September 2023 – HebdoSyna

The world’s largest sukkah returns to Jerusalem.

In Chapter 23, verses 41 to 43 of the Book of Leviticus, it is written:

מא וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לה’, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה: חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם, בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי תָּחֹגּוּ אֹתוֹ. מב בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים; כָּל-הָאֶזְרָח, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, יֵשְׁבוּ, בַּסֻּכֹּת. לְמַעַן, יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם, כִּי בַסֻּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם: אֲנִי ה אֱלֹקֵיכֶם.
You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days; all citizens¹ in Israel shall dwell in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the children of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

These words emphasize the importance of the roots of the Jewish nation. They were liberated from slavery in Egypt. This festival is an opportunity to celebrate freedom, the importance of faith, perseverance, the long history of Israel, and Jewish culture. It is a time to bring the entire community together and to remind them of the essence of the people.

An extraordinary sukkah is erected in Safra Square, where faithful and visitors from around the world converge. This gigantic sukkah, the ‘largest in the world,’ has a capacity of 650 people and covers an area of 800 square meters. The interior of the sukkah is adorned with biblical verses related to Jerusalem and photographs of the holy city. Festivities, workshops, performances, and virtual reality activities for all ages are offered.

The seven days of the Sukkot festival are celebrated in an atmosphere of great joy and sharing.

¹The root of the Hebrew word “הָאֶזְרָח” is אזר, which is related to the concept of belonging to a people. The term is often used in a legal or administrative context to distinguish citizens from foreigners or temporary residents.

Agoudath Hakehilos, Rue Pavée, Paris

שובה ישראל עד ה’ אלוקיך
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God

This verse from the book of Hosea (14:2) is a call to repentance, an essential preamble to Yom Kippur. On this day of fasting and prayer, the faithful seek to draw closer to God, purify their souls, and reflect on their past actions.

The Agoudath Hakehilos Synagogue¹, an architectural masterpiece of Art Nouveau designed by Hector Guimard, stands out with its vertical structure, curves, and unique motifs. The interior is arranged to maximize the use of vertical space, with galleries on either side of the nave.

In 1941, on the day after Yom Kippur, explosive devices were placed by members of the M.S.R.³ in front of six Parisian synagogues⁴, including the one on Rue Pavée. These attacks were carried out to intimidate and persecute the Jewish community in Paris.

^1. Union of Communities,
an organization founded to promote and defend the values and practices of Orthodox Judaism, with its Parisian headquarters located at the synagogue at 10 Rue Pavée (synagogue tour available in (360°).

² Hector Guimard (1867-1942), a major French architect and designer of the Art Nouveau movement, famous for his designs of Parisian metro entrances and for his influence on early 20th-century architecture and design.

³ The Mouvement Social Révolutionnaire is a fascist party founded in 1940 in Paris, closely associated with the Vichy regime, most of whose members originated from La Cagoule, a clandestine terrorist organization (assassinations, bombings, sabotage, and arms trafficking). La Cagoule was active in the 1930s and was founded by dissidents from Action Française.

⁴ Excerpt from the newspaper “La Feuille d’Avis de Neuchâtel et du Vignoble Neuchâtelois” dated Saturday, October 4, 1941:
“In the night from Thursday to Friday in Paris, between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., bombings occurred at seven synagogues. The synagogues on Rue de Tournelle (des Tournelles), Rue Montespan (Rue Pavée), Rue Copernic, Notre-Dame de Lazaret (de Nazareth), Notre-Dame des Victoires, and the sixth one located on a street whose name is not yet known (Rue Sainte-Isaure), were destroyed. The damage is considerable as only the walls remain. In the synagogue on Rue Pavée, near City Hall, the bomb was removed in time. Two people were injured. Admiral Bard, the prefect of police, arrived at the scene and is leading the investigation. The attack occurred the day after the Grand Pardon festival.”

Beth-El Synagogue, Casablanca, Morocco

On Rosh Hashanah, we gather at the synagogue to pray, reflect on the past year, and repent. The sound of the shofar evokes the binding of Isaac and signals our spiritual awakening. During the Tachilkh ceremony, we symbolically cast our sins into the water, signifying our desire for purification.

The Beth-El Synagogue (בית אל = House of G-od) was inaugurated on Rosh Hashanah 5757 ⁽¹⁾. It is the heart of the Jewish community in Casablanca, bearing witness to faith, culture, and the long Jewish history in Morocco, dating back over 2000 years ⁽²⁾.

The synagogue is built in a neo-classical style. The interior decor incorporates elements of traditional Moroccan craftsmanship, including gebs ⁽³⁾. Its colorful stained glass windows and majestic chandeliers are also remarkable.

(1) In gematria, the year 5757 (התשנז) has a numerical value of 762, corresponding to Zechariah 14:9: “And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day, the Lord will be one and his name one.
והיה יי למלך על כל הארץ ביום ההוא יהיה יי אחד
(2) The Jewish presence in Morocco dates back to the 2nd century BCE, notably in Volubilis during the Roman era. It was reinforced in the 7th century by the arrival of Jewish migrants from the Iberian Peninsula fleeing the Visigothic persecutions of the 7th century. Later, the Jewish population came under Muslim rule and was subjected to the status of dhimmis, occasionally facing persecutions. Despite this, the community provided refuge to Jews fleeing the Inquisition. At the beginning of the 20th century, with several hundred thousand members, much of the Jewish community left Morocco between 1950 and 1960.
(3) In Morocco, master craftsmen elevate plaster by sculpting and chiseling it to create genuine masterpieces, covering the upper walls, arches, and ceilings.

Synagogue of Phanagoria, Russia

The Torah portions נִצָּבִים-וַיֵּלֶךְ (Nitsavim Vayelekh – “Stand” “And he went”)
contain a powerful biblical promise.
In verse 30:4:

אִם-יִהְיֶה נִדָּחֲךָ, בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם–מִשָּׁם, יְקַבֶּצְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹקיךָ, וּמִשָּׁם, יִקָּחֲךָ
Even if your exiles are at the ends of the heavens, the L-ord your G-od will gather you from there, and He will fetch you.

The recent discovery of the world’s oldest synagogue during excavations in the Taman Peninsula2 of the ancient Greek city of Phanagoria, Russia, highlights this promise of gathering the exiles. The synagogue is believed to have been in use from the 1st to the 6th century. Numerous artifacts have been collected by archaeologists, revealing a thriving Jewish community.

1 Deuteronomy 29:9 to 31:30
2 The Taman Peninsula, located in Russia on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, faces the Kerch Peninsula in Ukraine. These two peninsulas separate the Black Sea from the Sea of Azov and are connected by Europe’s longest bridge (18 km), the Crimean Bridge.