Synagogue de la rue Pavée

The Agoudas Hakehilos synagogue (אֲגֻדָּת־הַקְּהִלּוֹת, Union of the communities), at 10 rue Pavée, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris (Le Marais quarter), commonly referred to at the Pavee synagogue, rue Pavee synagogue, or Guimard synagogue, was erected in 1913 by the architect Hector Guimard, and inaugurated on June 7, 1914.

The synagogue was commissioned by the Agoudas Hakehilos (אֲגֻדָּת־הַקְּהִלּוֹת, union of the communities), society composed of Orthodox Jews of primarily Russian origin, headed by Joseph Landau. Its erection is a testament to the massive wave of immigration from Eastern Europe that took place at the turn of the 20th century. Funded by this wealthy Polish-Russian group it did not cost the Parisian community a centime. They intended to provide a spacious and modernized place for Jews accustomed to the intimate and often squalid shtiblakh.

The furnishings (luminaires, chandeliers, brackets, and benches) as well as the stylized vegetal decorations made of staff and the cast iron railings are all creations of Hector Guimard. This was the only religious building by this architect, who was known for his Art Nouveau designs.

During the year in 1934 a gas explosion destroyed the main hall which was rebuild right after. On the evening of Yom Kippur in 1941, the building was dynamited along with six other Parisian synagogues. However the bomb did not go off and the building was preserved It was registered as a monument historique by the French authorities on July 4, 1989. The synagogue is fully functional today with the Rabbi being Rav Moredekhai Rottenberg, the son of the late Rav Haim Yaakov Rottenberg, known as the Rouv. The synagogue is now open to the public.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Agoudas Hakehilos Synagogue" and modified on July 23, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.