The Synagogue is the Place of Worship for Jews and the religious cornerstone of the Jewish Community.
In the USA it is sometimes referred to as the Temple and Jews themselves call it ‘Schul’ – a Yiddish word.
The word ‘synagogue’ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘house of meeting.’
However there are three names for it in Hebrew: Beit Ha Knesset (House of Meeting), Beit Ha Tefillah (House of Prayer) and Beit Ha Midrash (House of Study).
House of Meeting- a place for Jews to meet for prayer and also to celebrate festivals and life cycle events eg: birth, Bar/Bat Mitzvah and weddings. Other activities include social and cultural events such as Youth Clubs, groups for elderly members and music and arts events as well as those to raise money for charity. Council meetings are also held to organise the administration of the building and the community. There will be a kitchen and function room/s to cater for these and offices for the Rabbi and the administrators.
Sadly, nowadays, Synagogue will have security personnel stationed outside to monitor arrivals. Inside there will be one or more wardens to ‘meet and ‘greet’, help in the smooth running of services and read any notices.
House of Prayer- Prayer takes place in the Sanctuary – see below for ‘Inside the Synagogue’.(See also How and Why Jews Pray). Depending on the branch of Judaism, men and women may sit together or the Synagogue may be set up such that the women sit at the back behind a partition, to one side or upstairs in the gallery.(see Subdivisions within Judaism).
There may be an organ. Prayer items such as the Siddur, The Chumash and Prayer Clothes can be found in the Sanctuary. Personnel include the Rabbi, the Cantor, a choir, lay readers and of course, the congregation!
House of Study- There will be classrooms for education of the young (and not so young!). Religion School is known as Cheder – literally ‘room’. This can start at 2 or 3 years old right up to 15 or 16. Subjects include learning to read and write in Hebrew, Jewish History, Torah, Festivals, Prayer, Jewish Identity, Inter Faith and many wider religious and social issues. There are adult classes for learning Hebrew and in-depth Jewish studies. There is often a library for wider research.
Appearance
Outside
Synagogues across the world vary greatly in appearance. Some are beautifully decorated and highly ornate both inside and out. There are even domes on some! Others are much simpler. I often point out the same differences between Cathedrals and much plainer village churches- both are equally beautiful! The top photo is of the main Synagogue in Rome, the middle one is of Birmingham Progressive Synagogue and the bottom photo is of Leicester Progressive Synagogue which was formerly a primary school.
Sometimes, sadly for security reasons, there may be no outward sign that a building is indeed a Synagogue, except for its Mezzuzah on the door.
Others may have Jewish symbols such as the Star of David, a Menorah or the two stone plaques of the Ten Commandments. (See Symbols of Judaism). There may also be the first line of the Shema in Hebrew on the building facade.
Inside
The Bimah is a raised platform either in the centre or the front of the Sanctuary which symbolises the Holy Altar in the original Temple in Jerusalem. The prayers and the Torah will be read from here.
The Holy Ark (Aron Hakodesh), is the focal point in every Synagogue. When a new Synagogue is built, the Ark must face Jerusalem -the Holy city in the Holy land of Israel- which means the congregation faces east when praying.
The Ark is essentially a large, decorated cupboard which contains the Torah scrolls.
In front of the Ark are 2 gates or doors, usually decorated with Jewish symbols or artwork.
Either in front of the doors or behind them will be the Parochet- Curtain/s which emulates the curtain that Moses originally set up in front of the original Ark of the Covenant. These are often blue (blue and white being the colours of Judaism) although they will be exchanged for white ones during the High Holy Days.
Below is a photo of the Parochet in Plymouth Synagogue. It was presented in memory of my great-uncle Isodore Cohen.
Above the Ark will often be a sentence in Hebrew. This may be the first line of the Shema, an inspiring saying or words such as ‘Remember before Whom you stand’, which reminds us that the Ark contains God’s Holy Torah and therefore His words. This commands us to show respect and love to our Torah. Some of the ways we demonstrate this are to stand as soon as the Torah is taken out of the Ark and to face it at all times as it is carried in procession around the Synagogue. (see The Torah).
Hanging above or sometimes in front of the Holy Ark will be the Ner Tamid, Everlasting Light. This reminds us of God’s eternal presence.
Its origin is the Menorah, the 7 branched golden candlestick that was used in the Tabernacle by Moses in the wilderness and later found in the Temple in Jerusalem and is now another symbol of Judaism- below is the gold Menorah on display in The City Of David in Jerusalem.
In the Synagogue there are usually windows in order to ‘look out into the world’. Sometimes these are made of stained glass and may depict stories from the Torah.
There will often be other Jewish symbols in the Synagogue such as the Ten Commandments and The Star of David.
Sometimes there will be a giant Menorah, embroidered Tallitot (prayer shawls) or other relevant artwork on display.
In Birmingham Progressive Synagogue there is also a colourful display on the wall depicting the Hebrew alphabet.
In the foyer of some Synagogues there is a memorial ‘Tree of Life’ wall sculpture on which are metal leaves inscribed with the names of departed members.
In Bromley Synagogue (my childhood Synagogue) there is also a wooden wall plaque depicting a Prayer for the Royal Family. In the foyer there are remembrance plaques for past members including my own dear dad, who, together with my mum, were among the founder members of the Synagogue.
In the beautiful Synagogue in Plymouth, where my mum comes from, there is a plaque featuring members who fought in World War 1 – among them her father, my grandpa Moses Montefiore Cohen and her uncle, my great uncle Sim Lazarus. Needless to say, I am incredibly proud!
NB.
In the Synagogue there will never be any depictions of God either in model or picture form because this is forbidden in the second Commandment ‘You shall not make for yourselves a graven image (of Me)’.
Summary
Jewish worship can take place anywhere but mainly in the Synagogue and in the home. (See The Jewish Home).
At Shabbat and festival times, rituals take place in Synagogue which constantly reinforce our faith.
The Synagogue is a place of learning and inspiration for all ages.
The Synagogue is the multi purpose spiritual and practical hub of the Jewish Community. It is a beautiful building as befits the House of God.
