Bet Mordechai Synagogue, La Goulette Explained

Bet Mordechai Synagogue
Native Name:Synagogue Beit Mordekhai
Native Name Lang:French
Religious Affiliation:Judaism
Location:Rue Khaznadar
Sector:La Goulette
Municipality:Tunis
Country: Tunisia
Organizational Status:-->
Architect:Benoît Barsotti
Founded By:Isaac Bessis

Bet Mordechai Synagogue of La Goulette, also known as the Bessis Synagogue or the Hospital Synagogue is a synagogue located on Rue Khaznadar in La Goulette, a suburb of Tunis, Tunisia.

Architecture

The building was donated to the community by community-member Isaac Bessis in the 1910s and was designed by Italian architect Benoît Barsotti. Barsotti included both classical and orientalist elements in the design of the building, including acroteria, columns and corniches.[1] Despite its style choices, it does not differ much from other buildings on the street.[2]

Access to the synagogue involves going through a passage that leads to the building facade (now separated from the street). Above the front door of the building are the Stone Tablets of the Ten Commandments. Inside, the sanctuary is a square room centred around four pillars which once supported an upper women's section and a skylight before renovations in the 1980s replaced it with a portico above the Torah Ark.

The building was reconstructed in 1995 after the roof collapsed a year prior.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Colette Bismuth-Jarrassé. Dominique Jarrassé. Esthétiques du divers. 2010. 978-2-9533041-2-1. Patrimoines. Le Kremlin-Bicêtre. 261–263. fr. .
  2. Web site: Magdi Abdelhadi. 25 October 2012. Tunisia Jews: A tiny community hanging on - and cooking. 18 June 2018. bbc.com. en.
  3. Web site: Hatem Bourial. 10 May 2017. À La Goulette, la synagogue Beit Mordekhai, un joyau en sept photos. 18 June 2018. webdo.tn. fr.