The 7 Best Historical Synagogues in Jerusalem (2026)

Updated August 2026 · 7 picks

The best historical synagogues in Jerusalem are the rebuilt Hurva and the Four Sephardic Synagogues in the Jewish Quarter, the Ramban — the oldest still in use — the enormous Belz Great Synagogue, the Italian Synagogue museum and Chagall's windows at Hadassah. Dress modestly and check visiting hours. Seven, below.

1. The Hurva Synagogue — Jewish Quarter, Old City

Destroyed twice, rebuilt twice — the landmark of the Jewish Quarter skyline.

₪₪ Mid-range

The Hurva — literally 'the ruin' — is the defining synagogue of Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter, and its name tells the story: the original eighteenth-century building was destroyed, the grand nineteenth-century replacement was destroyed in 1948, and for decades only a single memorial arch stood on the site.

It was rebuilt in the neo-Byzantine style of the nineteenth-century version and reopened in 2010, and its dome is now the most prominent structure on the Quarter's skyline.

It operates as both a working synagogue and a visitor site, and the upper gallery walkway gives one of the better views over the Old City rooftops.

Good to know: Book the rooftop gallery access — the view over the Old City is the best part of the visit.

Google Maps Website

2. The Four Sephardic Synagogues — Jewish Quarter, Old City

Four connected sixteenth- and seventeenth-century synagogues, below street level.

₪₪ Mid-range

The Four Sephardic Synagogues are a linked complex — the Ben Zakai, the Eliyahu Ha'navi, the Emtsai and the Istanbuli — built from the sixteenth century onwards by the Sephardic community and sunk below street level, because Ottoman rules restricted the height of non-Muslim buildings.

That constraint produced the atmosphere: low, vaulted, dim rooms reached down a few steps, with wooden fittings brought from Italy and Turkey after the 1967 restoration.

They are among the most genuinely moving interiors in the Old City, and considerably quieter than the Hurva a few streets away.

Good to know: Go here rather than only the Hurva — these are older, more atmospheric and far less busy.

Google Maps Website

3. The Ramban Synagogue — Jewish Quarter, Old City

The oldest synagogue still in use in Jerusalem, going back to the 1200s.

₪ Budget

The Ramban Synagogue traces to the thirteenth century and the arrival in Jerusalem of Nachmanides — the Ramban — the Catalan scholar who found the Jewish community almost gone and set about re-establishing it.

The building has been in and out of use across eight centuries, serving at various points as a workshop and a warehouse, and was restored after 1967. It is small, plain and vaulted.

It is a working neighbourhood synagogue rather than a monument, which is precisely its interest — the continuity is the point.

Good to know: It is a working shul with no ticket desk. Visit between prayer times and be quiet about it.

Google Maps Website

4. The Belz Great Synagogue — Kiryat Belz, north Jerusalem

One of the largest synagogues in the world, and a genuine spectacle.

₪ Budget

The Belz Great Synagogue in northern Jerusalem is among the largest synagogues anywhere — an enormous Hasidic complex built for a community that was almost entirely destroyed in the Holocaust and rebuilt from a handful of survivors.

The main sanctuary seats thousands, with a vast chandelier and an ark holding many Torah scrolls, and the scale is the point: it was built deliberately as a statement of continuity.

It is in a strictly religious neighbourhood, so modest dress is essential rather than advisable, and visits should be timed outside prayers.

Good to know: This is a strictly Haredi neighbourhood. Dress fully modestly and do not photograph people.

Google Maps Website

5. The Italian Synagogue and museum — Hillel Street, city centre

An eighteenth-century Venetian interior, shipped from Italy and rebuilt here.

₪₪ Mid-range

The Italian Synagogue on Hillel Street contains the complete interior of an eighteenth-century synagogue from Conegliano Veneto, near Venice — dismantled and brought to Jerusalem in the 1950s after the Italian community that used it had all but disappeared.

It is a baroque Italian interior, gilded and ornate, sitting inside a Jerusalem stone building, and it is unlike anything else in the city.

The attached Museum of Italian Jewish Art covers a community with a two-thousand-year history, which is a story most visitors have never encountered.

Good to know: In the city centre rather than the Old City — easy to combine with a Jaffa Street afternoon.

Google Maps Website

6. The Chagall Windows, Hadassah Ein Kerem — Ein Kerem

Twelve Chagall stained-glass windows in a hospital synagogue.

₪₪ Mid-range

Marc Chagall's twelve stained-glass windows, one for each of the tribes of Israel, are installed in the synagogue of the Hadassah Medical Centre at Ein Kerem, on the western edge of Jerusalem.

They are among Chagall's most significant works in the medium — saturated blues, reds, greens and yellows, filled with the animals, fish and floating figures of his visual language — and the small synagogue is designed entirely around them.

Ein Kerem itself is one of the loveliest parts of Jerusalem: a stone village in a valley of cypresses and churches, and a good half day on its own.

Good to know: Combine with Ein Kerem village below — it is one of the prettiest corners of Jerusalem.

Google Maps Website

7. The Great Synagogue of Jerusalem — King George Street, city centre

The city's grand modern synagogue, and the place to hear a full cantorial service.

₪ Budget

The Great Synagogue on King George Street is Jerusalem's principal modern synagogue, opened in 1982 alongside the Heichal Shlomo building that was formerly the seat of the Chief Rabbinate.

It is large, formal and known above all for its cantorial tradition and choir — a Shabbat morning service here is the best place in Israel to hear full chazzanut performed properly.

Heichal Shlomo next door houses a museum of Jewish art and life, which makes the two a single stop.

Good to know: Come for a Shabbat morning service if you want to hear the cantor and choir — that is the draw.

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

Which is the oldest synagogue in Jerusalem?

The Ramban Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter is generally considered the oldest still in use, traced to the thirteenth century and the arrival of the scholar Nachmanides. Others on this list are older in foundation but were destroyed and rebuilt, in some cases more than once.

Can visitors go inside?

Many yes, with conditions. The Hurva and the Four Sephardic Synagogues operate as visitor sites with tickets and opening hours. Working congregations are more variable — some are open between prayers, some only for services, and some are locked for security. Ask locally rather than assuming.

What should I wear?

Men: long trousers, covered shoulders, and a head covering — kippot are provided at the entrance. Women: shoulders and knees covered; married women in Orthodox settings cover their hair. This is enforced at the visitor sites and expected everywhere else. Wraps are usually available to borrow.

Can I take photographs?

Generally yes at the visitor sites during opening hours, and never during services or on Shabbat and festivals, when photography is prohibited. Ask before photographing people praying. The Hurva and the Four Sephardic Synagogues both allow interior photography at normal times.

When are they open?

Sunday to Thursday plus Friday morning is the standard visiting window. Everything closes from Friday afternoon through Saturday night for Shabbat, and around Jewish holidays. Plan synagogue visits for the first half of the week and never for a Saturday.

Is there a good walking route between them?

Yes — the Hurva, the Four Sephardic Synagogues and the Ramban are all within a few minutes of each other in the Jewish Quarter, which makes for a compact half-day walk that also takes in the Cardo and the Western Wall. Belz and Hadassah are outside the walls and need separate trips.

1. The Hurva Synagogue — Jewish Quarter, Old City

2. The Four Sephardic Synagogues — Jewish Quarter, Old City

3. The Ramban Synagogue — Jewish Quarter, Old City

4. The Belz Great Synagogue — Kiryat Belz, north Jerusalem

5. The Italian Synagogue and museum — Hillel Street, city centre

6. The Chagall Windows, Hadassah Ein Kerem — Ein Kerem

7. The Great Synagogue of Jerusalem — King George Street, city centre

Frequently asked questions

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