Synagogue facts for kids
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A synagogue is a special building where Jews gather to worship, learn, and celebrate. It is also a center for the Jewish community. Synagogues have many names. Some people call them a shul (from a Yiddish word) or a temple.
Inside a synagogue, people pray, attend religious services, and celebrate special events like weddings and bar and bat mitzvahs. Many synagogues also have classrooms for learning Hebrew, offices, and social halls for community gatherings. A Jewish worship service can be held anywhere a group of at least 10 Jewish adults (called a minyan) gathers, but the synagogue is the special home for the community.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The word synagogue comes from an ancient Greek word that means "assembly" or "gathering." This is a perfect name, because a synagogue is a place where the community gathers.
- The Hebrew name for a synagogue is bet knesset (בית כנסת), which means "house of assembly."
- Many Ashkenazi Jews (Jews from Central and Eastern Europe) use the Yiddish word shul, which is related to the English word "school." This shows how important learning is in a synagogue.
- Sephardi Jews (Jews from Spain, Portugal, and the Middle East) might call it a kal (from a Hebrew word for "community") or an esnoga.
The History of the Synagogue
From the Temple to the Synagogue
For many centuries, the center of Jewish worship was the great Temple in Jerusalem. It was the main place for prayers and festivals. The First Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE. After this, Jewish communities living outside of Israel began to build their own places to gather for prayer and study. These were the first synagogues.
Later, a Second Temple was built in Jerusalem. But synagogues continued to be important community centers. When the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE during a war, the synagogue became the central place for Jewish worship. It allowed Jewish traditions to continue and thrive all over the world.
Finding Ancient Synagogues
Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of many ancient synagogues in Israel and other parts of the world. Some of these buildings are over 2,000 years old! For example, synagogues from the time of the Second Temple have been found at historic sites like Gamla, Masada, and Magdala. These discoveries teach us a lot about Jewish life long ago.
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A synagogue from the first century found at Gamla.
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The ruins of the first-century synagogue at Masada.
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The synagogue discovered at Magdala, dating back to the first century.
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The first-century synagogue found at Herodium.
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A Tour Inside a Synagogue
While synagogues around the world can look very different on the outside, their interiors share several important features.
The Torah Ark
The holiest part of the synagogue is the Torah Ark, or Aron Kodesh in Hebrew. It is a special cabinet where the Torah scrolls are kept. The Ark is usually on the wall that faces Jerusalem. It is often beautifully decorated and covered with a curtain called a parochet.
The Bimah (Reader's Platform)
The bimah is a raised platform where the Torah is unrolled and read aloud to the congregation. In some synagogues, it is in the center of the room, while in others it is at the front near the Torah Ark. Being raised helps everyone see and hear the reading.
The Eternal Light
Near the Ark, you will almost always find a lamp that is kept lit all the time. This is the ner tamid, or "Eternal Light." It symbolizes God's constant presence and is a reminder of the menorah in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.
Seating and Decoration
In many older synagogues, men and women sit in separate sections, divided by a partition called a mechitza. In other synagogues, especially in the Reform movement, families sit together. Synagogues are often decorated with beautiful art, but they usually do not have statues or paintings of people.
Different Traditions
Just as there are different branches of Judaism, there are different types of synagogues.
- Orthodox synagogues follow traditional practices closely. For example, men and women usually sit separately, and services are almost entirely in Hebrew.
- Reform synagogues have adapted some traditions for modern times. They often have mixed seating for men and women, and services may include the local language as well as Hebrew. They may also use musical instruments, like an organ, during services.
- Samaritans, a group with ancient beliefs related to Judaism, also have synagogues. Their synagogues are usually oriented toward their holy site, Mount Gerizim, instead of Jerusalem.
The Heart of the Community
A synagogue is much more than just a place for prayer. It is the center of Jewish community life. Most synagogues have buildings or rooms for many different activities.
- Learning: They have classrooms for children and adults to study Hebrew, the Torah, and Jewish history. This is often called "Hebrew school" or "religious school."
- Celebrations: Social halls with kitchens are used for celebrating weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, and other happy occasions.
- Social Gatherings: Synagogues host clubs, youth groups, and events that bring people together.
- Helping Others: Many synagogues organize charity drives and projects to help people in need, both inside and outside the Jewish community.
Famous Synagogues Around the World
Synagogues have been built in almost every country. They come in all shapes and sizes, from small rooms to huge, grand buildings. Here are a few famous examples.
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- The Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest, Hungary, is the largest in Europe. It can seat 3,000 people and is known for its stunning architecture.
- The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, is the oldest synagogue building in the United States. It was built in 1763 and is a beautiful example of colonial American architecture.
- The Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi, India, was built in 1568. It is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations and is famous for its beautiful hand-painted floor tiles.
- The Belz Great Synagogue in Jerusalem is one of the largest synagogues in the world. Its main prayer hall is enormous and can hold thousands of people.
- The Old Synagogue (Erfurt) in Germany is one of the oldest surviving synagogue buildings in Europe, with parts of it dating back to around 1100. Today, it is a museum.
Images for kids
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The Choral Synagogue of Moscow, Russia
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Interior of the Synagogue of Szeged, Hungary
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The Old Synagogue (Essen) in Germany
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Interior of the Great Synagogue of Florence, Italy
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Interior of the Subotica Synagogue in Serbia
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The Synagogue in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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The Belz Great Synagogue in Jerusalem (2000)
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Worshippers inside the Great Beth Midrash Gur in Jerusalem
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The Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam)
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Gallery
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The Great Synagogue of Tunis, Tunisia
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The Zarzis Synagogue, Tunisia
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The Old Synagogue (Erfurt) is the oldest intact synagogue building in Europe.
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The New Synagogue in Berlin, Germany
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The main synagogue of Frankfurt am Main (Germany) before it was damaged in 1938.
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The Roonstrasse Synagogue in Cologne, Germany
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Beth Yaakov Synagogue, Switzerland
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The Great Synagogue of Basel in Basel, Switzerland
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The Turku Synagogue in Turku, Finland
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The Grand Choral Synagogue of Saint Petersburg, Russia
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The Great Synagogue of Santiago, Chile
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The Synagogue in the Gerard Doustraat in Amsterdam, Netherlands
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The Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, Netherlands
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The Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest, Hungary
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Synagogue, Szombathely, Hungary
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The Great Synagogue in Plzeň, Czech Republic
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The Lesko Synagogue in Lesko, Poland
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The Bobowa Synagogue in Bobowa, Poland
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Sukkat Shalom Synagogue in Belgrade, Serbia
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Jakab and Komor Square Synagogue in Subotica, Serbia
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The Jewish Street Synagogue in Novi Sad, Serbia
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Kadoorie Synagogue in Porto, Portugal, the largest synagogue in the Iberian Peninsula
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The Baal Shem Tov's shul in Medzhybizh, Ukraine (c. 1915), later destroyed and rebuilt
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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.
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The Hurva Synagogue towered over the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem from 1864 until 1948.
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The remains of the Hurva Synagogue as they appeared from 1977 to 2003. The synagogue was rebuilt in 2010.
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The Ashkenazi Synagogue of Istanbul, Turkey
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The interior of a Karaite synagogue
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The Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi, India
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The Great Choral Synagogue in Kyiv, Ukraine
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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, a former synagogue
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Córdoba Synagogue, Spain
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El Transito Synagogue, Spain
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Sofia Synagogue, Bulgaria
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The Choral Temple, Bucharest, Romania
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Synagogue of Târgu Mureș, Romania
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Interior of a "caravan shul" (synagogue in a trailer), Neve Yaakov, Jerusalem
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Ohev Sholom – The National Synagogue in Washington, D.C.
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Sanctuary ark, Lincoln Square Synagogue, New York City (2013)
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The Central Synagogue in Manhattan, New York City
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Temple Emanu-El, a synagogue in Miami Beach, Florida
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Bevis Marks Synagogue, City of London, the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom
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Stockholm Synagogue, Sweden
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Brisbane Synagogue, Australia
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Ein Keshatot synagogue (active 5th–8th centuries), Israel
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Plymouth Synagogue, England, the oldest synagogue built by Ashkenazi Jews in the English speaking world
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Interior of Great Synagogue (Copenhagen), Denmark
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See also
In Spanish: Sinagoga para niños
- List of synagogues
- List of synagogues in the United States
- Temple of Solomon
