Brașov Synagogue
The Beth Israel Synagogue in Brasov (Hebrew: בית ישראל), stands at 29 Poarta Șchei Street in the center of Brasov, Romania, behind the street front, on a plot surrounded by houses. The synagogue still plays a ritual role. The building complex includes a community seat and a kosher restaurant. Beth Israel Synagogue is included in the list of National Historic monuments in Romania under the number BV-II-m-B-11515. History Although practitioners of Judaism had lived in Brașov as early as the 15th century, they did not receive an official settlement permit until 1807. The Brașov Jewish community, which initially comprised four families, was formed in 1826. They initially used the Chapel Street Hospital, established by Saxon Lutherans, as a religious building. The prayer house relocated to the Lakatos-Zwinger area (where the museum is today), and a school was established. From 1856, the community's house of worship was in the Joiner-Zwinger, at the site of the later reformed church (where the Aro Palace stands today). Brașov was the first Saxon city in which Jewish merchants also played a role: They wrote a petition which later allowed Jews to settle in other cities in Transylvania. After 1868, the community became neologic. In 1877,