| Makhachkala Synagogue | |
| Native Name: | ru|Махачкалинская синагога |
| Festivals: | --> |
| Organisational Status: | Synagogue |
| Organizational Status: | --> |
| Functional Status: | Active |
| Location: | 111 Ermoshkina Street, Makhachkala, Dagestan, North Caucasus |
| Country: | Russia |
| Map Type: | Russia Dagestan |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Map Relief: | 1 |
| Coordinates: | 42.9739°N 47.5145°W |
| Funded By: | The Jewish congregation |
| Groundbreaking: | 2002 |
| Year Completed: | 2004 |
| Date Destroyed: | --> |
| Materials: | Limestone blocks |
| Elevation Ft: | --> |
Makhachkala Synagogue (ru|Махачкалинская синагога; he|בית הכנסת מחצ'קלה) is the Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Ermoshkina Street, Building 111, in the city of Makhachkala in the Republic of Dagestan, in the North Caucasus of Russia.[1]
In 1862, in the city of Makhachkala, on the initiative of Joseph Pevechevich, a veteran of the Caucasian War in the Imperial Russian Army against Imam Shamil,[2] the first synagogue was built, in which both Ashkenazi (including 61 artisans and 20 soldiers of the local garrison) and Mountain Jews prayed. Rabbi Binyamin was the rabbi of Makhachkala in the 1860s.
In 1895, there were 2 synagogues in Makhachkala.
In 1899, a school (9 male students) operated at the synagogue. The rabbi of the Ashkenazi Jews was Abram Movshovich Lozner, and of the Mountain Jews was Mordukhai Iliazarov.
In 1910, there were 3 synagogues in Makhachkala.
According to various sources, before the Russian Revolution in 1917, the number of synagogues in Makhachkala varied from three to seven,[3] but they were all confiscated by the Soviet authorities.
In the 1920s, two synagogues were closed. One of the synagogues was on Lenin Street, but the city authorities closed it and later the synagogue was torn down. Even though the synagogue on Lenin Street was torn down, the Jews in Makhachkala still quietly, in secret from the government authorities, gathered for prayers.
In 1970, the synagogue building in Makhachkala was requisitioned, and the community was given a smaller building on the outskirts of the city. Since 1971, the city's rabbi was B. I. Ashurov.
In 1976, the city's Jewish community bought the entire house on 111 Ermoshkina Street, paying 9,800 rubles for it. Previously, there was nothing in the purchased house except for sheds. The synagogue congregants themselves built and renovated the building and painted its walls.
Between the 1970s and 1980s, the rabbis at the Makhachkala synagogue were: Rabbi Bobi, Rabbi Shartil Shalumov and Rabbi Yunun Yusufov.
In 2002, construction began on a four-story synagogue on the same plot of land. It was built primarily with funds from donations and charitable assistance from the Jews of Makhachkala. Since 2004, the government of Dagestan, former presidents Magomedali Magomedov, then Mukhu Aliyev allocated funds for the construction of the synagogue, which helped complete the construction.
A kosher kitchen and dining room for 280 people are situated on the lower floor. On the first floor is the synagogue office; on the second floor there is a spacious prayer hall, where there are six Torah scrolls. On the third floor, there is a Jewish school. On the fourth floor is a hotel.
On the night of December 24, 2007, anti-Semites broke the windows of the synagogue building in Makhachkala.[4] [5] [6]
On June 23, 2024, during an attack in Dagestan, armed militants possibly affiliated with ISIS set fire to the Makhachkala synagogue.[7] [8] [9] [10] The building of the synagogue was partially damaged.[11] [12] [13] The synagogue is still operational.