What do people do in the synagogue?

Answer 1

The defining functions of a synagogue are prayer and Torah-study. Anything else (assembly; social gatherings) is incidental.

The importance of prayer:
Prayer services are part of halakha (Jewish law) and tradition (Talmud, Berakhot 26a); and the Torah records several prayers of our forefathers.
Prayer is an important form of communicating with God, and maintaining a relationship with Him; and it is also good for the health of the soul, to which Torah, prayer and religious observances are a form of nourishment. Judaism sees it as centrally important to thank God, to recognize that He is the source of prosperity, and to be close to Him.
According to our tradition, we can pray privately when necessary, but communal prayer has a much stronger effect (Talmud, Berakhot 7b-8a). It also strengthens the spiritual level and the bonds within the community.

How do Jews pray?
The Jewish prayer-book has a structured order. Prayers are ancient, and often are sung or chanted. Some prayers are said in unison (such as Shir Hakavod), and some are not. Some prayers are said more than once per day (such as the Shema), some once a day (such as Yotzer Ohr), and others are said only on Sabbath, festivals or certain occasions. Some prayers are said aloud (such as Kaddish), some are sung (such as Lekha Dodi) and some are to be whispered (the Amidah). Most of the services are in Hebrew, but a couple of prayers are in Aramaic (such as Brikh Shemei).

While praying, Jews either sit, or stand, depending on the prayer. There is also some bowing forward (in the Amidah and Aleinu), but Jews today do not kneel except once a year on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
In between the prayers, Kaddish is said; and the Torah is read on many occasions (over two hundred times a year).
While formal prayer services are held in the synagogue three times each day throughout the year, many other blessings (such as those over meals) are said in the home.

See also the Related Links.

Link: What is the Jewish prayerbook?

Link: When are synagogue services held?

Link: What is the purpose of the "eternal light"?

Link: Which way does the Holy Ark face?

Answer 2

The synagogue has 3 functions. It is a house of prayer, a house of study, and a house of assembly (or socializing)

Jews pray, congregate, and eat. It's not terribly different than a church or a mosque. If you want a clearer idea of what goes on, I'd recommend you to contact a nearby Synagogue and try to schedule a visit for Shabbat Services on Saturday.

"synagogue" is greek, for "place of assembly". In Hebrew it is "beit knesset".

This is the place where a Jewish congregation reads the Torah portion for the week (one section of the Old Testament, in ancient hebrew), prays for the sick, asks for peace, and in general celebrates the Sabbath.

It is just like a Christian church in many ways.

Mostly we pray there, but we also eat there sometimes, study, have Bar or Bat mitzvahs, and celebrate any good news from the community (someone recovering from an illness, birthdays, people who come back after a long trip)

Answer 3

Synagogues are where Jews hold services of public worship, three times a day, every day of the year. In addition to worship, synagogues may be used for the occasional communal function, and have always been used for teaching Torah.

• Link: When are the prayers?
  

In the front stands the holy ark, which is a tall, heavy, fancy cabinet with a curtain in front and double doors and in which the Torah-scrolls are stored.

The Torah-scroll is placed upon a low, heavy cabinet called a bima, when it is to be read from.

• Link: About the Torah-scrolls
  

Many synagogues have an "eternal lamp". This is alluded to in Exodus 27:20 and represents God's unceasing presence.

In Europe, the earliest known synagogues date back around one thousand years. For example, Rashi's house of study and public prayer (11th century CE) still stands in Troyes, France.

In Israel, the remains of tens of synagogues are known to date back around 2,000 years; most of these can be seen in the upper Galilee region.

The earliest use of synagogues goes back for over 3,000 years. Jews always worshiped in synagogues, even when the Holy Temple stood. Even within the Temple premises, there were several synagogues. During the Second Temple era, ancient Greek authors attest to the large synagogues that stood in all the countries where Jews lived. The Dioploston in Alexandria, for example, was famous for its size (Talmud, Tosefta Sukkah 4:6). In First Temple times also, synagogues served the same function (of daily prayer and study) that they do today (Talmud, Megillah 26b and Berakhot 31a).

According to our tradition, we can pray privately when necessary, but communal prayer has a much stronger effect (Talmud, Berakhot 7b-8a). It also strengthens the spiritual level and the bonds within the community.

While praying, Jews either sit, or stand, depending on the prayer. There is also some bowing forward (in the Amidah and Aleinu), but Jews today do not kneel except once a year on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
In between the prayers, Kaddish is said; and the Torah is read on many occasions (over two hundred times a year).
While formal prayer services are held in the synagogue three times each day throughout the year, many other blessings (such as those over meals) are said in the home.

More information:

The Jewish prayer-book has a structured order. Prayers are ancient, and often are sung or chanted. Some prayers are said in unison (such as Shir Hakavod), and some are not. Some prayers are said more than once per day (such as the Shema), some once a day (such as Yotzer Ohr), and others are said only on Sabbath, festivals or certain occasions. Some prayers are said aloud (such as Kaddish), some are sung (such as Lekha Dodi) and some are to be whispered (the Amidah). Most of the services are in Hebrew, but a couple of prayers are in Aramaic (such as Brikh Shemei).

Prayer services are part of halakha (Jewish law) and tradition (Talmud, Berakhot 26a); and the Torah records several prayers of our forefathers.

• Link: The Israelite Patriarchs
  

Prayer is an important form of communicating with God, and maintaining a relationship with Him; and it is also good for the health of the soul, to which Torah, prayer and religious observances are a form of nourishment. Judaism sees it as centrally important to thank God, to recognize that He is the source of prosperity, and to be close to Him.

See also the other Related Links.
Link: What is the Jewish prayerbook?

Link: How are synagogues and rabbis related?
Link: What is the purpose of Jewish swaying during prayer?

Answer 4

You can pray, study, or socialize with other Jews.

Answer 5

they worship or learn about how to speak Hebrew.

Answer 6

Attend service, prayers, marriages etc...

Answer 7

Pray.

Answer 8

Worship.