Walkig tour: Synagogues for Slihot

Before alarms, people had to devise creative methods for waking early.

By AVIVA BAR-AM
nahlaot nachlaot 224 (photo credit: Shmuel Bar-Am)
nahlaot nachlaot 224
(photo credit: Shmuel Bar-Am)
In Nahlaot, during the period of penitential prayers (slihot) before dawn, a resident with a loud, booming voice would stroll through the dark, little lanes and walk between the houses shouting, "Slihot, slihot," until entire families had jumped out of bed. As he would make his way around the neighborhood, he carried a flashlight - actually a can with a candle inside - and a stick with which to make plenty of noise! I heard about this fascinating human alarm clock from Ofer Rashti, who grew up in Nahlaot's Shevet Tzedek Quarter. Rashti knows all about Nahlaot, for his late father Arie was a neighborhood fixture, always ready to offer visitors vivid tales of life, worship and brotherhood in the area. Nahlaot is the plural form for the word "nahala," loosely translated as "estate," "property" or "heritage." The neighborhood is located in the heart of Jerusalem, and consists of over two dozen tiny residential quarters established outside the Old City walls after 1860, and clustered so closely together that their boundaries are hard to distinguish. Picturesque even when the buildings were falling apart a few decades ago, the newly renovated Nahlaot with charmingly lit streets is now a favorite with tourists - especially during slihot. Penitential prayers have already begun in the Sephardi synagogues, which begin this special pre-dawn worship 40 days before Yom Kippur. Ashkenazi Jews generally commence slihot prayers the Saturday night before Rosh Hashana. The High Holy Day season is a great time for visiting Nahlaot and its synagogues, each with its own history, décor and ambiance. When first built, each synagogue's style of prayer (nusach) reflected the community from which its founders had come. Today, however, the style in most is what locals call "Jerusalem mix," with only a dash of the original style thrown in. TRY THIS enchantingly scenic route, studded with early synagogues - far too many to mention. If you are lucky, there may be street signs, but almost always only in Hebrew. Wherever you end up, there are certain to be synagogues. Begin on Rehov Kiah, where it meets Rehov Agrippas (the Clal Center will be on your left). Almost directly ahead of you there is an arched opening topped by a dedication plaque to Moshe Montefiore, whose legacy funded several of the neighborhoods. Pass under the arch and you will be inside the Mazkeret Moshe Quarter, founded in 1882 specifically for Ashkenazi Jews. Turn right (Rehov Carmel) and stop at Hessed Verahamim, surprising for two reasons: it is a Sephardi synagogue in an Ashkenazi neighborhood, and it was once a pub! Sometime in the late 1920s, as more and more Sephardim moved in, a neighborhood butcher and his goons "persuaded" the owner to transform the pub into a Sephardi synagogue. Be sure to examine the exquisite doors, covered with unique silver symbols representing the 12 tribes. Continue on Rehov Carmel and turn left at the first street you come to (Mazkeret Moshe). When you reach Rehov Rabbi Aryeh Levin turn right. You are now in the Ohel Moshe Quarter, founded a year later as the Sephardi answer to its neighbor. Among the famous people who spent their childhoods in Ohel Moshe is former president Yitzhak Navon. Walk a few meters to the far corner to find the Ohel Moshe Synagogue on the second floor. This historic synagogue features a very unusual ark made of wood painted in turquoise and yellow with sculpted wooden poles. Atop the ark, the orange crown is brightly lit. Because the synagogue owns so many Torah scrolls (16), you will find additional arks on each side of the main ark. One scroll, dating back to 1841 and written in Iran, was a gift from Moshe Montefiore, and is so full of silver that it can barely be lifted. Completed in 1887, the Ohel Moshe Synagogue was for many years the only Sephardi house of worship in this area and was central to life in the neighborhood. On the ground floor, in addition to a cistern and the house that served the synagogue caretaker, there was a communal oven filled with Shabbat food whose fragrance drove worshipers crazy during prayers. Peer around the side of the synagogue, way up top, to see several dovecotes. They are home to endangered birds of prey called lesser kestrels, who nest here and in the adjacent buildings year after year. Turn right (Rehov Ohel Moshe). At the second lane (sign says "Isaac Levi Square") turn left onto Rehov Gilboa. Follow Gilboa to the right, past the neighborhood cistern, to No. 3. Greek immigrants Avraham and Sarah Cohen built the lovely second-story apartment at No. 3 in 1925. The dwelling was later transformed into a synagogue and dedicated to the Jews of Yanina, their native city. Yanina once housed the largest Jewish community in Greece, dating back to the days of Alexander the Great. The Jews' special language, a combination of Greek and Hebrew called Romaniote, hinted of their long history in that ancient land. Most of Yanina's Jews were murdered by the Nazis. BACKTRACK JUST a tad to walk through a very short passageway on your right. The one-room synagogue at the end was built in 1890 by Yom Tov Taranto, whose hope that his contribution would result in the birth of a son was never fulfilled. The synagogue is so small that worshipers eventually took over the entire lane, covering it and adding benches for women who can peek through the window - but not come inside. Old timers relate that in the evening, renowned sages studied together with simple folk. And since the synagogue was open 24 hours a day, anyone in trouble or with a special request could come in and read from the Psalms whenever he wanted. Cross the street (Ezra Raphael), head down the next alley and turn left onto Rehov Zichron Tuvia. Directly across from No. 21, walk down another lane to reach the Ohavei Zion Synagogue, built in 1906. It is on your left just before you hit Rehov Shilo. Ohavei Zion was renovated in 1963 with a must-see olive wood pulpit and Holy Ark designed by Ze'ev Raban, one of the fathers of Israeli art. The synagogue's second claim to fame: early worshipers here included the Banai family of entertainers. Located on the other side of the street, the Melamed Synagogue is hidden from view. To get there, pass through the open entrance at Rehov Shilo 18, follow the walkway around and climb the steps. What makes this humble synagogue so special is its location inside a yard that housed half a dozen large families who walked to Israel in a convoy from Shiraz, Iran. One of the worshipers I met had 11 brothers and sisters and grew up in a one-room apartment in the courtyard. He and two women waiting for evening prayers had only good memories to share. They told me about the community Seders once held here by beloved Rabbi Melamed, the tall Persian lilac tree in the yard whose branches topped the rabbi's enormous succa and the tashlich ceremony in the courtyard, where everyone cast their sins into the open cistern. When you leave the Melamed Synagogue, turn left and after a few dozen meters descend a set of steps. The yeshiva on your right (at Rehov Shilo 6) was founded by Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi. Note the large yard in the shadow of the nondescript commercial building known as Ainee, erected in the 1970s. It is said that soon afterward, Sharabi cursed the building. Some people believe that he hexed the Ainee because he was upset over plans - never realized - to add a movie theater to the building. But most people think that the Ainee cast a shadow on the balcony where Sharabi and his pupils liked to soak up the sun. Whatever the reason for the curse, it had quite an effect. Those few modern souls who thumbed their noses at the curse and rented shops in the high-rise lost their money. Some even went bankrupt - or died before their time. Now, decades later, Ainee remains a white elephant. At Rehov Ovadia Somech, turn left and walk to the Beit Yitzhak Synagogue, named for a rabbi who left Shiraz with his family but never made it to Israel. Two nights after they set sail, Rabbi Yitzhak Kalifa was killed on the deck of the ship during a terrible storm. His body was placed in a casket together with his ritual garments, and on the casket his family wrote "Holy Jerusalem." The casket landed on a beach in India, where local Jews buried him in a Jewish cemetery. Beit Yitzhak is located in the Neveh Shalom quarter, which was founded by Iranian Jews in 1896. Neveh Shalom residents wanted a synagogue, but as they were extremely poor, everyone had to contribute their share. Look inside the synagogue - donors are mentioned absolutely everywhere, even on the light fixtures. Follow Ovadia Somech until it ends, then turn left onto Rehov Rama and right at the first lane (Rehov Geva). When you reach a wide street with lots of parking spaces (for residents) you will be on Rehov Beersheba. This is the Nahalat Zion Quarter, founded by Jewish immigrants from Aleppo, Syria, at the end of the 19th century. Turn left at the corner to view the elegant Ades Great Synagogue, built in 1901 and named for its donors. Its impressive decorations and Holy Ark were brought with them from Syria on the back of a camel. Enter through a decorative iron gate that was severely damaged by enemy shells. Then feast your eyes on the elaborate interior: In addition to an eye-catching chandelier and superb mural, one wall, the ark and the pulpit are made of rich, dark wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl. CONTINUE TO the corner, then turn right (Rehov Shilo). This will take you to Rehov Bezalel and the lovely Urfali Synagogue across the street. The synagogue is the official center for people from Urfa, Turkey, most of whom immigrated in 1896. Unusually tall, sturdy and powerful, Urfalis worked as guards and in construction, their robust physiques lending a sense of security to local residents. Note the quiet tones of the synagogue interior, from the white marble ark and pulpit to rust-colored curtains and dark bronze benches. Return to the corner of Rehov Bezalel and Rehov Shilo, walk downhill a moment, then ascend a flight of stairs (Rehov Geva). Turn left on Rehov Beersheba, pass the parking spaces and a plaza and look for the turquoise door to a bomb shelter. This is where followers of the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach hold joyous prayers - in part for American immigrants and visitors - on Shabbat. Keep walking along Rehov Beersheba until it ends, when it turns first into Rehov Tekoa and then Rehov Nissim Bachar. According to the sign at No. 30, the Shauli Vekashi Synagogue here sheltered members of the Jewish underground during the British Mandate. That should come as no surprise, says Rashti, for Nahlaot was a hotbed of underground activity. He adds that his grandfather Ya'acov, a carpenter, was skilled in building cupboards with secret hiding places for weapons - and members of the underground. You are nearing the end of your route and, even if you took this walk on Shabbat, you will have noticed that many a synagogue is almost empty. Rashti explains that families were so large it only took one or two to build and fill a synagogue. He can still remember when all the synagogues on this street were filled to the brim even on weekdays, and benches had to be added in the alleyways outside to catch the overflow. To return to where you began this tour, continue up Rehov Nissim Bachar. When you reach Rehov Agrippas, turn right and walk back up to the Clal Center, which will be on your left. Stay tuned for next week when I will explore synagogues in Yemin Moshe, the Bukharan Quarter, Sha'arei Hessed and along Jaffa Road, as well as two more quarters in Nahlaot. Women readers interested in the synagogues take note: The women's galleries offer only an unsatisfactory view of both the services and the synagogue interiors. You can get a better look once worship has ended, or before it begins.