Ari Sephardic Synagogue is considered the oldest synagogue in Safed. more than 800 years old some say Built on the ruins of a synagogue that is thousands of years old, The synagogue, which has its roots in the 14th century, was originally named after Elijah the prophet. According to tradition in this synagogue, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (Aryan) prayed and studied, living in Safed in the years 1572-1570. It is located above the ancient cemetery.
The traveler Moshe Basula who visited Safed at the beginning of 1522
He wrote: “And there are three synagogues in it … and one of Westerners (= people from North Africa), and they call the synagogue of the late Elijah, because it is ancient, and they received in their hand that the late Elijah prayed in it”
The synagogue was damaged by the earthquake in Safed in 1759 and was destroyed in the earthquake of 1837, in which half the community perished and almost all the synagogues in the city were destroyed. The restoration of the synagogue with the help of the Italian philanthropist Yitzhak Guetta took 16 years.
Due to the location of the synagogue at the end of the Jewish Quarter, a position of Haganah members was stationed there during the War of Independence, which was intended to protect in front of the Arab neighborhood of Harat a-Romana (the Rimon neighborhood) that controlled the entrances to the Jewish Quarter. For the purpose of fortifying the position, firing slits were hewn in the wall of the southern façade of the synagogue.
In 1990 and 2005, the synagogue underwent renovation and preservation work
