בית הכנסת הקטן

Orthodox Moroccan-Jewish synagogue on Irish Town, Gibraltar, established 1759.

The Little Synagogue, also called Esnoga Chica or Etz Hayim, is an Orthodox Moroccan‑Jewish synagogue at 91 Irish Town, Gibraltar. Established in 1759 in a former yeshivah, it serves the local Sephardi‑Moroccan community, follows Moroccan rite, remained active, and is one of four functioning synagogues in Gibraltar.

The Little Synagogue, known in Ladino as Esnoga Chica and officially named Etz Hayim, is an Orthodox synagogue serving the Moroccan Jewish community in Gibraltar. It stands at 91 Irish Town, one of the main streets in Gibraltar’s city centre. The congregation is Sephardic and follows a Moroccan style of worship and Sephardi‑Moroccan liturgy. The synagogue was established in 1759, when a yeshivah (Talmudic academy) in Irish Town was converted into a synagogue for local Moroccan Jews. Its official name, Etz Hayim (Tree of Life), comes from a Talmudic academy in Amsterdam, while the everyday name “Little Synagogue” distinguishes it from Gibraltar’s larger Great Synagogue, sometimes called Esnoga Grande or the Dutch Synagogue. During the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779–1783) the synagogue was destroyed and later rebuilt. An inscription on a wall tablet, and a plaque at the entrance, record a further renovation in 1921. The building still contains these historical tablets. Today, The Little Synagogue remains active and is one of four functioning synagogues in Gibraltar. It forms part of Gibraltar’s Jewish heritage and is associated with the Jewish Community of Gibraltar, continuing to serve Sephardic worshippers in the territory.