Yad LeZikaron Synagogue

Yad LeZikaron Synagogue
Hebrew: "קהל קדוש "יד לזכרון
Interior of synagogue, in 2022
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
StatusActive
Location
LocationVasileos Irakleiou 26, Thessaloniki
CountryGreece
Location of synagogue in Thessaloniki
Coordinates40°38′04″N 22°56′29″E / 40.634434°N 22.941524°E / 40.634434; 22.941524
Architecture
Architects
  • N/A (1927);
  • Elias Messinas and KARD Architects (2015)
TypeSynagogue architecture
Completed
  • 1984

The Yad LeZikaron Synagogue (Hebrew: "קהל קדוש "יד לזכרון; Judaeo-Spanish: Kal Yad LeZikaron; Greek: Συναγωγή "Γιάδ Λεζικαρόν"), also known as Burla or Kal de la Plasa[1] is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue of the Jewish community in Thessaloniki, Greece. The synagogue was opened in 1984, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

History

The synagogue is dedicated to the Salonikan victims of the Holocaust. It is housed in a sizable new structure that replaces an earlier synagogue owned by the Bourla family, which was functioning since 1921[2] and was destroyed in an earthquake in 1978.[3]

The tebah in the new synagogue is from the Baron Hirsch Synagogue, which is named after the Jewish philanthropist Maurice de Hirsch, while the hechal (Torah ark) is from the old Kal Sarfati, the French synagogue.[3] The upper floor of the synagogue also serves as the headquarters of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki.

Plaques

The names of all the synagogues known to have existed in Thessaloniki, including those from before the Great fire of 1917 and those in use during the interwar years of the 1920s and 1930s, are listed in six tall, narrow inscriptions on one side wall of the synagogue sanctuary (12 names per inscription). This memorial list a part of the 2015 sanctuary renovation conducted by Elias Messinas and KARD Architects.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Center for Jewish Art – Yad LeZikharon Synagogue (also known as Small or Burla) in Thessaloniki, Greece". cja.huji.ac.il. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  2. ^ Συναγωγή "Γιάδ Λεζικαρόν". Jewish Community of Thessaloniki
  3. ^ a b Yad LeZikharon Synagogue (also known as Small or Burla) in Thessaloniki, Greece, Center for Jewish Art. Accessed January 19, 2026. "This building replaced a previous synagogue that belonged to the Bourla family that was destroyed in an earthquake in 1978."
  4. ^ Messinas, Elias V.; Gruber, Samuel D. The Synagogues of Greece: A Study of Synagogues in Macedonia and Thrace. 2022. ISBN 979-8806902888