[4]
References
Bibliography
- Bismuth-Jarrassé, Colette; Jarrassé, Dominique (2010). Synagogues de Tunisie : monuments d'une histoire et d'une identité. Patrimoines (in French). Le Kremlin-Bicêtre: Esthétiques du divers. pp. 276–278. ISBN 978-2-9533041-2-1.