Asmara Synagogue

A small but well-kept Orthodox synagogue on Serae Street, built in 1905 to serve the Italian-Jewish community that arrived with the colonial administration. The neoclassical facade gives little away from the street; inside, the prayer hall has its original wooden bimah and a small ark.

The building is sometimes open for visitors during the day; a small donation is appreciated. The associated Jewish cemetery, a few kilometres away, is one of the larger ones in East Africa.

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A story
Asmara once had a Jewish community of around 500, most of them traders and craftsmen who arrived under Italian rule. After Eritrean independence the community dwindled to a handful; for many years the synagogue was kept open single-handedly by Sami Cohen, the last Jewish caretaker in the country.

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