Shaare Shalom Synagogue
Encyclopedia
Kahal Kadosh Shaare Shalom "Holy Congregation of the Gates of Peace" also known as the (United Congregation of Israelites) is a historic synagogue in the city of Kingston
on the island of Jamaica
. Today, it stands as the only Jewish house of worship in the entire country.
in the 17th century, multiple synagogues were constructed across the island in such cities as: Montego Bay
, Spanish Town
, Port Royal
, and Kingston
. Originally, two synagogues were built in Spanish Town, the Sephardi K.K. Neveh Shalom (Habitation of Peace) consecrated in 1704, and the Ashkenazi K.K. Mikveh Yisrael (Hope of Israel) erected in 1796. These two congregations would later merge as Jews began to migrate from Spanish Town
to Kingston
, the new capital city.
As in Spanish Town
, two congregations (Sephardi and Ashkenazi) existed in Kingston
. Initial attempts to form a merger were unsuccessful. The United Congregation of Israelites constructed the original Shaare Shalom synagogue in 1885, but an earthquake
destroyed it. The building was reconstructed by the Henriques Brothers in 1912 and this structure still stands today. In 1921, the Ashkenazi community merged with the Shaare Shalom Synagogue to form a unified congregation as it exists today.
On March 23, 2002, Nation of Islam
leader Louis Farrakhan
made his first visit to a synagogue at Shaare Shalom in an attempt to repair his controversial relationship with the Jewish community. Farrakhan was accepted to speak at Shaare Shalom in the native country of his father, after being rejected to appear at American synagogues, many of whom had fear of sending the wrong signal to the Jewish community.
. The sanctuary also features a 52-stop pipe organ
. Though once an Orthodox
community, the Shaare Shalom synagogue now allows for mixed seating and a Liberal-Conservative service incorporating prayers in both Hebrew and English.
The congregation maintains the Hillel
Academy, one of the top prep school
s in Jamaica
. The school has a total enrollment of more than 800 students and maintains a non-denominational status. It additionally maintains a museum of Jamaica
n Jewish history adjacent to the synagogue. As a collector of historical Judaica from all over the island, it is considered one of the finest historical collections in the Caribbean
.
The modern Jewish community in Jamaica
consists of approximately 250-300 Jews.
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
on the island of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Today, it stands as the only Jewish house of worship in the entire country.
History
With the influx of Jews to JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in the 17th century, multiple synagogues were constructed across the island in such cities as: Montego Bay
Montego Bay
Montego Bay is the capital of St. James Parish and the second largest city in Jamaica by area and the fourth by population .It is a tourist destination with duty free shopping, cruise line terminal and the beaches...
, Spanish Town
Spanish Town
Spanish Town is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica from the 16th to the 19th century...
, Port Royal
Port Royal
Port Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century...
, and Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
. Originally, two synagogues were built in Spanish Town, the Sephardi K.K. Neveh Shalom (Habitation of Peace) consecrated in 1704, and the Ashkenazi K.K. Mikveh Yisrael (Hope of Israel) erected in 1796. These two congregations would later merge as Jews began to migrate from Spanish Town
Spanish Town
Spanish Town is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica from the 16th to the 19th century...
to Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, the new capital city.
As in Spanish Town
Spanish Town
Spanish Town is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica from the 16th to the 19th century...
, two congregations (Sephardi and Ashkenazi) existed in Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
. Initial attempts to form a merger were unsuccessful. The United Congregation of Israelites constructed the original Shaare Shalom synagogue in 1885, but an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
destroyed it. The building was reconstructed by the Henriques Brothers in 1912 and this structure still stands today. In 1921, the Ashkenazi community merged with the Shaare Shalom Synagogue to form a unified congregation as it exists today.
On March 23, 2002, Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
leader Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
made his first visit to a synagogue at Shaare Shalom in an attempt to repair his controversial relationship with the Jewish community. Farrakhan was accepted to speak at Shaare Shalom in the native country of his father, after being rejected to appear at American synagogues, many of whom had fear of sending the wrong signal to the Jewish community.
Today
The synagogue can accommodate more than 600 persons for services in its sanctuary. Its sanctuary floor is covered in sand (from the Sephardi custom) to remind persons of the time when Jews covered their floors with sand to muffle the sound of their prayers during the InquisitionInquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
. The sanctuary also features a 52-stop pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
. Though once an Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
community, the Shaare Shalom synagogue now allows for mixed seating and a Liberal-Conservative service incorporating prayers in both Hebrew and English.
The congregation maintains the Hillel
Hillel the Elder
Hillel was a famous Jewish religious leader, one of the most important figures in Jewish history. He is associated with the development of the Mishnah and the Talmud...
Academy, one of the top prep school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
s in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. The school has a total enrollment of more than 800 students and maintains a non-denominational status. It additionally maintains a museum of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n Jewish history adjacent to the synagogue. As a collector of historical Judaica from all over the island, it is considered one of the finest historical collections in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
The modern Jewish community in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
consists of approximately 250-300 Jews.