A synagogue will look like any other building from the outside -

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Monday 18th March 2002 / Jonathan Hayes / 10T

Re Coursework – part one

A synagogue will look like any other building from the outside – the only sign you might get from the outside is the star of David which is called magen David in the Hebrew tongue. There may also be a sign outside stating the name of the synagogue. There are many names for a synagogue such as; shul – which means school in Hebrew, bet haknesset, which means house of assembly – this is only used by Sephardim, which is oriental Jews. A synagogue is primarily a place of worship but also functions as a community centre for the Jews. The building is so important that the whole Jewish community that worship there will revolve around the building. It is used as a teaching school for Jewish children where they will be taught the Hebrew alphabet, numbers of Hebrew and about their faith. This school is a Jewish equivalent to a Christian ‘Sunday school.’

If you now go inside you would see that the synagogue is rectangular and although you will not realise it, but the whole synagogue is built facing Israel, if possible, Jerusalem. There will be a sink where the congregation will wash their hands and feet before praying or worshipping. You will also notice that there are separate seats. This is because in orthodox synagogues, the men sit on the ground floor and worship and the women sit in the gallery. There is a good reason for this – and not because the Jews are sexist – but because in Judaism, the men take on the role of worshipping and the women are expected to look after the house and the children so if people were late (the women). This may be because they had to change the baby or something like that so instead of disturbing the congregation and asking a row to stand up so she can get to her seat the mother can just slip into the gallery. The male children will stay with their mothers until they are thirteen and have had their bar mitzvah and then they will join their fathers. So you would go and sit in the appropriate section and you would notice a raised platform in the centre. This is a bimah in Hebrew and it is where the rabbi stands to deliver his sermons. Another name for a bimah is an almemar. The bimah is raised to symbolise that when the scrolls are being read from it, that the scrolls are above the congregation, this shows that the word of god contained in them and god himself is more important and higher than anybody in that congregation. It is also at the centre of the synagogue symbolising that god is at the centre of people’s lives. There will also be a cupboard or alcove called the ark, which is the most important feature of the synagogue as it is where the torah is kept, these will be in the ark and are the Jewish ‘bible.’ The ark will be covered with a parachet (a curtain) you will know that this place is holy and important, as it will be beautifully decorated and it is the focal point of the whole synagogue. There will be two tables of stone bearing the Ten Commandments, usually above the ark; there will be a menorah, the seven-branched candlestick and the ner tamid, the ever-burning oil lamp.

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All of these are a reminder of the temple in Jerusalem, which was the first static synagogue; all that remains of this is the west wall. People will now start to arrive. If it is the Sabbath they will arrive on foot, as you are not allowed to drive on the Sabbath. People will be wearing their best clothes – probably suits for men and nice clothes for women. Although you will not notice it, but they will not be carrying anything in their pockets or have any hand luggage. The service will now start. As I have already mentioned ...

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