| Abrishami Synagogue בית הכנסת אברישמי |
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Abrishami Synagogue, Tehran, Iran |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Tehran Tehran, Iran |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Status | In Use |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural style | Persian |
| Completed | 1965 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 500 |
Abrishami Synagogue (Persian: Kanise ye Abrishami كنيسهء ابريشمى, Hebrew: בית הכנסת אברישמי) was built in September 1965 in the upper middle class neighborhood of Kakh Shomali (currently N. Palestine Street) in Tehran, Iran. The land on which the synagogue-school compound was built was granted by the Iranian Jewish philanthropist, Aghajan Abrishami and is 1,025 square meters (approximately 11,040 square feet) in size. A foundation was originally created by the name of Tzedek Cultural Foundation whose mission was to oversee the building and operations of the Abrishami Synagogue-School Compound. The founding members of the foundation were: Aghajan Abrishami, Nasser Akhtarzad, David Berukhim, Menashe Purat, Benjamin Shaban, Mehdi Musazadeh, Habib Lavi, (Hacham) Abdollah Netan Eli and Musa Nassir.[1]
The compound consists of two floors. The first floor is a school and the second floor houses Abrishami Synagogue. The building was constructed in a modern 1960s style and has a humble, almost non-descriptive outside appearance. This was quite possibly done in order to not invite any unwanted attention from the outside and to reduce the possibility of antisemitic acts against the building and its occupants.
Abrishami Synagogue served as the social and cultural center of the Jewish community of Tehran especially in the 1970s and 1980s. Chief rabbi Yedidia Shofet as well as other prominent religious leaders of the Tehran Jewish community presided over daily and Shabbat services here.