The origin of synagogues has never been certain, and the actual truth is unknown, however the general belief has come to be that synagogues originated during the Babylonian Exile which began in 586 B.C. It is said that because they were deprived of the Temple (Beit ha-Midkash), which was the most important institution in the Jewish religion; the Jews would meet sometimes to read from the scriptures together. During the first century of the Common Era the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. After this destruction it seemed that the synagogue became common place among many Jewish communities to provide a place for them to worship.
It seems that synagogues came into existence as part of retaliation to the Romans for the destruction caused by them to the Jewish community. Nowadays Synagogues are the most important institutions in every Jewish community, notably Jews face their Synagogues towards Jerusalem and pray towards there to symbolise their wish to someday return to Jerusalem.
- The appearance of synagogues varies, on the outside and in the interior. On the outside, they deem it unnecessary to make it look elaborate on the outside. This is because the Jewish community do not try to convert outsiders. The synagogue is for themselves, so the exterior is fairly ordinary. One thing that is essential in every synagogue is that it must be facing towards Jerusalem. This is so they can pray towards Jerusalem. The interior has a few things that are essential to every synagogue, so this will be similar in each.
This is a picture of the outside of a synagogue. It is fairly ordinary and bland, also even this is fairly elaborate compared to usual low key synagogues.
The interior has more care taken into it. One of the essential things is the area where the torahs are kept. It is an area that is usually concealed by a curtain to keep the torahs sacred, and is only uncovered during worship. There are usually many torahs in one synagogue, so when they’ve finished reading one, they will use another. As well as being important, they are expensive, so they are handled with care. They are kept in the Ark of the Covenant (which is also known as the Aron Kodesh)
Another feature that every synagogue must have is a ‘bimah’. This is a raised platform usually situated in the middle. It is where the torah is read from, and prayers are said. There is a table on it where the torah is placed. This is central so the whole congregation can see it well and be
This is the table from which the torah is being read.
This is the raised platform
As shown in the diagram above, men and women must sit separately in the synagogue. Jews believe that the men will be distracted if the women sit nearby, and this will turn the focus away from God and the worship. They don’t believe this of the women, as women are considered more naturally holy. So generally there are seats on the ground for the men, and a gallery above for the women. The women are put upstairs as opposed to the men because in Orthodox synagogues women play no part. This is due to the traditional way of worship undertaken by all Orthodox Jews. This is mainly because in Orthodox Judaism the men are not permitted to pray with women as their minds are supposed to be solely on prayer and God. The men work and do all the hard labour whilst the women look after the children, cook and prepare for Shabbat every week. The women, if married, must wear a head scarf so that only their husbands see them fully. However in Reform Judaism some traditional aspects are still undertaken, although the Ten Commandments have been “adjusted” to suit modern day needs, they also allow for equality amongst men and women and the woman’s desire to also work. Some could argue that there is a lot more freedom in Reform Judaism for women; others argue that they shouldn’t change the ‘rules’.
Part B
The synagogue is thought of as many different things.
