Synagogue in the city of Derbent
The Derbent Synagogue, also known as Kele-Numaz[1] (Russian: Дербентская синагога "Келе-Нумаз";
Hebrew: בית הכנסת דרבנט "קל-נומז") is the only synagogue in the city of Derbent[3] in the Russian Republic of Dagestan.
History
In 19th century Derbent the upper, oldest part of the city, closer to the citadel of Naryn-Kala, was primarily inhabited by Muslims,[4] the central, flat part by Mountain Jews, and the lower part, near the sea by Armenians and Russians.[4][5]
The Kele-Numaz synagogue was opened in 1914[6] and is under the supervision of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FJCR).[4]
At the beginning of the Soviet era there were 11 synagogues in the city,[7] including the Kele-Numaz.[8]
In February 1904 the Mountain Jewish community petitioned the city authorities to allocate land for the construction of a new synagogue.[8] The petition said that during the time of the Derbent Khanate,[8] the Jews built a synagogue on the 2nd Komendantskaya Street (the Midrash Eliyahu synagogue), but the number of congregants had increased beyond the synagogue's capacity.[8]
The city authorities allocated 300 square meters to the Mountain Jewish community for the construction of a prayer house at the corner of Golitsyn Street (now Buynaksk Street) and Kolodezny Lane (now Chapayev Lane).[8]
Restoration
In 2009 the synagogue was dismantled and reconstructed using old stones and new materials.[7][1] The rebuilt building is called the Jewish Community Center.[7][9]
Above the main entrance of the Jewish community center a sign in Hebrew says, "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst."[7]
The total area of the Jewish Community Center is 2500 square meters.[7] There is a mikveh, the Municipal Kindergarten and the Museum of Mountain Jews.[1][7]
The synagogue's reopening on March 22, 2010[3] was attended by the President of Dagestan Magomedsalam Magomedov and rabbi Berel Lazar.[1][10]
Derbent, Russia
