Community Of Magen Abraham

Magen-Abraham was the main and largest synagogue of the Jewish community of Beirut. It is the the only one of 18 city centre synagogues to be saved. The synagogue was inaugurated in 1926 after years of delay caused by the First World War.

The Magen-Abraham synagogue was considered as one of the fanciest in the whole
East. Its activity attracted many people for praying. A youth choir was founded,
and on Saturdays, hundreds of people came to hear the choir singing. In addition
to religious services, the synagogue was used for cultural and intellectual
activities, weddings, and other festive events. Twice a year, in Passover and
Sukkot, the heads of the religious communities in Lebanon were invited to join
the ceremony. During the 1940s, the synagogue was used as a center for
underground Zionist activities. Many of the illegal migrants who arrived in
Beirut on their way to Israel were put temporarily in the building. Youth and
little children were housed in the synagogue's compound before taken to Israel.
The vitality of the synagogue waned with the decline of the entire community. As
Jews left Lebanon (particularly after the Civil War in 1975) in increasing
numbers, it became harder to gather a minyan for prayer. In 1982, the synagogue
was plundered and later efforts of Lebanese Jews to renovate and preserve the
building were unsuccessful.

During the Lebanese civil war, the synagogue was looted and sacked by fighters and turned into a dispensary by the Amal militia. The Torah scrolls were transferred to Lebanese synagogues abroad. Now the roof has collapsed, the plants have completely taken over the site and the building is in desperate need of repair.
Since the end of the seventies, the community has not had a rabbi. There is no place to buy locally produced kosher. There are no Jewish schools to teach children prayer and Hebrew.

The flourishing community was of an estimated 14 000 (some even say 30 000), and it could trace its roots back to 1000BC. Today, it is estimated at less than a hundred. But then again it is almost impossible to know the true figures as it is impossible to identify its members. They keep their religious identity a secret and pass along as Christians or Muslims, for fear of persecutions from other sects, like the PSNP (Syrian national socialist party) or the Hezbollah, who openly wish to eradicate Zionism and Judaism.

The Jews are one of the 18 religious groups officially recognized in Lebanon. A 2004 report said one out of 5 000 Jewish Lebanese citizen registered to vote in municipal elections. Most of those registered are believed to be dead or to have fled the country.