
In the 17th
century there was a silk industry here, run by the Jews. The only Jewish person left in Pekiin is Margalit
Zinati, now in her 80’s. She looks after
the local synagogue, which contains stones from Talmudic times and a geniza
above the doorway. She also has a small museum in her home. The synagogue is an Ottoman period building,
built after the large earthquake of 1837.
She has a show, together with Uriel Rozenbaum.
There used to be a much
larger Jewish population in Pekiin, but during the pre-state Zionist period
they had to leave several times for their own safety. Each time fewer returned. This happened in 1921, 1929 and 1938, after
which there were only 50 Jewish families left.
In 1948 the Hagannah told them to leave again, and only the Zinati
family returned.
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