Ohel Leah Synagogue

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The Ohel Leah Synagogue (Hebrew: בית הכנסת אהל לאה Beit Ha-Knesset Ohel Leah; Chinese: 猶太教莉亞堂 Yóutàijiào Lìyà Táng, colloquial 猶太廟 Yóutài Miào, lit. "Jewish temple") and its next-door neighbors, the Jewish Recreation Club and the Jewish Community Center, have formed the center of Jewish social and religious life in Hong Kong for over a century.

Most of Hong Kong’s Jews live only a short distance away from the Synagogue, which sits at the junction of Robinson Road and Castle Road. An exquisite specimen of Colonial Sephardic architecture, the two-storied, whitewashed, multi-turreted Synagogue nestles somewhat quaintly amid the soaring high-rises of steel and glass perched on the Mid-Levels of Hong Kong Island. The Synagogue was erected in 1901-2, but underwent a US$6 million restoration in 1998 which returned its interiors and exteriors to their original elegance.

The name Ohel Leah commemorates Leah Sassoon, the mother of the Sassoon brothers Jacob, Edward, and Meyer who donated the land for building the Synagogue. The Sassoons were among the earliest Sephardic merchants from India to settle in Hong Kong during the mid to late 19th century.

Ohel Leah is a Modern Orthodox congregation and received its first officially appointed rabbi in 1961. Three other Jewish congregations have also emerged more recently in Hong Kong: the Sephardic, which is dominated by Israeli expatriates; the Chabad Lubavitch; and the United Jewish Congregation, which is aligned with the more liberal Reform and Conservative movements. Many worshippers, however, hold concurrent memberships in several congregations.