The Jerusalem municipality announced on Wednesday that the city will preserve and restore the wall paintings on the Ades Synagogue, also known as the Great Synagogue Ades of the Glorious Aleppo Community, in the Nahlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem. The synagogue, which was founded in 1901 by Syrian Jews, was recently designated as a national heritage site by the Prime Minister. Some of the paintings were damaged and covered over during hasty renovations in 2009. The paintings, dated to around 1906, are the work of Ya'akov Stark, one of the first students at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. The municipality announced they will partner with the Israeli Antiquities Authority to carry out the restorations. The Ades Synagogue is also known for its ornately carved wooden ark, brought from Damascus, and as a center for Aleppo-style hazans, or prayer leaders.
