Haim Synagogue


The Haim Synagogue is an Orthodox synagogue in Tehran, Iran. It is located in 30 Tir Street, formerly known as Qavam-os-Saltane, in central Tehran.
In recent years, the synagogue is only opened on the occasions of Shabbat and the High Holy Days, due mainly to emigration and decline in membership.

History

The Haim Synagogue was built following the Iranian Constitutional Revolution in 1913, under the reign of Ahmad Shah Qajar, by Iranian Jewish scholar Solayman Haïm. It has often been considered the first urban synagogue in Iran. Prior to its construction, most synagogues in Iran were built in ghettos.

World War II

By the time of World War II, the Haim Synagogue hosted a number of Polish Jewish refugees. After an increase in the number of Polish Jewish refugees, a new Ashkenazi synagogue by the name of Danial Synagogue was built near the Haim Synagogue in 1940.

Operation Ezra and Nehemiah

In the 1950s, the Haim Synagogue was used as a refugee camp to host a number of Iraqi Jewish refugees, who immigrated to Israel via Iran as part of Operation Ezra and Nehemiah.

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