Four Sephardic synagogues in the Jewish quarter – complex, which really consists of four connected walls of the old synagogue, built in different periods. United by their affiliation to the Sephardic community of Israel.

The Sephardim are the descendants of Jews expelled in the fifteenth century from Spain. Great 1492, the famous Columbian discovery of America, was a black year in the history of the Jewish people. The Royal couple, Ferdinand II and Isabella issued an edict, which ordered all the Jews within three months or baptized, or under pain of death to leave Castile and Aragon.

This exile has become a national disaster for the Jews scattered after her across Europe and North Africa. Some of them fled to Palestine, the territory of the Ottoman Empire. In Jerusalem in those days, the synagogues were closed down by the Muslims, the Jews had to pray at home. In the early seventeenth century, however, the authorities have allowed us to construct the first of four Sephardic synagogues – Yochanan Ben Zakai.

A plot of land on which the synagogue is located below street level. This is partly due to the restrictions imposed on non-Muslim buildings: those were not supposed to exceed the height of the mosques. In addition, the surrounding complex of dwellings were destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries, new houses were built over them, the synagogue remained in his place, and gradually sank into the soil.

In Yochanan Ben Zakai two of the ark. Muslims are required to keep in the temple and the Torah, and the Koran, and Jews have shared great books by setting each his ark.

Nearby, the largest in the complex, the synagogue Istanbul erected in 1764 immigrant Sephardim from Istanbul. Another temple, Eliyahu hanavi, named in honor of the prophet Elijah, was founded in the XVI century and is the oldest of the four. Central in this Quartet – the synagogue Kahal Zion. In its place, in the old days was a courtyard where the women prayed.

The complex has a small Museum of Judaica, created on the basis of Genesi – places, in which are stored unserviceable scrolls, books, objects of worship. Here you can see the Torah scrolls in a traditional Sephardic covers work fine, pointers, trays for scrolls. In old drawings and photographs of them in the clothing characteristic of the Ottoman era.

During the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 during the siege of the Jewish quarter in this complex for two weeks took refuge from attacks by the local population. However, the quarter fell, synagogues were burned and turned into stables. After the six day war of 1967, the temples were restored. A plaque in memory of this event is set at the entrance to the synagogue Istanbul.

Today in the four Sephardic synagogues pray the inhabitants of the Jewish quarter and the Sephardim, and Ashkenazim (Jews whose ancestors immigrated from Central Europe).