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Synagogue Synagogue Edmond Azria, Sfax, Tunisia
Tucked a few blocks from the Mediterranean Sea on what is now called the Rue de Habib Maazoun in Sfax, Tunisia sits the distinctive Edmond Azria Synagogue. Built in 1948, the synagogue stands as a testament to the once thriving Jewish community of Sfax.
Description
Edmond Azaria Synagogue
Palm lined boulevards and warm ocean breezes greet visitors of The Edmond Azria Synagogue. Its milky white facade is set slightly back from the sidewalk and the gabled roof features a central rose window with the Star of David (1). The names of the 12 tribes of Israel are prominently displayed on descending nooks of the roof. The entrance to the building sits under a balustrade supported by pillars and blue ironwork. (2) The exterior iron doors are embossed in white with the letters A.E. These are the initials of Edmond ben Makhlouf Azira, whose father, Makhlouf Azira, built the synagogue as a memorial to his son, who died in 1943 (2). In 1947, Makhlouf Azira hired a French architect and a Muslim contractor to build the Temple (2). It was based on The Great Synagogue of Tunis, with its distinctive central rose window with the Star of David, as well as the names of the 12 tribes of Israel on its sloped roof (1). The Azria Synagogue opened in June of 1948 (2). The interior of the temple features a women’s balcony and an airy main sanctuary filled with the light streaming in from a massive skylight (2). This beautiful structure served as an official synagogue until 1955. Many Jews emigrated to Israel in the early 1950’s as tensions from the local Muslim population increased in the wake of Tunisian independence (3). The synagogue was completely abandoned and in a state of utter disrepair by the 1980’s (2). However, in 2010, Marlene Hababou Azria, the daughter of Edmond Azria, renovated and restored the building to its original splendor (4). Though today there are only a handful of Jews remaining in Sfax, the Edmond Azria Synagogue stands as a beautiful reminder of the city’s Jewish past.
Sources
Notes:
1. Zaher Kammoun, “The synagogue Edmond Azria in Sfax, a copy of the great synagogue of Tunis but ... in miniature,” ZaherKammoun.com, May 1, 2018. http://zaherkammoun.com/2018/05/01/la-synagogue-edmond-azria-a-sfax-une-copie-de-la-grande-synagogue-de-tunis-mais-en-miniature/ accessed July 26, 2018.
2. Colette Bismuth-Jarrassé and Dominique Jarrassé. Synagogues de Tunisie: Monuments d’une Histoire et d’une Identité. Paris: Éditions Esthétiques du Divers, 2010. Accessed July 25, 2018.
3. “Sfax,” The Museum of The Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot, https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/sfax Accessed July 26,2018
4. Camus Igal Bouhnik, “Marlene Returns to the Azria Synagogue,” Camu’s Blog, Jan 18, 2011. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://horizons.over-blog.net/article-marlene-revient-a-la-synagogue-azria-65230606.html&prev=search accessed July 26, 2018.
Bibliography:
Bismuth-Jarrassé, Colette, and Dominique Jarrassé. Synagogues de Tunisie: Monuments d’une Histoire et d’une Identité. Paris: Éditions Esthétiques du Divers, 2010. Accessed July 25, 2018.
Bouhnik, Camus Igal. “Marlene Returns to the Azria Synagogue,” Camu’s Blog, Jan 18, 2011. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://horizons.over-blog.net/article-marlene-revient-a-la-synagogue-azria-65230606.html&prev=search Accessed July 26, 2018.
Kammoun, Zaher. “The synagogue Edmond Azria in Sfax, a copy of the great synagogue of Tunis but ... in miniature,” ZaherKammoun.com, May 1, 2018. http://zaherkammoun.com/2018/05/01/la-synagogue-edmond-azria-a-sfax-une-copie-de-la-grande-synagogue-de-tunis-mais-en-miniature/ accessed July 26, 2018.
“Sfax,” The Museum of The Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot, https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/sfax Accessed July 26, 2018
http://wikimapia.org/9252415/fr/synagogue
Tunisia Trip Summer 2016
Photos Courtesy of Chyrstie Sherman
Write-up prepared by Sarah Lord, 27 July 2018.