Nicknamed by some congregants as the "Synagogue of Miracles", the synagogue survived several close encounters with destruction. During the Second world war and the occupation of Tunisia, the synagogue was saved from bombardment by American planes. The seat of the local Kommandant was only ten meters from the synagogue in the Hotel Zephyr, and legend has it that the pilot saw the Star of David from the dome of the synagoge and adjusted his trajectory to avoid it. The bombs fell on the Saf-Saf district about 200 meters from the synagogue. After liberating Tunisia, Jewish Allied soldiers came to pray in the synagogue, photos of which remain preserved in the synagogue's archives.