Jewish prayer-books have 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 in chairs, 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.
it looks like a nomal synagogue.............................
It's a synagogue Orthodox Jews worship in.
It is a synagogue which is conducted in accordance with Torah-laws.
No.
In Orthodox synagogues, most of the service is in Hebrew, except the sermon or teaching. In Reform synagogues, there's some Hebrew, but most of the service is conducted in the language of the land.
Those are seats reserved in an Orthodox Synagogue for Men Only as opposed to Women's Seats which are reserved for Women Only. In an Orthodox Synagogue, the men and women are separated.
In South Africa, like most countries aside from the USA and the UK, the Jewish communities are overwhelmingly Orthodox. Whether or not a person who attends an Orthodox Synagogue is Orthodox in his "non-synagogue activities" is purely up to the believer. So, some members of the Orthodox community may not actually be observant Jews and would appear like Reform Jews in the USA. However, they would not call themselves Orthodox, but Jews who happen to belong to an Orthodox synagogue. Actual Orthodox Jews in South Africa would be indistinguishable from Orthodox Jews in the USA.
Yes, non-Jews attend Orthodox synagogue services all the time, usually as an invited guest to an event. If you wish to attend a religious service at an Orthodox synagogue, you might want to contact the synagogue's rabbi first to determine the best time to attend. As for being circumcised or not, it doesn't make a difference as male circumcision is only a concern for Jewish males. As non-Jewish person can't participate in a Jewish religious service anyway, being uncircumcised is a moot point.
Not an Orthodox synagogue of course, but a nice pair of slacks is definitely appropriate for a Conservative or Reform synagogue.
You can tell a Orthodox Synagogue is an Orthodox Synagogue because a Orthodox Synagogue has the seats for men on the floor at the sides and the back, and the womans seats on a balcony up top, and the reading desk and the bimah are in the centre. Other than a Liberal/Reform Synagogue because a Liberal/Reform Synagogue has the men and the women sit together, and the reading desk at the side in-front of the seats for the men and women.
Yes. But in Orthodox synagogues, only the men can dance.
Cardiff Reform Synagogue (Reform)Cardiff United Synagogue (Orthodox)Llandudno SynagogueNewport Mon Hebrew CongregationSwansea Hebrew Congregation (Orthodox)Chavurat Emak vaYa'ar (Wye)