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Bulgaria's Synagogues, Plovdiv [Sephardic]
Plovdiv Synagogue, Bulgaria - Wikipedia
Bulgaria - Jewish Heritage Europe
Plovdiv, Bulgaria - The Ancient Phillipoplis Synagogue
Plovdiv Zion Synagogue
Located on Tsar Kaloyan St 13. Services are held every Friday: 17:00 - 19:00 (5:00 pm - 7:00 pm). The synagogue in Plovdiv is one of the ancient monuments of the city's culture.
The first evidence dates back from 3rd - 6th century A.D., when Plovdiv was called "Philippopolis". A colored marbled floor was found with an inscription and a picture of a golden menorah with seven candlesticks on it.
The synagogue was built in 1887, its architectural style is Ottoman.
Nowadays, the Jewish community in Bulgaria is very small (863 in 1994) because of the Holocaust, secularity of the local Jewish population due to many years of communism and subsequent Aliya (Jewish immigration to Israel).
In 1994 the synagogue was mostly inactive, but the community is undergoing a revival. In 2003 the synagogue was restored. The city's mayor, the U.S. and Israeli ambassadors to Bulgaria, were present at its inauguration.
The funding for the restoration of the 19th-century Zion Synagogue was raised by the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad
(USD 26,000) and the London-based Hanadiv Charitable Foundation.
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L-R: exterior (2 photos) of exterior of synagogue (Mr. Albert Behar, the Gabbai with a visitor,
bima in main sanctuary, upstairs balcony in main sanctuary, ceiling and chandelier in main sanctuary |
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L-R: ceiling in main sanctuary, beautiful tablets on wall inside main sanctuary;
memorial tablet inside synagogue, two memorial tablets on outside wall. The one on the right reads "In honor, respect and thankfulness to Dimitar Peshev, Ekzarh Stefan, Patriarch Kiril for their contribution to the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews in 1943" |
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L-R: tablets of tribute inside synagogue; another tablet on outside wall;
memorial paper tributes posted on fence surrounding the synagogue by families to mark Yahrzeits of their deceased relatives. More on the Memoriams |
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