Synagogue facts for kids
A synagogue is a place where Jews meet to worship and pray to God.
In Hebrew, a synagogue is called beit knesset, which means, a "house of gathering". The word "synagogue" comes from sunagoge, which is a Greek word. In a synagogue, Jews carry out the Jewish services, which consist of prayers, sometimes with special actions.
A synagogue will usually have a large room for prayers. There might be some smaller rooms for studying. There will be some offices. There will also usually be a big room for special events.
The front of a synagogue faces towards Jerusalem in Israel. In the front is the holiest part of the synagogue, the Ark. This is a closet which has the Torah scrolls inside. The Torah scrolls have the holy writings of Judaism on them. The Ark usually has a curtain in front of it.
On top of the Ark is light which is always lit, called the “Eternal Lamp”. It is a symbol which means that God is always there. Every synagogue has a raised platform called the “Bimah”. The person who reads the Torah scroll stands there when he reads. The Bimah is either in the middle of the hall, or in front of the Ark.
In some synagogues men and women sit in different places. Some synagogues even have a short wall so that they can not see each other. This is so that the people will think about the prayers better.
Jews may call synagogues by different names. Many Orthodox and Conservative Jews living in English-speaking countries use the name "synagogue" or the word "shul.", which is Yiddish. Jews who speak Spanish or Portuguese call synagogues esnoga. Some Jews call the synagogue a temple.
Jewish worship does not have to be carried out in a synagogue. It can be wherever a minyan of ten Jews are. It could be in someone's home or anywhere such as a cruise liner or an airplane Some synagogues have a separate room or torah study, this is called the beth midrash meaning house of study. Some kinds of Jewish worship can be done alone or with fewer than ten people.
Images for kids
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Scolanova Synagogue, Trani, Italy
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Great Synagogue of Florence
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Aerial view of the synagogue of the Kaifeng Jewish community in China.
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New York's Reform Temple Emanu-El
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Interior of the Belz Great Synagogue in Jerusalem.
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Fresco at the Dura-Europos synagogue, illustrating a scene from the Book of Esther, 244 CE.
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The Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue (1636), located in Recife on the site of the oldest synagogue in the Americas.
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Touro Synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue building in the U.S.
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Painting of the interior of the Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam) by Emanuel de Witte (c. 1680)
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Mosaic in the Tzippori Synagogue
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Ruins of the ancient synagogue of Kfar Bar'am
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Gothic interior of the 13th-century Old New Synagogue of Prague
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Interior of the Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam) showing Tebah in the foreground, and Torah Ark in the background.
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Bimah of the Łańcut Synagogue
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The Synagogue in the Gerard Doustraat in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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The New Synagogue in Berlin, Germany.
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The Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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The Great Synagogue of Plzeň, Czech Republic.
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The main synagogue of the city of Frankfurt am Main (Germany) before the Kristallnacht.
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The Lesko Synagogue in Lesko, Poland.
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The Bobowa Synagogue in Bobowa, Poland.
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The Baal Shem Tov's shul in Medzhybizh, Ukraine (c. 1915). The original was destroyed, but has now been rebuilt.
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The Belzer synagogue of Belz, Ukraine. The synagogue no longer exists.
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The Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center at Tel Aviv University.
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The synagogue of Kherson, Ukraine.
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Or Zaruaa Synagogue, Jerusalem, Israel founded in 1926 by Rabbi Amram Aburbeh in Nahlat Ahim neighbourhood, Jerusalem, Israel, exterior photo of the building declared as historic preservation cultural heritage site, on 3 Refaeli street.
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The dome of the Hurva Synagogue dominated the skyline of the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem for more than 80 years, from 1864 when it was built until 1948 when it was bombed.
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The remains of the Hurva Synagogue as they appeared from 1977 to 2003. The synagogue has recently been reconstructed.
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The Ashkenazi Synagogue of Istanbul, Turkey. The synagogue was founded in the year 1900.
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The interior of a Karaite synagogue.
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The Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, United States of America.
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Temple Emanu-El, the oldest synagogue in Miami Beach, Florida, which was built in Byzantine style.
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The Grand Choral Synagogue of St. Petersburg, Russia
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he Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi, Kerala, India
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Great Synagogue of Rome, Italy
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Abuhav synagogue, Israel
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Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue, Israel
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Santa María la Blanca, Spain
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Córdoba Synagogue, Spain
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El Transito Synagogue, Spain
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Székesfehérvár synagogue, Hungary (c. 1930s) The synagogue no longer exists, however, the memorial plaques were moved to a building at the city's Jewish cemetery.
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Sofia Synagogue, Bulgaria
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The Erfurt Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Europe
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The Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah, the National Synagogue, is a wondrous example of mid-century modern architecture employing expressionist overtones, located in Upper 16th Street, Washington, D.C.
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Beth Yaakov Synagogue, Switzerland
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Sanctuary ark for Lincoln Square Synagogue, New York City (2013), by the artist David Ascalon.
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Synagogue, Szombathely, Hungary
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Bevis Marks Synagogue, City of London, the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom
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Stockholm Synagogue, Sweden
See also
In Spanish: Sinagoga para niños
