Shfaram Ancient Synagogue

The Shfaram Ancient Synagogue is located in the Israeli-Arab city of Shfaram, Northern Israel. Shfaram was noted in 1845 by Rabbi Joseph Schwarz in his book Descriptive Geography and Brief Historical Sketch of Palestine as having "about thirty Jewish families who have an old synagogue". Jews lived in Shfaram until the 1970s when the community disbanded. Subsequently the building fell into disrepair and was only recently renovated. Although being abandoned, the keys to the former house of worship are held by a local Muslim and the synagogue is treated with respect by the local Arabs. [cite web
url = http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=245494&ct=1397457
title = News Releases: September 12, 2005
accessdate = 2007-07-04
last =
first =
date = September 12, 2005
publisher = Simon Wiesenthal Center
quote = Simon Wiesenthal Center officials pointed to the Israeli town of Shfaram where all of the 25,000 residents are Arab as a living example of religious tolerance: Shfaram’s historic synagogue, long empty and without Torah scrolls and prayer books, is still treated by its Christian, Muslim, and Druze neighbors as a sacred communal trust. To this day, the keys to the former house of worship are held, by a local Muslim housewife.]

In November 2006 the building was rededicated after works to renovate the synagogue were carried out voluntarily by a group of newly qualified police officers. At the ceremony, Shfaram mayor Ursan Yassin retold how that during the October riots he had been forced to physically protect the location and had told local youngsters who wanted to burn it down that they could set him alight, but he would not allow them to harm the synagogue. [Ashkenasi, Dovid, (November 16, 2006), “Shfaram shul renovated”, Jewish Tribune, pg. 9.] [cite web
url = http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=18207483&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=585832&rfi=6
title = Arab Resigns Knesset Post
accessdate = 2007-07-09
last = Bedein
first = David
date = April 13, 2007
publisher = The Bulletin, (Philadelphia)
quote = Shefaram's Mayor Ursan Yassin reminded the media on Thursday that on the first night of the riots he saw a group of masked men that wanted to desecrate the ancient synagogue of Shefaram: "I told the hooligans that I recognized them, and that if they wanted to continue, they would have to get past me.] There were however reports of damage to religious artifacts in the ancient synagogue on October 9, 2000. [cite web
url = http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/marxism/2000w41/msg00054.htm
title = Israeli vs. Israeli
accessdate = 2007-07-09
last = Hedges
first = Chris
date = October 10, 2000
publisher = New York Times]

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