SHAARE HACHOMA- JERUSALEM

The "Sha'arei HaChoma" non-profit organization aims at building a synagogue and spiritual center for the "Sha'arei HaChoma" community of the "Chomat Shmuel" (Har Choma) neighborhood of Jerusalem. The Sha'arei HaChoma community is a Zionist religious community which was established about fifteen years ago in the Chomat Shmuel neighborhood of Jerusalem. The settling of the area is of first degree strategic importance, since it prevents the possibility of a continuos chain of Arab neighborhoods between the south of Jerusalem and the city of Beit Lechem. The community includes about sixty families, most of them young ones, with many additional families from the neighborhood taking part in its activities. Due to a severe lack of public buildings in the new neighborhood, and especially, a lack of synagogues, the members of the community pray on Sabbath and the Jewish holidays in a large garage, which on Sabbath becomes a synagogue in all senses, with prayers, Torah lessons, and additional activities for children and adults. Many of the children of the community have never had the privilege of praying in a building designed as a synagogue . Even their Bar Mitzvah took place in a prayer hall located between parked cars. The uniqueness of the community lies in it being composed of a special human mosaic, which indicates a wonderful gathering of the exiles and includes members of all the ethnic groups that make up the Israeli society. All members of the community see themselves as part of one large united family which aims to live a life of Torah and community, with the synagogue standing at its center. The loveliest moments of man's life are those when he stands in prayer before his Creator. It is only befitting that his place of prayer be a respected place, worthy of being titled "temple". For more than a decade, the members of the community have been making tremendous efforts to build a synagogue, with the assistance of an honourable donator who contributed a significant amount of money to the building and the donations of the members themselves. The synagouge which will be called "Zoharei HaChoma" was planned by the architect mr. Menachem Gross, who professionally planned a special, most impressive building. For the past three years there has been hardly any progress in the building. Already today, one can see for himself the beautiful, impressive building. However, to complete it, we need to raise the final funds that will end fifteen years of praying in a garage. These days, the community is engaging in a campaign for adding masses as partners in the building of Jerusalem and the building of our synagogue.