Historic Background:

Nefusot Yehudah Synagogue translated as "The Dispersed of Judah" and also known colloquially as the Esnoga Flamenca (Flemish Synagogue) is located on Line Wall Road and Bomb House Lane and is the second oldest Jewish house of worship in Gibraltar. The existing building features grey limestone quoins, with windows adorned by decorative terracotta hoods and plain glazing. Several original timber-framed windows remain, incorporating delicately tinted glass and narrow glazing bars that suggest a ‘Gothic’ influence. Both this synagogue and the Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue also known as Esnoga Grande (Great Synagogue) on Engineer’s Lane share simple classical façades that align with the character of Gibraltar’s Old Town, much of which dates to the Regency era.

The synagogue’s interior is richly decorated, with marble pillars and a marble enclosure around the Teba (also known as the Bima/platform) where the Cantor or Officiating Minister leads prayer services. A Moorish-style arch crowns the Hechal (Ark) and the walls and ceilings are intricately patterned, with numerous silver candelabras and chalices suspended throughout.  The synagogue’s beige Dutch-style exterior, distinguished by a shaped gable outlined in white and a prominently displayed Star of David, makes it the most architecturally distinctive of Gibraltar’s synagogues.

A Jewish place of worship has existed near this site since the early 18th century.  Nefusot Yehudah Synagogue was established in 1799–1800 by local merchants of the Gibraltar Jewish community which was the heyday of the Gibraltar Jewish community which numbered 5,000 individuals from a general population of 10,000.  They sought to preserve formal Spanish & Portuguese customs that had been established in Amsterdam after the expulsion of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula in 1492.  The establishment of Nefusot Yehuda Synagogue was in response to a perceived growing Moroccan influence at Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue.  The synagogue was financed during a period of economic boom in Gibraltar following the start of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793.  Local merchants amassed significant wealth through trade and supplying military forces and funds for the synagogue’s construction totalling $26,300 (nearly £3,000) were raised from these profits.  

The site of Nefusot Yehuda Synagogue was originally a garden purchased by Semtob (Toby) Sequerra (b. 1784, London; d. 1871, Faro) from John Crusoe, a tavern keeper listed in the 1791 census.  Sequerra, one of the founders of the Gibraltar Exchange, also acquired a property in Faro in 1815 that he converted into a synagogue (Esnoga Sequerra), which remained active until 1932.

Built within the garden, the Nefusot Yehudah Synagogue closely resembled Amsterdam’s Sephardi (Portuguese) Synagogue.  Until 2023, only a single Phoenix dactylifera palm tree over 200 years old and the tallest of its kind in Gibraltar survived in the courtyard from the original garden.  Historically, the garden was likely more expansive, and the synagogue once featured an additional entrance onto a lane later absorbed into Line Wall Road.  The stretch of wall between King’s Street and Bomb House Lane was once informally called ‘Synagogue Lane,’ though this name never appeared on official maps. The current side entrance leading to Bomb House Lane was added much later.

From its founding until 1882, the synagogue’s ministerial duties were carried out by members of the Conquy family, who had migrated to Gibraltar from Amsterdam but originally hailed from Cuenca, northern Spain.

Much of the synagogue’s original interior was lost in a devastating fire in 1911, which destroyed key 19th-century features including the timber Hechal (Ark), Teba (platform) benches and gallery.  Fortunately, the non-Jewish neighbour, Mr William Sallust-Smith, in the adjoining property (Savignon building) knowing that the most sacred items in the synagogue were the Torah scrolls, rescued all these scrolls from the devastating fire which escaped unscathed.  A reconstruction followed under the direction of an Italian architect who redesigned the interior with the new layout placing the Teba directly in front of the Hechal (Ark) and combined it with the Hechal (Ark), deviating from the traditional Sephardic central arrangement.  The new layout was influenced by architectural styles of synagogues found in Venice.  As a result, the synagogue showcases a blend of architectural styles: a Dutch-style façade and an Italianate marble interior.

After World War II, the return of evacuees from London led to a refurbishment of the synagogue.  Moorish-style ceiling tiles—donated by Joe Acris—reminiscent of the style of El Transito Synagogue in Toledo, Spain were installed adding vibrant decorative detail to the ceilings and walls.

In 1951, the synagogue sustained substantial damage from the explosion of the RFA Bedenham, which affected many buildings along Line Wall Road.

A particularly notable figure in the synagogue’s modern history is the Late Honourable Sir Joshua Hassan KCMG CBE LVO QC JP, who served as the synagogue’s President from 1964 until his death in 1997. A pivotal leader in Gibraltar’s post-war civil rights movement and its first Chief Minister (serving from 1964–69 and 1972–87), his legacy is commemorated by a plaque unveiled on the exterior of the synagogue on 13 September 2000 by then Chief Minister Sir Peter Caruana QC, marking Nefusot Yehuda Synagogue’s bicentenary.

In recent times, Nefusot Yehuda Synagogue has become the centre of Jewish communal life in Gibraltar with several daily prayers, a Talmudical learning institution and daily learning programmes.  The synagogue’s architectural style, courtyard and garden featuring orange and pomegranate trees and a grapevine combine to create a pleasant and tranquil scene from the hustle and bustle of a thriving city like Gibraltar.