Akko's Tunisian Synagogue

By: Rebecca 

As we have talked about several times, Israel's synagogues range from tiny, one-room affairs to large buildings that cover two city blocks. Some are plain and some are ornate, but none of the decorations can compare to the Tunisian synagogue (also known as Or Torah or Djerba) in Akko. 

What makes it so special? The whole building, inside and out is covered in mosaics. Walls, ceilings, floors, even the entire stairwell and the walls inside the arks are mosaics. There are panoramas of Jerusalem and Akko, maps of Israel and the Jewish diaspora, depictions of stories from the Torah, Judaic symbols, and hundreds of animals and plants. The mosaics glow in the light from the hundreds of stained glass windows. The doors to the seven arks (yes seven!) are covered inside and out with silver hammered into beautifully intricate designs. Some of the Torah scrolls themselves are also covered in mantles of inscribed silver. 

You might think that all this decoration would feel like too much, too ornate and overwhelming, but it has quite the opposite effect. Instead, it is like being inside a storybook. We had such fun trying to identify the stories and places - even reading some of the Hebrew! 

Detail of floor mosaic

The mosaic map in the stairwell

Hammered silver doors and mosaics
inside the ark

According to Zion Badasche (a Tunisian-Israeli and founder/caretaker of the synagogue), the mosaics are a work in progress. It has taken 60 years thus far. I can't imagine it will take another 60 years since there are few surfaces left unadorned. The tiles are manufactured in a nearby Kibbutz and include a variety of local stones. Zion was happy to explain things to us (in French or Hebrew) so we had to rely on Eric's French since our Hebrew and Zion's English were not so good. 

Unlike other synagogues, this one is open Sunday-Friday from 9:00 - 1:00 for tourists and photographs are encouraged! It's hard to capture the scope of the mosaics in photos, but we gave it our best shot. 

It's worth a trip to Akko just for the synagogue alone. It is outside the Old City, which makes it even easier to find!  If you can't get to Akko, you can take a look at more of our photos here. Thanks to Sara for bringing her camera!