Ohel Yaakov Synagogue located in Zichron Yaakov, a town in the Haifa District

Haifa District

Haifa District is an administrative district surrounding the city of Haifa, Israel. The district is one of six administrative districts of Israel, and its capital is Haifa...

 of Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, was established in 1866 by Baron Edmond James de Rothschild

Edmond James de Rothschild

Baron Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild was a French member of the Rothschild banking family. A strong supporter of Zionism, his generous donations lent significant support to the movement during its early years, which helped lead to the establishment of the State of Israel.- Early years :A...

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The Baron commissioned the construction the magnificent synagogue in memory of his father Jacob Mayer de Rothschild

James Mayer de Rothschild

James Mayer de Rothschild was a French banker and the original founder of the French branch of the Rothschild family.-Biography:...

. It was completed in 1884. Named Ohel Yaakov, meaning "Tent of Jacob," it alludes to the biblical Jacob

Jacob

Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...

, who "dwelled in tents" according to Genesis 25:27. The synagogue, which has a large main section for men and a second-floor, wraparound women's section, features a majestic Holy ark

Ark (synagogue)

The Torah ark or ark in a synagogue is known in Hebrew as the Aron Kodesh by the Ashkenazim and as the Hekhál amongst most Sefardim. It is generally a receptacle, or ornamental closet, which contains each synagogue's Torah scrolls...

made of white marble and marble interior walls.