Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue

The Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue (Hebrew: בית הכנסת האר"י האשכנזי, romanized: Beit haKnesset haAri haAshkenazi) is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Israel Najara Street, in Safed, in the Northern District of Israel.

Dedicated in memory of Rabbi Isaac Luria, a kabbalist who was known by the Hebrew acronym "the ARI",[1] the synagogue was completed in the late 16th-century, several years after his death in 1572.

Though the synagogue is associated by name with the Ashkenazi community, today it serves as a place of worship for both Hasidic and Sephardic Jews and remains popular among worshippers of different affiliations.

A Hebrew inscription above the entrance lintel reads: "How awe-inspiring is this place, the synagogue of the Ari of blessed memory."

The Holy Ark was carved from olive wood by a craftsman from Galicia in the style of the synagogues of Eastern Europe.

The Torah Ark in the synagogue