Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue

Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue
Hebrew: בית הכנסת האר"י האשכנזי
The synagogue, in 2020
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
Rite
StatusActive
Location
LocationIsrael Najara Street, Safed, Northern District
CountryIsrael
Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue is located in Northeast Israel
Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue
Location of the synagogue in the northeast of the Northern District
Geographic coordinates32°58′07″N 35°29′12″E / 32.968635°N 35.486655°E / 32.968635; 35.486655
Architecture
TypeSynagogue architecture
Completed16th century
MaterialsStone

The Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue (Hebrew: בית הכנסת האר"י האשכנזי, romanizedBeit haKnesset haAri haAshkenazi) is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Israel Najara Street, in Safed, in the Northern District of Israel.

Dedicated in memory of Rabbi Isaac Luria, a kabbalist who was known by the Hebrew acronym "the ARI",[1] the synagogue was completed in the late 16th-century, several years after his death in 1572. It may be the oldest synagogue in Israel that is still in use. The synagogue is known for its colorful and ornate Holy Ark.

Though the synagogue is associated by name with the Ashkenazi community, today it serves as a place of worship for both Hasidic and Sephardic Jews and remains popular among worshippers of different affiliations.

Another old Safed synagogue dedicated to Rabbi Isaac Luria is known as the Sephardic Ari Synagogue.

  1. ^ Avi-Yonah, Michael (June 1973). The Holy Land. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-03-003466-4. Retrieved December 28, 2011.