Skip to main content

Lebanon's last synagogue

A small community of around 200 Jews remain in Lebanon but feel increasingly isolated.
The interior of Maghen Abraham, Beirut's oldest synagogue, is seen in Wadi abu-Jmil district August 3, 2010. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi    (LEBANON) - RTR2H033

BEIRUT — Tucked away in Wadi Abu Jamil, a neighborhood near downtown Beirut, is the only standing Jewish synagogue in Lebanon, and its renovation is almost finished.

The Maghen Abraham Synagogue, built in 1925, was abandoned and closed down a year after the start of Lebanon’s civil war in 1976. A few years later, in 1982, the synagogue was hit by Israeli shrapnel during a bombardment of the Palestinians in the synagogue’s neighborhood.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.