Al Fassiyine Synagogue

The Al Fassiyine Synagogue or Slat Al Fassiyine (Hebrew: בית הכנסת סלאת אל פאסיין‎; Arabic: بيعة صلاة الفاسيين‎) is a synagogue located in the Mellah of Fes el-Jdid, within the historic medina of Fez, Morocco. The Slat al-Fassiyine Synagogue was one of the few synagogues where the non-Sephardic rituals of the toshavim (indigenous Moroccan Jews) continued up until the 20th century.[1][2]

History

Slat al-Fassiyin ("Prayer of the Fessis" or "Prayer of the People from Fez") is reputed to be the oldest synagogue of the Mellah of Fez and one of the oldest in continuous use. It is thought to have been built during the Marinid period (13th-15th centuries).[1] Its current building dates from the 17th century.[3] In 1791-92, Moulay Yazid expelled the Jews from the Mellah and turned Slat al Fassiyine into a prison.[4] However, after a short period, he allowed them to go back.

Decline

The synagogue continued being used actively through the end of the 1950s,[4] when most of the Jewish community left the country for Israel, France and Montreal (Canada) after Morocco gained its independence from France in 1956, the synagogue fell into disrepair, closed in 2000[5] and was eventually was turned into a carpet-making workshop, and later a boxing gymnasium.[3][6]

Restoration

The synagogue was reinaugurated on February 2013 by the Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane,[7][8] and reopened for full religious services for the holiday of Hanukkah in 2016,[5] with the funds for the restoration coming from the German government, the Jewish community of Fez, the Foundation for Moroccan Jewish Cultural Heritage,[9] and the Moroccan government.[3]

References
  1. Gilson Miller, Susan; Petruccioli, Attilio; Bertagnin, Mauro (2001). "Inscribing Minority Space in the Islamic City: The Jewish Quarter of Fez (1438-1912)". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 60 (3): 310–327.
  2. Le Tourneau, Roger (1949). Fès avant le protectorat : étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman. Casablanca: Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition.
  3. Slat Al Fassiyine Synagogue: A Witness to Jewish Culture in Morocco
  4. Nouvelle vie pour la synagogue «Slat al-Fassiyine». L'Economiste
  5. סלאת אל פאסיין. The Jewish community of Marrakech
  6. 6 Moroccan Cities Where Jewish Culture Flourishes. The Forward
  7. Morocco’s Islamist PM inaugurates refurbished Fez synagogue. The Times of Israel
  8. PM conveys king's message at Moroccan synagogue reopening. World Jewish Congress
  9. Golden Age of Morocco’s Jewish Community will never Die
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