A synagogue (from Ancient Greek: συναγωγή,
transliterated synagogē, "assembly"; Hebrew: בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of assembly";
Yiddish: שול or Hebrew: בית תפילה beit tefila, "house of prayer", shul;
Ladino: אסנוגה, esnoga) is a Jewish house of worship.
Synagogues usually have a large hall for prayer (the main sanctuary), smaller rooms for study, and sometimes a social hall and
offices. Some have a separate room for Torah study, called the Beit midrash - בית מדרש ("House of Study").
Many Orthodox and Conservative Jews in
English-speaking countries use the Yiddish term "shul." The use of "synagogue" is reserved
for formal occasions. Spanish and Portuguese Jews call the synagogue an
esnoga. Persian Jews and Karaite Jews use
the term Kenesa, which is derived from Aramaic.
Reform and Conservative congregations in the United
States sometimes use the word "temple."
History
Before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, communal prayers centered around
the korbanot ("sacrificial offerings") brought by the kohanim ("Jewish priests") in the Holy Temple. The all-day
Yom Kippur service, in fact, was an event in which the congregation both observed the
movements of the kohen gadol ("Jewish high priest") as he offered the day's sacrifices and prayed for his success. The
destructions of Solomon's Temple, and later the Second Temple, and the dispersion of
the Jews into the Jewish diaspora, threatened the nation's focus and unity. At the time
of the Babylonian captivity the Men of the Great
Assembly began the process of formalizing and standardizing Jewish services and prayers that would not depend on the
functioning of the Temple in Jerusalem. Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, one of the leaders
at the end of the Second Temple era, promulgated the idea of creating individual houses of worship in whatever locale Jews found
themselves. This contributed to the concept of "portable Judaism," which was part of what contributed to the saving of the Jewish
people by maintaining a unique identity and way of worship, according to many historians. Thus, even now, whenever any group of
ten men comes together, they form a minyan, and are eligible to conduct public prayer services,
usually in a synagogue.
In Eastern Europe, synagogues were established by like-minded groups of people. Such a
synagogue was known as a kloiz, and was often delineated by the professions of its
worshippers: e.g. "the tailor's kloiz," the "water-carrier's kloiz," etc. One kloiz which still bears that
name today is the Breslov kloiz built by Nathan of Breslov in the city of Uman, Ukraine in 1834. Today, this
kloiz accommodates worshippers in the annual Breslover Rosh Hashana
kibbutz (prayer gathering).
Design
The architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. Other local religious buildings and national culture
usually influence synagogue architecture.
Traditional and Orthodox synagogues
It is a myth that synagogues are based on the destroyed Holy Temple in Jerusalem. There is no set blueprint for synagogues and
the architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. In fact the influence of other local religious
buildings can often be seen. (The myth may have arisen because synagogues have been referred to in the Rabbinical Literature as
Small Temples and indeed their popularity commenced with the destruction of the original Holy Temple ie as alternatives to the
central worship in Jerusalem.)
The Orthodox synagogue usually contains the following features:
Aron Ha-kodesh with dark blue, embroidered
parokhet covering
- An ark – called the Aron Ha-Kodesh – ארון קודש, the Holy Ark by
Ashkenazim and heikhal – היכל [temple] by Sephardim – where the Torah scrolls are kept. The Ark in a synagogue is
positioned in such a way that those who face it, face towards Jerusalem. Thus,
sanctuary seating plans in the Western world generally face east, while those east of Israel face
west. Sanctuaries in Israel face towards Jerusalem. Occasionally synagogues face other directions for structural reasons; in such
cases, some individuals might turn to face Jerusalem when standing for prayers, but the congregation as a whole does not. The ark
is reminiscent of the Ark of the Covenant which contained the tablets with
Ten Commandments. This is the holiest spot in a synagogue, equivalent to the
Holy of Holies. The ark is often closed with an ornate curtain, the parokhet - פרוכת, outside or inside the Ark doors.
- A large, raised, reader's platform called the bimah - בימה - by Ashkenazim and
tebah by Sephardim, where the Torah scroll is read and from where the services are
conducted in Sephardi synagogues.
- A continually-lit lamp or lantern, usually electric, called the ner tamid (נר תמיד), the "Eternal Lamp," used as a
reminder of the western lamp of the menorah of the Temple
in Jerusalem, which remained miraculously lit always.
- A candelabrum specifically lit during services commemorating the full Menorah.
- A pulpit facing the congregation for the use of the rabbi, and a pulpit or amud - עמוד
(Hebrew for "post" or "column") facing the Ark where the Hazzan stands while leading the prayer service.
- A mechitzah dividing the men's and women's seating areas. In places where there is not
enough room to seat both sexes on one floor, the women's section is located on a balcony.
A synagogue may be decorated with artwork, but in the Rabbinic and Orthodox tradition, three-dimensional sculptures and
depictions of the human body are not allowed, as these are considered akin to idolatry.
Synagogue windows are sometimes curved at the top and squared at the bottom, recalling the popular depiction of the shape of
the Lukhot (Tablets of the Law) which Moses received from God at Mount Sinai. There is also a tradition to install twelve windows around the main sanctuary to recall the
Twelve Tribes of Israel, underscoring the importance of unity and
brotherhood as a result of the communal prayers.
Until the 19th century, the synagogue interior was laid out with both a spiritual and a communal focus. In an Ashkenazi synagogue, all seats faced the aron kodesh (Ark) in which the Torah scrolls were housed.
In a Sephardi synagogue, seats were arranged around the perimeter of the sanctuary, but
when the worshippers stood up to pray, everyone faced the Ark. The Torah was read on a reader's table located in the exact center
of each sanctuary, echoing the manner in which the Children of Israel stood around
Mount Sinai when they received the Torah. The leader of the prayer service, the Hazzan, stood at his own lectern or table,
facing the Ark.
Another related place of worship which is often a small synagogue is the shtiebel
(שטיבל, pl. shtiebelekh or shtiebels, Yiddish for "little house") that is frequently used by and preferred by
Hasidic and Haredi Jews. A shtiebel may
sometimes be a room in the private home of a Hasidic Rebbe, or a place of business which is set
aside for the express purpose of prayer. It may or may not offer the communal services of a synagogue.
In the US, there are well over 1200 Orthodox congregations, including over 1000 of which are affiliated with the
Orthodox Union (OU), and 150 with the National Council of Young Israel, as well as a great number associated with
Agudath Yisrael, a widespread movement often identified with "black-hatter" Orthodox,
especially Chassidim.
Reform synagogues and temples
The Gerard Doustraat Synagogue in Amsterdam, Netherlands
The German Reform movement which arose in the early 1800s made many changes to the
traditional look of the synagogue, keeping with its desire to simultaneously stay Jewish yet be accepted by the host culture. The
first Reform synagogue, which opened in Hamburg in 1811, featured changes that made the
synagogue look more like a church. These included: the installation of an organ to accompany the prayers (even on Shabbat—when musical instruments
are proscribed by halakha), a choir to accompany the Hazzan, and vestments for the synagogue rabbi to wear [1].
In following decades, the central reader's table, the bimah, was moved to the front of the
Reform sanctuary—previously unheard-of in Orthodox synagogues. The rabbi now delivered his sermon
from the front, much as the Christian priests delivered
their sermons in a church. Bar mitzvah ceremonies, held at age 13, were
followed up with "confirmation" ceremonies at age 16/17. Following the teaching of Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, Bat Mitzvah ceremonies were
introduced for girls. The synagogue was renamed a "temple," to emphasize that the movement no longer looked forward to the
rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.
With the emigration of German Reform Jews to America in the mid-nineteenth century, the synagogue exterior also changed. The
wealthy German Jewish immigrants built grandiose temples modeled after churches. Temple Emanu-El, the oldest Reform congregation (founded in New York City in 1845),
constructed an imposing Moorish-style building, with towering limestone walls, on Fifth Avenue in 1929. The architecture rivaled the design of the great cathedrals of Europe. Inside, arched walls and Tiffany and stained-glass windows accentuated the 2,500-seat main sanctuary and a smaller. Reform temples built in
other American cities displayed Romanesque, Byzantine, and other grand, church-like designs. As of 2005, the Reform movement in the US
encompassed approximately 900 congregations.
Conservative synagogues
The Conservative movement, which also developed in Europe and America in the 1800s, rejected Reform as being too liberal and
Orthodoxy as being too outdated. However, its synagogue design is not consistent. Sometimes, Conservative synagogues resemble
Reform temples—complete with organ. Other times they more closely resemble Orthodox synagogues, but without a mechitza, the dividing barrier between men and women. There are approximately 750 Conservative synagogues in
the US today.
Reconstructionist synagogues
The Reconstructionist movement, which arose in America in the latter half
of the 20th century, counts less than 100 synagogues worldwide. In keeping with a Reconstructionist Jewish spirit of liberalism,
Reconstructionist synagogues are not as traditionalist as Conservative Judaism in the design of the synagogue and do not use the
mechitza. The congregation decides communally how much traditional Judaic imagery and symbols
are appropriate. Reconstructionist Jews generally do not call their houses of worship "temples", as Reform Jews often do.
Famous synagogues
- In Israel and regions of the Jewish diaspora archaeologists have uncovered many
ruins of synagogues from thousands of years ago. The small ruined synagogue at Masada is one of
the most well-documented; it dates from the time of the Second Temple. Synagogues have
also been discovered in Egypt and on the island of Delos which
predate the synagogue at Masada.
- The oldest active synagogue in Europe is the Alteneushul (Old-New Synagogue) in
Prague, Czech Republic, which dates from the 13th
century. The Altneushul was the pulpit of the great Rabbi Yehuda Loew, the Maharal, and his creation, the golem of Prague, is rumored to be
hidden within the synagogue. During Kristallnacht on November 9-10, 1938, the
Nazis in Germany and Austria
destroyed or significantly damaged 1,574 synagogues, which included many of the greatest synagogues of Europe. Many were also
destroyed or fell into disrepair during the Nazis' conquest of Europe, during which many Jewish communities were wiped out.
- The Hurba Synagogue, located in the Jewish
Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem,
was Jerusalem's main synagogue from the 16th century until 1948, when it was destroyed by
the Arab Legion. After the Six-Day War, an arch was built to mark the spot where the
synagogue stood. Reconstruction is now under way, in keeping with plans drawn up by architect Nahum Meltzer. The Ramban Synagogue, founded by Nahmanides in 1267, is the oldest
active synagogue in the Old City. See also Synagogues in Jerusalem.
- The Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue, in Recife, Brazil, was the first Jewish temple erected in the Americas, in 1636. Its
foundations have been recently discovered, and the temple was entirely recovered. The synagogue appeared during the government of
Dutch John Maurice of Nassau in Northeastern Brazil and it was built by
Portuguese Jews that came from Europe with him. They used to live in Holland since they were ordered to leave the kingdoms of
Portugal and Spain by the end of the 15th century. A few decades after their arrival in Recife, Portuguese Inquisition started a
new era of persecutions against Jews, who had to leave again. Those people were among the ones who founded the city of New
Amsterdam, in North America, later called New York.
- The Barbados Nidhe Israel Synagogue ("Bridgetown Synagogue") located in the
capital city Bridgetown. First built 1654. Destroyed in the hurricane of 1831, reconstructed
in 1833.[2]
- The Amsterdam Esnoga is a Sephardic synagogue The Netherlands. It was founded by
ex-Maranos (Portuguese Crypto-Jews) in 1675.
- The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode
Island modeled after the Esnoga in Amsterdam, is the oldest Jewish house of worship in North America. It was built in 1759
for the Jeshuat Israel congregation, which was established in 1658. In 1787 this sanctuary was the location where the British
commanders surrendered at the end on the revolutionary war to General George Washington.
- The Bialystoker Synagogue on New York's Lower East Side, is located in a landmark building dating from 1826 that was originally a
Methodist Episcopal Church. The building is made of quarry stone mined locally on Pitt Street, Manhattan. It is an example of
Federalist architecture. The ceilings and walls are hand painted with zodiac frescos, and the
sanctuary is illuminated by 40-foot stained glass windows. The Bima and floor-to-ceiling Ark are handcarved.
- The Snoga Synagogue in Willemstad,
Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles was built by Sephardic Portuguese Jews from
Amsterdam and Recife, Brazil. It is modeled after the Esnoga in
Amsterdam. Congregation Mikvé Israel built its synagogue in 1692, and it was reconstructed in
1732.
- The largest synagogue in the world is the New Beit Midrash of Ger in
Jerusalem, Israel. The main Sanctuary seats over 8,500. The second largest synagogue in the world is the Belz World Center, also in Jerusalem, Israel, whose main Sanctuary seats 6,000. Construction took
16 years. The largest synagogue outside of Israel is Congregation Emanu-El of
the City of New York, a Reform house of worship located on Fifth Avenue,
New York City, with an area of 3,523 m², seating 2,500.
Images of selected famous synagogues
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Remains of the Hurva as they appeared from 1967 to 2003. The area is now a construction site.
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Synagogue offshoots
Another type of communal prayer group, favored by some non-Orthodox Jews, is the chavura (חבורה, pl. chavurot,
חבורות), or prayer fellowship. These groups meet at a regular place and time, usually in a private home.
See also
References
- Levine, Lee [February 9 2000] (October 24
2005). The Ancient Synagogue - The First Thousand Years, 2nd. ed., New Haven, CT:
Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-10628-9.
External links
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