Editing Synagogue

{{Short description|Place of worship for Jews and Samaritans}}
{{for|the 1919 allegorical mural|Synagogue (John Singer Sargent){{!}}''Synagogue'' (John Singer Sargent)}}
{{redirect|Shul}}
{{distinguish|Synagoga (genus)}}
[[File:Eldridge_Street_Synagogue_(42773).jpg|thumb|[[Eldridge Street Synagogue]] in [[New York City]], United States]]
{{Judaism|expanded=hide}}
[[File:Princes_Road_Synagogue_Nave.jpg|thumb|[[Princes Road Synagogue]] in [[Liverpool]], England]]
[[File:Helsinki Helsingfors Synagogue 04.png|thumb|Exterior of [[Helsinki Synagogue]] in [[Helsinki]], Finland]]
[[File:YusefAbad synagogue Tehran.jpg|thumb|[[Yusef Abad Synagogue]] in [[Tehran]], Iran]]

A '''synagogue''',{{efn|Pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɪ|n|ə|ɡ|ɒ|ɡ}} {{respell|SIN|ə|gog}}. From {{langx|grc-x-koine|συναγωγή|synagogē|assembly}}; {{langx|he|בית כנסת|bēṯ kənesseṯ|house of assembly}}, or {{langx|he|בית תפילה|bēṯ təfilā|house of prayer|link=no}}; {{langx|yi|שול|shul}}, {{langx|lad|אשנוגה}} or {{lang|lad|אסנוגה}} ''{{transliteration|lad|esnoga}}'' (from "synagogue"); or {{lang|lad|קהל}} ''{{transliteration|lad|kahal}}'', "community".}} also called a '''shul'''{{efn|Pronounced {{IPAc-en|ʃ|uː|l}} {{respell|SHOOL}}.}} or a '''temple''',{{efn|This is a fairly modern term mostly used in [[Reform Judaism]], but is still rare.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/synagogue|title=Synagogue &#124; Definition, History, & Facts &#124; Britannica|date=June 2023 }}</ref>}} is a place of worship for [[Jews]] and [[Samaritans]]. It has a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as [[Jewish wedding|weddings]], [[bar and bat mitzvah]]s, choir performances, and children's plays. They also have [[Beth midrash|rooms for study]], social halls, administrative and charitable offices, classrooms for religious and [[Hebrew school|Hebrew studies]], and many places to sit and congregate. They often display commemorative, historic, or modern artwork alongside items of Jewish historical significance or history about the synagogue itself.

Synagogues are [[consecration|consecrated]] spaces used for [[Jewish prayer]], study, assembly, and reading of the [[Torah]] (read in its entirety once a year, or in some synagogues on a triennial cycle, in weekly Torah portions during religious services). However, a synagogue is not always necessary for Jewish worship, due to adaptations during times of Jewish persecution in countries and regions that banned Judaism, frequently destroying and/or reappropriating synagogues into churches or even government buildings. ''[[Halakha]]'' (Jewish law from the [[Mishnah]] – the "Oral Torah") states that communal Jewish worship can be carried out wherever a ''[[minyan]]'', a group of at least 10 Jewish adults, is assembled, often (but not necessarily) led by a [[rabbi]]. Worship can also happen alone or with fewer than ten people, but certain prayers are considered by ''halakha'' as solely communal; these can be recited only by a ''minyan''. In terms of its specific ritual and liturgical functions, the synagogue does not replace the symbol of the long-destroyed [[Temple in Jerusalem]].

Any Jew or group of Jews can build a synagogue. Synagogues have been constructed by ancient Jewish leaders, wealthy patrons, and as part of a wide range of human institutions, including secular educational institutions, governments, and hotels. They have been built by the entire Jewish community living in a particular village or region, or by sub-groups of Jewish people organized by occupation, tradition/background (e.g., the [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardic]], [[Yemenite Jews|Yemenite]], [[Romaniote Jews|Romaniote]] or [[Persian Jews]] of a town), style of religious observance (e.g., [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] or [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] synagogues), or by the followers of a particular rabbi, such as the [[shtiebel]]ekh ({{langx|yi|שטיבעלעך|shtibelekh}}, singular {{lang|yi|שטיבל}} ''shtibl'') of [[Hasidic Judaism]].

== Terminology ==
The [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] term is ''{{transliteration|he|bet knesset}}'' (בית כנסת) or "house of assembly". The [[Koine Greek]]-derived word ''synagogue'' (συναγωγή) also means "assembly" and is commonly used in [[English language|English]], with its earliest mention in the 1st century [[Theodotos inscription]] in Jerusalem. [[Ashkenazi Jews]] have traditionally used the [[Yiddish]] term ''{{transliteration|yi|shul}}'' (from the Greek ''schola'', which is also the source of the English "school") in everyday speech, and many continue to do so in English.<ref name="joy">[[Leo Rosten]], ''[[The Joys of Yiddish]]'', © 1968; [[Pocket Books]] edition, 1970, p. 379</ref>

[[Sephardi Jews]] and [[Romaniote Jews]] generally use the term ''kal'' (from the Hebrew ''qahal'' "community"). [[Spanish and Portuguese Jews]] call the synagogue an {{lang|pt|esnoga}} and Portuguese Jews may call it a {{lang|es|sinagoga}}. [[Persian Jews]] and some [[Karaite Judaism|Karaite Jews]] also use the term ''[[kenesa]]'', which is derived from [[Aramaic]], and some [[Mizrahi Jews]] use ''kenis'' or ''qnis''.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

== History ==
[[File:Synagogue de la Ghriba Djerba 11.jpg|thumb|[[El Ghriba Synagogue]] in [[Djerba]], Tunisia]]
In the earliest period, Jewish communal worship primarily revolved around the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], serving as a central focal point and significant symbol for the entire Jewish nation. As such, it was the destination for Jews making pilgrimages during the [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals|three major annual festivals]] commanded by the [[Torah]]: [[Passover]], [[Shavuot]] and [[Sukkot]]. There are several known cases of Jewish communities in Egypt with their own temples, such as the [[Elephantine papyri and ostraca#Jewish temple at Elephantine|Temple at Elephantine]] established by refugees from the [[Kingdom of Judah]] during the [[Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt]], and a few centuries later, the [[Temple of Onias]] in the [[Heliopolite Nome]].

The first synagogues emerged in the [[Jewish diaspora]], several centuries before their introduction to the [[Land of Israel]]. Evidence points to their existence as early as the [[Hellenistic period]], notably in [[Alexandria]], [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Ptolemaic Egypt]], the world's foremost Greek-speaking city at the time. There, the first ''proseukhái'' ({{langx|grc-x-koine|προσευχαί||places of prayer}}; singular {{lang|grc|προσευχή}} ''proseukhē'') were built to provide a place for communal prayer and reading and studying the [[Torah]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fine |first1=Steven |title=This Holy Place: On the Sanctity of the Synagogue During the Greco-Roman Period |date=2016 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-5326-0926-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cbxyDQAAQBAJ&q=this+holy+place |language=en}}</ref> Alexandrian Jews also made a Koine Greek translation of the Torah, the [[Septuagint]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} The earliest archaeological evidence for the existence of synagogues is stone dedication inscriptions from the third century BCE prove that ''proseukhái'' existed by that date.<ref name="JIGRE 22">{{cite sign |type=22. Plaque, dedication of a Schedian proseuche, 246{{ndash}}221 BCE |quote=υπέρ βασιλέως {{!}} Πτολεμαίου και {{!}} βασιλίσσης {{!}} Βερενίκης άδελ {{!}} φης καί γυναικδς καί {{!!}} των τέκνων {{!}} τήν προσευχήν {{!}} οί 'Ιουδαίοι. |trans-quote=On behalf of king Ptolemy and queen Berenice his sister and wife and their children, the Jews (dedicated) the proseuche. |editor-last1=Horbury |editor-first1=William |editor-last2=Noy |editor-first2=David |title=Jewish Inscriptions of Graeco-Roman Egypt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cCRC-wTphoYC&pg=PA35 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1992 |pages=35{{ndash}}37 |isbn=978-0-521-41870-6}}</ref><ref name="JIGRE 117">{{cite sign |type=117. Stele, dedication of an Arsinoëan-Crocodilopolitan proseuche, 246{{ndash}}221 BCE |quote=υπέρ βασιλέως {{!}} Πτολεμαίου τοΰ {{!}} Πτολεμαίου καί {{!}} βοκηλίσσης {{!}} Βερενίκης της {{!!}} γυναικδς καί {{!}} άδελφης καί των {{!}} τέκνων οΐ έν Κροκ[ο] {{!}} δίλων πόλει *Ιου[δαΐ] {{!}} ον την προ[σευχήν] {{!!}} [ · · · · ] |trans-quote=On behalf of king Ptolemy, son of Ptolemy, and queen Berenice his wife and sister and their children, the Jews in Crocodilopolis (dedicated) the proseuche ..... |editor-last1=Horbury |editor-first1=William |editor-last2=Noy |editor-first2=David |title=Jewish Inscriptions of Graeco-Roman Egypt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cCRC-wTphoYC&pg=PA201 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1992 |pages=201{{ndash}}203 |isbn=978-0-521-41870-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Pfeiffer|first=Stefan|title=Griechische und lateinische Inschriften zum Ptolemäerreich und zur römischen Provinz Aegyptus|series=Einführungen und Quellentexte zur Ägyptologie|volume=9|publisher=Lit|location=Münster|year=2015|language=German|pages=100–102}}</ref> [[Philo]] and [[Josephus]] mention lavishly-adorned synagogues in Alexandria and in [[Antioch]], respectively.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fine |first1=Steven |title=This Holy Place: On the Sanctity of the Synagogue During the Greco-Roman Period |date=2016 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-5326-0926-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cbxyDQAAQBAJ&q=this+holy+place |page=45}}</ref>

More than a dozen [[Second Temple period]] synagogues in use by Jews and [[Samaritans]] have been identified by archaeologists in [[Israel]] and other countries of the [[Hellenistic world]].<ref name="pohick">{{cite web |author=Donald D. Binder |url=http://www.pohick.org/sts/index.html |title=Second Temple Synagogues |access-date=2008-06-16 |archive-date=2015-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924074933/http://www.pohick.org/sts/index.html }}</ref> Following the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|destruction of the Second Temple]] in 70 CE, Rabbi [[Yohanan ben Zakkai]], who is often credited with reformulating Judaism for the post-Temple era, advocated for the establishment of individual houses of worship since the Temple was no longer accessible.
[[File:Dohány Street Synagogue in Pest, Budapest - Hungary (5132509510).jpg|alt=Dohány Street Synagogue|thumb|299x299px|The [[Dohány Street Synagogue]], the biggest Synagogue in Europe. [[Budapest]] is known to be a central location in Jewish enlightenment.]]
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 6487 great belz synagogue.jpg|Belz Great Synagogue in Jerusalem, the biggest synagogue in the world.|thumb]]

It has been theorized that the synagogue became a place of worship in the region upon the destruction of the Second Temple during the [[First Jewish–Roman War]]; however, others speculate that there had been places of prayer, apart from the Temple, during the Hellenistic period. The popularization of prayer over sacrifice during the years prior to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schiffman|first1=Lawrence|title=From Text to Tradition: A History of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism|date=March 1991|publisher=Ktav Pub Inc|isbn=0-88125-372-3|page=159|edition=1st}}</ref> had prepared the Jews for life in the diaspora, where prayer would serve as the focus of Jewish worship.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schiffman|first1=Lawrence|title=From Text to Tradition: A History of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism|date=March 1991|publisher=Ktav Pub Inc|isbn=0-88125-372-3|page=164|edition=1st}}</ref>

Despite the certain existence of synagogue-like spaces prior to the First Jewish–Roman War,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods: Archaeological Finds, New Methods, New Theories |publisher=Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht |year=2020 |isbn=978-3-647-52215-9 |page=191 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NvEfEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA191 |editor-last=Doering |editor-first=Lutz |editor-last2=Krause |editor-first2=Andrew R. |editor-last3=Löhr |editor-first3=Hermut}}</ref> the synagogue emerged as a focal point for Jewish worship upon the destruction of the Temple. For Jews living in the wake of the Revolt, the synagogue functioned as a "portable system of worship". Within the synagogue, Jews worshipped by way of prayer rather than sacrifices, which had previously served as the main form of worship within the Second Temple.<ref>{{cite book |last= Schiffman |first= Lawrence |title= From Text to Tradition: A History of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism |date= March 1991 |publisher= Ktav Pub Inc. |isbn= 0-88125-372-3 |page=164 |edition= 1st}}</ref>

=== Second Temple period ===
In 1995, Howard Clark Kee argued that synagogues were not a developed feature of Jewish life prior to the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE).<ref>Kee, Howard Clark. "Defining the First-Century CE Synagogue: Problems and Progress." New Testament Studies 41.4 (1995): 481-500.</ref> Kee interpreted his findings as evidence that the mentions of synagogues in the [[New Testament]], including Jesus's visitations of synagogues in various Jewish settlements in Israel, were anachronistic. However, by 2018, Mordechai Aviam reported that there were now at least nine synagogues excavated known to pre-date the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|destruction of the Jerusalem Temple]] in 70&nbsp;CE, including in Magdala, Gamla, Masada, Herodium, Modi'in (Kh. Umm el-'Umdan), Qiryat Sepher (Kh. Bad 'Issa), and Kh. Diab. Aviam concluded that he thought almost every Jewish settlement at the time, whether it was a polis or a village, had a synagogue.<ref>Aviʿam, Mordekhai. "First-Century Galilee New Discoveries." ''Early Christianity'' 9.2 (2018): 219–226.</ref>

* [[Gamla]] – a synagogue was discovered near the city gate at Gamla, a site in the Golan northeast of the Sea of Galilee.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Levine, Lee I.|title=The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years|date=2000|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=0-300-07475-1|location=New Haven|oclc=40408825}}</ref> This city was destroyed by the Roman army in 67 CE and was never rebuilt.
* [[Masada]] – a synagogue was discovered on the western side of Masada, just south of the palace complex at the northern end of the site. One of the unique finds at this synagogue was a group of 14 scrolls, which included biblical, sectarian, and apocryphal documents.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Yadin, Yigael.|title=Masada: The Momentous Archaeological Discovery Revealing the Heroic Life and Struggle of the Jewish Zealots|date=1966|publisher=Random House|isbn=0-394-43542-7|edition=1st|location=New York, NY|pages=180–191|oclc=861644287}}</ref>
* [[Herodium]] – a synagogue from the 1st century was discovered in Herod's palace fortress at Herodium.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Herodium (BiblePlaces.com)|url=https://www.bibleplaces.com/herodium/|access-date=2020-07-11|website=BiblePlaces.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Migdal Synagogue|Magdala]] – also known as the Migdal Synagogue, this synagogue was discovered in 2009. One of the unique features of this synagogue, which is located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, is an intricately carved stone [[Magdala stone|block]] that was found in the center of the main room.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ancient synagogue found in Israel |url=https://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/09/11/jerusalem.synagogue/index.html|access-date=2020-07-11|website=CNN}}</ref>
* Modi'in – Discovered between [[Modi'in]] and [[Latrun]] is the [[Oldest synagogues in the World|oldest synagogue]] within modern Israel that has been found to date, built during the second century BCE. It includes three rooms and a nearby [[mikve]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-22|title=Modi'in: Where the Maccabees Lived|url=https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/modiin-where-the-maccabees-lived/|access-date=2020-07-11|publisher=Biblical Archaeology Society|language=en}}</ref>
<gallery widths="200" heights="160">
File:Gamla Synagogue (7).JPG|First-century synagogue at Gamla
File:Masada 051013 Synagogue 01.jpg|First-century synagogue at Masada
File:Magdala-588.jpg|First-century synagogue at Magdala
File:Herodion Synagogue IMG 0708.JPG|First-century synagogue at Herodium
</gallery>

=== Talmudic period ===
Following the destruction of the Temple, the synagogue became the focal point of Jewish worship and communal life.{{sfn|Cohen|1999|p=298}}{{sfn|Levine|2005|p=175}} Over time, prayers, rituals, and customs once performed in the Temple were adapted for synagogue use.{{sfn|Levine|2005|p=4}}{{sfn|Cohen|1999|p=320}} Traditional forms of synagogal worship, including sermons and the reading of scripture, were preserved, while new forms of worship, such as {{lang|he|[[piyyut]]}} and organized prayer, developed.{{sfn|Levine|2005|p=5}} Rabbinic instruction, however, maintained that certain practices should remain exclusive to the Temple.{{sfn|Cohen|1999|p=322}} The Mishnah directed prayers toward Jerusalem, and most synagogues face the Temple site rather than mirroring its orientation, establishing them as extensions of its sanctity, not replicas.{{sfn|Cohen|1999|p=321}}

During [[Late antiquity]] (third to seventh century CE), literary sources attest to the existence of a large number of synagogues across the [[Later Roman Empire|Roman]]-[[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and [[Sasanian Empire]]s.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Levine |first=Lee |title=Jewish archaeology in late antiquity: art, architecture, and inscriptions |date=2006 |work=The Cambridge History of Judaism: Volume 4: The Late Roman-Rabbinic Period |volume=4 |pages=526–527, 539–542 |editor-last=Katz |editor-first=Steven T. |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-history-of-judaism/jewish-archaeology-in-late-antiquity-art-architecture-and-inscriptions/6C63D4648446995D245ACBBE9D7427CA |access-date=2024-05-06 |series=The Cambridge History of Judaism |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-77248-8}}</ref> Archaeological evidence indicates the presence of synagogues in at least thirteen places across the diaspora, spanning from [[Dura-Europos]] in [[Syria]] to [[Elche]] in [[Hispania]] (modern-day [[Spain]]). An especially sizable and monumental synagogue dating from this period is the [[Sardis Synagogue]]. Additionally, many inscriptions pertaining to synagogues and their officials have been discovered.<ref name=":0" />

In the Land of Israel, late antiquity witnessed a significant increase in synagogue construction, in [[Galilee]] and [[Golan Heights|Golan]] in the north and the [[Hebron Hills|southern hills]] of [[Judea]], in the south. Each synagogue was constructed according to the means and religious customs of the local community. Notable examples include [[Capernaum]], [[Kfar Bar'am synagogue|Bar'am]], [[Beth Alpha]], [[Maoz Haim Synagogue|Maoz Haim]], [[Meroth]] and [[Nabratein synagogue|Nabratein]] in the north, and [[Eshtemoa synagogue|Eshtemoa]], [[Susya]], [[Anim synagogue|Anim]], and [[Maon Synagogue|Maon]] in the south.<ref name=":0" />

=== Middle Ages ===
Rabbi and philosopher [[Maimonides]] (1138–1204) described the various customs in his day with respect to local synagogues:
{{blockquote|Synagogues and houses of study must be treated with respect. They are swept and sprinkled [with water] to lay the dust. In [[Spain]] and the [[Maghreb]], in [[Babylonia]] and in the [[Holy Land]], it is customary to kindle lamps in the synagogues and to spread mats on the floor upon which the worshippers sit. In the lands of Edom ([[Christendom]]), they sit in synagogues upon chairs [or benches].<ref>[[Maimonides]], ''[[Mishneh Torah]]'' (Hil. ''Tefillah Birkat kohanim'' 11:4)</ref>}}
<gallery widths="200" heights="160">
File:Sepphoris (Tzippori) 290314 12.jpg|Mosaic in the [[Tzippori Synagogue]]
File:Ruins of the Ancient Synagogue at Bar'am.jpg|Ruins of the ancient synagogue of [[Kfar Bar'am]]
File:Alte Synagoge Erfurt.JPG|The [[Old Synagogue (Erfurt)]] is the oldest intact synagogue building in [[Europe]], in parts around 1100 CE
File:Jewish Courtyard 3 Speyer.JPG|[[Jewish courtyard, Speyer|Speyer Synagogue]], a [[World Heritage Site]]
File:Anbau des vormaligen Frauenbethauses der Synagoge Worms (a).jpg|The [[Worms Synagogue]], a [[World Heritage Site]]
</gallery>

==Samaritan synagogues==
[[File:Interior_of_the_Synagogue_of_the_Samaritans_Nablus_c._1920.jpg|thumb|upright|Interior of the Samaritan synagogue in [[Nablus]] circa 1920]]

=== Name and history ===
The [[Samaritans|Samaritan]] house of worship is also called a synagogue.<ref name="Pummer"/> During the third and second centuries BCE, the [[Hellenistic period]], the Greek word used in the [[Jewish diaspora|Diaspora]] by Samaritans and Jews was the same, ''proseukhē'' {{langx|grc-x-koine|προσευχή||place of prayer}}, plural {{lang|grc|προσευχαί}} ''prosukhái''); a [[third century|third]] or [[fourth century]] inscription uses a similar term, {{lang|grc|εὑκτήριον}} ''euktērion''.<ref name="Pummer"/>

The oldest Samaritan synagogue discovered so far is from [[Delos]] in the [[Aegean Islands]], with an inscription dated between 250 and 175&nbsp;BCE, while most Samaritan synagogues excavated in the wider [[Land of Israel]] and ancient [[Samaria]] in particular, were built in the fourth to seventh centuries at the very end of the Roman Empire and throughout the Byzantine period.<ref name="Pummer">{{cite journal |last= Pummer |first= Reinhard |title= How to Tell a Samaritan Synagogue from a Jewish Synagogue |journal= Biblical Archaeology Review |date= 13 January 2009 |volume= May/June 1998 |issue= 24:03 |via= Center for Online Judaic Studies, cojs.org |url= http://cojs.org/how_to_tell_a_samaritan_synagogue_from_a_jewish_synagogue-_reinhard_pummer-_bar_24-03-_may-jun_1998/ |access-date= 2 September 2018 |archive-date= 7 April 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220407033411/http://cojs.org/how_to_tell_a_samaritan_synagogue_from_a_jewish_synagogue-_reinhard_pummer-_bar_24-03-_may-jun_1998/ }}</ref>

===Distinguishing elements===
The elements which distinguish Samaritan synagogues from contemporary Jewish ones are:
* Alphabet: the use of the [[Samaritan script]]<ref name="Pummer"/>
* Orthography: When the Samaritan script is used, there are some Hebrew words which would be spelled in a way typical only for the [[Samaritan Pentateuch]], for instance, "forever" is written {{smallcaps|ʿlmw}} instead of {{smallcaps|lʿlm}}.<ref name="Pummer"/> When Greek is the language used in inscriptions, typically, Samaritans may contract two Hebrew words into one, such ''har'' "mountain" and Gerizim becoming {{langx|grc|Άργαρίζειν|Árgarízein}}. This is an archaic practice that was primarily maintained by Samaritans.<ref name="Pummer"/> 
* Orientation: The façade, or entrance, of the Samaritan synagogue, typically faces [[Mount Gerizim]], which is the holiest site to Samaritans, while Jewish synagogues are oriented towards Jerusalem and the [[Temple Mount]].<ref name="Pummer"/>
* Decoration: The mosaic floor and other architectural elements or artifacts are sometimes decorated with typical symbols.<ref name="Pummer"/>
**As the Samaritans have historically adhered more strictly to the [[Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image|commandment forbidding the creation of any "graven image"]], they would not use any depictions of man or beast.<ref name="Pummer"/> Representations of the signs of the [[zodiac]], of human figures or even Greek deities such as the god [[Helios]], as seen in Byzantine-period Jewish synagogues, would be unimaginable in Samaritan buildings of any period.<ref name="Pummer"/>
** A representation of Mount Gerizim is a clear indication of Samaritan identity.<ref name="Pummer"/> On the other hand, although the existence of a Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim is both mentioned by Josephus and confirmed by archaeological excavation at its summit, the temple's early destruction in the second century BCE led to its memory disappearing from Samaritan tradition. No temple-related items would be found in Samaritan synagogue depictions.<ref name="Pummer"/> Religious implements, such as are also known from ancient Jewish synagogue mosaics (the [[temple menorah]], [[shofar]], [[showbread]] table, [[trumpet]]s, incense shovels, and specifically the façade of what looks like a temple or a [[#Torah ark|Torah shrine]]) are also present in Samaritan ones, but the objects are always related to the [[Tabernacle]], the [[Ark of the Covenant]] within the Tabernacle, or the Torah shrine in the synagogue itself.<ref name="Pummer"/> Samaritans believe that at the [[Last Judgment|end of time]], the Tabernacle and its utensils will be recovered from the place they were buried on Mount Gerizim, and as such they play an important role in Samaritan beliefs.<ref name="Pummer"/> Since the same artists, such as mosaicists, worked for all ethno-religious communities of the time, some depictions might be identical in Samaritan and Jewish synagogues, Christian churches, and pagan temples, but their significance would differ.<ref name="Pummer"/>
** Missing from Samaritan synagogue floors would be images often found in Jewish ones: The [[lulav]] (palm-branch) and [[etrog]] (citron fruit) have a different ritual use by Samaritans celebrating [[Sukkot]] and do not appear on mosaic floors.<ref name="Pummer"/>
* [[Mikveh]]s near the synagogue after 70&nbsp;CE: Jews abandoned the habit of building mikvehs next to their houses of worship after the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|70 CE destruction]] of the [[Jerusalem Temple]], but Samaritans continued the practice.<ref name="Pummer"/>

===Archaeological finds===
Ancient Samaritan synagogues are mentioned by literary sources or have been found by archaeologists in the Diaspora, in the wider Holy Land, and specifically in Samaria.<ref name="Pummer"/>

====Diaspora====
* [[Delos Synagogue]]: a Samaritan inscription has been dated to between 250 and 175&nbsp;BCE.<ref name="Pummer"/>
* [[Rome]] and [[Tarsus, Mersin|Tarsus]]: ancient literature offers hints that Samaritan synagogues may have existed in these cities between the fourth and sixth centuries CE.<ref name="Pummer"/>
* [[Thessaloniki]] and [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]]: short inscriptions found there and using the Samaritan and Greek alphabet may originate from Samaritan synagogues.<ref name="Pummer"/>

====The wider Holy Land====
* Synagogue of [[Salbit]] (now [[Sha'alvim]]), excavated by [[Eleazar Sukenik]] in 1949 northwest of Jerusalem. It was about {{convert|8 by 15.5|m}} in size, was two stories tall, and was oriented towards Mount Gerizim. Two mosaics remain, one atop the other; one contained the Samaritan version of the [[Song of the Sea]] in Exodus 15:18.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reich |first1=Ronny |title=The Plan of the Samaritan Synagogue at Sha'alvim |journal=Israel Exploration Journal |date=1994 |volume=44 |issue=3/4 |pages=228–233 |jstor=27926350  |issn=0021-2059}}</ref> It was probably built in the 4th or 5th century and destroyed in the 5th or 6th.<ref name="Pummer"/>
* The synagogue at [[Tell Qasile]], which was built at the beginning of the seventh century.<ref name="Pummer"/>
* Synagogue A at [[Beisan]] was a room added to an existing building in the late 6th or early 7th century and served as a Samaritan synagogue.<ref name="Pummer"/> Beisan is famous for Synagogue B, the [[Beth Alpha]] synagogue, which faced Jerusalem and was not a Samaritan synagogue.

====Samaria====
* El-Khirbe synagogue, discovered c. 3&nbsp;km from [[Sebastia, Nablus|Sebaste]], was built in the 4th century CE and remained in use into the Early Islamic period, with a break during the late 5th–early 6th century<ref name="Pummer"/>
* [[Khirbet Samara]] synagogue, c. 20&nbsp;km northwest of [[Nablus]] and built in the 4th century CE<ref name="Pummer"/>
* Zur Natan synagogue, c. 29&nbsp;km west of Nablus and built in the 5th century CE<ref name="Pummer"/>

==Christianity==
In the [[New Testament]], the word appears 56 times, mostly in the [[Synoptic Gospels]], but also in the [[Gospel of John]] ({{bibleverse|John 9:22; 18:20|multi=yes}}) and the [[Book of Revelation]] ({{bibleverse|Rev. 2:9; 3:9|multi=yes}}). It is used in the sense of 'assembly' in the [[Epistle of James]] ({{bibleverse|James|2:2}}). Alternatively, the epistle of James (in Greek, clearly Ἰάκωβος or יעקב, anglicized to Jacob) refers to a place of assembly that was indeed Jewish, with Jacob ben Joseph perhaps an elder there. The specific word in James (Jacob) 2:2 could easily be rendered "synagogue", from the Greek συναγωγὴν.

During the first Christian centuries, [[Jewish Christians]] are hypothesized to have used houses of worship known in academic literature as synagogue-churches. Scholars have claimed to have identified such houses of worship of the Jews who had accepted [[Jesus]] as the [[Messiah]] in Jerusalem<ref name="Skarsaune">{{cite book |first= Oskar |last= Skarsaune |title= In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity |page= 186 |year= 2008 |publisher= IVP Academic |isbn= 978-0-8308-2844-9 |quote= 9780830828449 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IAlQTo4H4F4C&pg=PA186 |access-date= 1 September 2018 }}</ref> and [[Nazareth]].<ref name="Taylor">{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Joan E. |url= |title=Christians and the Holy Places: The Myth of Jewish-Christian Origins |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-19-814785-5 |page=338 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first= Chad Fife |last= Emmett |year=1995 |title= Beyond the Basilica: Christians and Muslims in Nazareth |page= [https://archive.org/details/beyondbasilicach0000emme/page/22 22] |url= https://archive.org/details/beyondbasilicach0000emme |url-access=registration |issue=237 |publisher= [[University of Chicago Press]] |series= University of Chicago Geography Research Papers (Book 237) |isbn= 978-0-226-20711-7 |access-date= 1 September 2018 }}</ref>

==Architectural design==
[[File:Exterior of kaifeng synagogue.JPG|thumb|upright|Aerial view of the synagogue of the [[Kaifeng Jews|Kaifeng Jewish community]] in China]]
{{Main|Synagogue architecture}}
There is no set [[blueprint]] for synagogues and the architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. In fact, the influence from other local religious buildings can often be seen in synagogue arches, domes and towers.

Historically, synagogues were built in the prevailing architectural style of their time and place. Thus, the synagogue in [[Kaifeng|Kaifeng, China]], looked very like Chinese temples of that region and era, with its outer wall and open garden in which several buildings were arranged. The styles of the earliest synagogues resembled the temples of other cults of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]]. The surviving synagogues of medieval Spain are embellished with [[mudéjar]] plasterwork. The surviving medieval synagogues in [[Budapest]] and [[Prague]] are typical [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] structures.

With the emancipation of Jews in Western European countries in the 19th century—which not only enabled Jews to enter fields of enterprise from which they were formerly barred, but gave them the right to build synagogues without needing special permissions—synagogue architecture blossomed. Large Jewish communities wished to show not only their wealth but also their newly acquired status as citizens by constructing magnificent synagogues. These were built across Western Europe and in the United States in all of the historicist or revival styles then in fashion. Thus there were [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]], [[Renaissance Revival architecture]], [[Neo-Byzantine]], [[Romanesque Revival]], [[Moorish Revival]], [[Gothic Revival]], and [[Greek Revival]]. There are [[Egyptian Revival]] synagogues and even one [[Mayan Revival]] synagogue. In the 19th century and early 20th century heyday of historicist architecture, however, most historicist synagogues, even the most magnificent ones, did not attempt a pure style, or even any particular style, and are best described as eclectic.

In the post-war era, synagogue architecture abandoned historicist styles for modernism.<gallery>
File:Synagogue Aleppo.jpg|[[Central Synagogue of Aleppo]], [[Aleppo]], Syria (5th century)
File:Kochi Jewish Synagogue C.jpg|[[Paradesi Synagogue]], [[Kochi]], India (1568)
File:Voormalige synagoge in Deventer.jpg|[[Great Synagogue of Deventer]], [[Deventer]], The Netherlands (1892)
File:Sofia Synagogue 11c.jpg|[[Sofia Synagogue]], [[Sofia]], Bulgaria (1909)
File:Frank Lloyd Wright - Beth Sholom Synagogue - Elkins Park, PA (7175161021).jpg|[[Beth Sholom Congregation (Elkins Park, Pennsylvania)|Beth Sholom Congregation]], [[Elkins Park, Pennsylvania|Elkins Park]], US (1959)
File:Jerusalem Great Synagogue.jpg|[[Great Synagogue (Jerusalem)|Great Synagogue of Jerusalem]] (1982)
File:Synagoge muenchen(softeis) ShiftN cropped.jpg|[[Ohel Jakob synagogue (Munich)|Ohel Jakob synagogue]], Munich, Germany (2006)
</gallery>

==Interior elements==
===Bimah (platform)===
All synagogues contain a ''[[Bema#Judaism|Bimah]]'', a large, raised, reader's platform (called {{lang|he-Latn|teḇah}} (reading dais) by Sephardim), where the Torah scroll is placed to be read. In Sephardi synagogues and traditional Ashkenazi synagogues it is also used as the prayer leader's reading desk.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/bimah|title=Encyclopedia Judaica: The Bimah|website=JewishVirtualLibrary.org|access-date=2019-10-12}}</ref>
<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Saluzzo Synagogue 11 - Bimah et Arche Sainte.jpg|Bimah of the [[Saluzzo Synagogue]], [[Saluzzo]], Italy
File:Touro Synagogue National Historic Site TOSY1085.jpg|Bimah of the [[Touro Synagogue]] in [[Newport, Rhode Island]], US
File:Inside old synagogue Krakow.JPG|[[Cast-iron]] Bimah of the [[Old Synagogue, Kraków|Old Synagogue]] in [[Kraków]], Poland
</gallery>

===Table or lectern===
In Ashkenazi synagogues, the [[Torah]] was read on a reader's table located in the center of the room, while the leader of the prayer service, the [[hazzan]], stood at his own lectern or table, facing the Ark. In Sephardic synagogues, the table for reading the Torah (reading dais) was commonly placed at the opposite side of the room from the Torah Ark, leaving the center of the floor empty for the use of a ceremonial procession carrying the Torah between the Ark and the reading table.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/365934/jewish/The-Bimah-The-Synagogue-Platform.htm|title=The Bimah: The Synagogue Platform|website=www.chabad.org|language=en|access-date=2019-05-30}}</ref> Most contemporary synagogues feature a lectern for the rabbi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/synagogue-background-and-overview|title=Synagogue Background & Overview|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org|access-date=2019-05-30}}</ref>

===Torah Ark===
The [[Torah Ark]], called in Hebrew {{Script/Hebrew|ארון קודש}} ''Aron Kodesh''<ref name="ark-of-the-law">[https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1778-ark-of-the-law "ARK OF THE LAW."] ''Jewish Encyclopedia''.</ref> or 'holy chest'
, and alternatively called the ''heikhal''—{{Script/Hebrew|היכל}} or 'temple' by [[Sephardim|Sephardic Jews]], is a cabinet in which the [[Torah]] scrolls are kept.

The ark in a synagogue is almost always positioned in such a way such that those who face it are facing towards [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="ark-of-the-law"/> Thus, sanctuary seating plans in the Western world generally face [[Mizrah|east]], while those east of Israel face west. Sanctuaries in Israel face towards Jerusalem. Occasionally synagogues face other directions for structural reasons; in such cases, some individuals might turn to face Jerusalem when standing for prayers, but the congregation as a whole does not.

The Ark is reminiscent of the [[Ark of the Covenant]], which held the tablets inscribed with the [[Ten Commandments]]. This is the holiest spot in a synagogue, equivalent to the [[Holy of Holies]]. The Ark is often closed with an ornate curtain, the {{lang|he-Latn|[[parochet]]}} {{Script/Hebrew|פרוכת}}, which hangs outside or inside the ark doors.

===Eternal Light===
[[File:Abudarham_Synagogue_Gibraltar.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sanctuary lamp|Ner tamid]] of the [[Abudarham Synagogue]] in [[Gibraltar]]]]
Other traditional features include a continually lit lamp or lantern, usually electric in contemporary synagogues, called the {{lang|he-Latn|[[ner tamid]]}} ({{Script/Hebrew|נר תמיד}}), the "Eternal Light", used as a way to honor the Divine Presence.<ref>[https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/365933/jewish/Ner-Tamid-The-Eternal-Light.htm "Ner Tamid: The Eternal Light."] ''Chabad''.  28 August 2018.</ref>

===Inner decoration===
[[File:Aškenaška sinagoga (14143483781).jpg|thumb|Sarajevo Synagogue, [[Sarajevo]], Bosnia and Herzegovina (1902)]]
A synagogue may be decorated with artwork, but in the Rabbinic and Orthodox tradition, three-dimensional sculptures and depictions of the human body are not allowed as these are considered akin to idolatry.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sculpture|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/sculpture|access-date=2021-03-01|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref>

===Seating===
Originally, synagogues were made devoid of much furniture, the Jewish congregants in [[Spain]], the [[Maghreb]] (North Africa), [[Babylonia]], the [[Land of Israel]] and [[Yemen]] having a custom to sit upon the floor, which had been strewn with mats and cushions, rather than upon chairs or benches. In other European towns and cities, however, Jewish congregants would sit upon chairs and benches.<ref>[[Maimonides]], [[Mishne Torah]] (''Hil. Tefillah'' 11:4), who wrote: "Synagogues and houses of study must be treated with respect. They are swept and sprinkled to lay the dust. In Spain and in the Maghreb (North Africa), in Babylon and in the Holy Land, it is customary to kindle lamps in the synagogues and to spread mats on the floor on which the worshipers sit. In the land of Edom (i.e. Christian countries) they sit in synagogues upon chairs."</ref> Today, the custom has spread in all places to sit upon chairs and benches.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

Until the 19th century, in an [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] synagogue, all seats most often faced the Torah Ark. In a [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] synagogue, seats were usually arranged around the perimeter of the sanctuary, but when the worshipers stood up to pray, everyone faced the Ark.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

===Special seats===
Many current synagogues have an elaborate chair named for the prophet [[Elijah]], which is only sat upon during the ceremony of [[Brit milah]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zaklikowski |first1=David |title=The Chair of Elijah and Welcoming the Baby |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144123/jewish/The-Chair-of-Elijah-and-Welcoming-the-Baby.htm#footnote5a144123 |publisher=Chabad |access-date=13 September 2018}}</ref>

In ancient synagogues, a special chair placed on the wall facing Jerusalem and next to the Torah Shrine was reserved for the prominent members of the congregation and for important guests.<ref name="Moses">The Interactive Bible, [http://www.bible.ca/synagogues/Moses-Seat-Metaphor-Pride-reader-leader-judge-Architectural-ancient-Synagogue-pre-70AD-standardized-typology-design-incorporated-adopted-similarities-into-church.htm  ''Synagogue Moses' Seat: Metaphor of Pride'']</ref> Such a stone-carved and inscribed seat was discovered at archaeological excavations in the synagogue at [[Chorazin]] in [[Galilee]] and dates from the 4th–6th century;<ref>[[Israel Museum]], [http://museum.imj.org.il/imagine/galleries/viewItemE.asp?case=6&itemNum=536019 Elaborate seat, Chorazin synagogue]</ref> another one was discovered at the [[Delos Synagogue]], complete with a footstool.

==Rules for attendees==
===Removing one's shoes===
In [[Yemen]], the Jewish custom was to remove one's shoes immediately prior to entering the synagogue, a custom that had been observed by Jews in other places in earlier times.<ref>[[Yosef Qafih|Joseph Kafih]], ''Jewish Life in Sanà'', [[Ben-Zvi Institute]]: Jerusalem 1982, p. 64 (note 3) {{ISBN|965-17-0137-4}}. There, Rabbi Kafih recalls the following story in the [[Jerusalem Talmud]] (''Baba Metzi'a'' 2:8): "Yehudah, the son of [[Judah ha-Nasi|Rebbe]], entered a synagogue and left his sandals [outside], and they were stolen. He then said, 'Had I not gone to the synagogue, my sandals would not have gone-off.'" The custom of never entering a synagogue while wearing one's shoes is also mentioned in the [[Cairo Geniza]] manuscripts: "While he is yet outside, let him take-off his shoes or sandals from his feet and then enter barefoot, since such is the way of servants to walk barefoot before their lords... We have a minor sanctuary, and we are required to behave with sanctity and fear [in it], as it says: ''And you shall fear my hallowed place''." (v. ''Halakhot Eretz Yisrael min ha-Geniza'' [''The Halacha of the Land of Israel from the Geniza''], ed. Mordechai Margaliot, [[Mossad Harav Kook]]: Jerusalem 1973, pp. 131–132; Taylor-Schechter New Series 135, [[Cambridge University Library]] / Oxford MS. 2700).</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Ishtori Haparchi|author-link=Ishtori Haparchi|editor=Avraham Yosef Havatzelet|title=Kaftor wa-Ferach|edition=3 |volume=1 (chapter 7) |page=150 |year=2004|publisher=Ha-makhon le-limudei mitzvot ha-aretz |location=Jerusalem|language=he|oclc=1284902315}}</ref> The same practice of removing one's shoes before entering the synagogue was also largely observed among Jews in [[Morocco]] in the early 20th century. On the island of [[Djerba]] in [[Tunisia]], Jews still remove their shoes when entering a synagogue. The custom of removing one's shoes is no longer practiced in Israel, the United Kingdom, or the United States, and which custom, as in former times, was dependent upon whether or not the wearer considered it a thing of contempt to stand before God while wearing shoes. In Christian countries, where it was thought not offensive to stand before a king while wearing shoes, it was likewise permitted to do so in a house of prayer.<ref>{{cite book|author-first=Solomon |author-last=Duran |author-link=Solomon ben Simon Duran |title=Questions & Responsa (Sefer ha-Rashbash) |editor=Moshe Sovel |publisher=Mekhon or ha-mizraḥ |location=Jerusalem |date=1998|page=responsum no. 285 |oclc=233235765 |language=he }}</ref> However, in Karaite Judaism, the custom of removing one's shoes prior to entering a synagogue is still observed worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 24, 2016|title=The Jews who take off their shoes for shul|url=https://www.thejc.com/judaism/features/the-jews-who-take-off-their-shoes-for-shul-1.24072|access-date=2022-01-15|website=www.thejc.com}}</ref>

===Gender separation===
{{main|mechitza}}
In Orthodox synagogues, men and women do not sit together. The synagogue features a partition ({{lang|he-Latn|[[mechitza]]}}) dividing the men's and women's seating areas, or a separate women's section located on a balcony.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/mehitzah-separate-seating-in-the-synagogue/|title=Mechitzah: Separate Seating in the Synagogue|website=My Jewish Learning|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-27}}</ref>

==Denominational differences==
===Reform Judaism===
[[File:Congregation_Emanu-El_of_the_City_New_York.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Congregation Emanu-El of New York]]]]
The German–Jewish Reform movement, which arose in the early 19th century, made many changes to the traditional look of the synagogue, keeping with its desire to simultaneously stay Jewish yet be accepted by the surrounding culture.

The [[Hamburg Temple|first Reform synagogue]], which opened in [[Hamburg]] in 1811, introduced changes that made the synagogue look more like a church. These included: the installation of an [[Organ (music)|organ]] to accompany the prayers (even on [[Shabbat]], when musical instruments are proscribed by [[halakha]]), a choir to accompany the hazzan, and vestments for the synagogue rabbi to wear.<ref>Rabbi Ken Spiro. [http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History_Part_54_-_Reform_Movement.asp "Crash Course in Jewish History Part 54 - Reform Movement"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118030842/http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History_Part_54_-_Reform_Movement.asp |date=2012-01-18 }}, Aish.com</ref>

In following decades, the central reader's table, the [[Bema#Judaism|Bimah]], was moved to the front of the Reform sanctuary—previously unheard-of in Orthodox synagogues.<ref>{{cite book
   |title=The Chasam Sofer |author=Yisroel Besser
   |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4226-2232-2  |publisher=[[Artscroll]]
   |page=10  |quote=a ''bimah'' must be in the middle}}</ref>

Gender separation was also removed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stolzman |first=Henry |title=Synagogue architecture in America: faith, spirit & identity |last2=Stolzman |first2=Daniel |last3=Hausman |first3=Tami |date=2004 |publisher=Images Publishing |isbn=978-1-86470-074-9 |edition=1. publ |location=Mulgrave, Victoria}}</ref>

==Synagogue as community center==
Synagogues often take on a broader role in modern Jewish communities and may include additional facilities such as a catering hall, kosher kitchen, [[religious school]], [[library]], [[day care center]] and a smaller chapel for daily services.

==Synagogue offshoots==
Since many Orthodox and some non-Orthodox Jews prefer to collect a minyan (a quorum of ten) rather than pray alone, they commonly assemble at pre-arranged times in offices, living rooms, or other spaces when these are more convenient than formal synagogue buildings. A room or building that is used this way can become a dedicated small synagogue or prayer room. Among Ashkenazi Jews they are traditionally called {{lang|yi-Latn|[[shtiebel]]}} ({{lang|yi|שטיבל}}, pl. {{lang|yi-Latn|shtiebelekh}} or {{lang|yi-Latn|shtiebels}}, Yiddish for "little house"), and are found in Orthodox communities worldwide.

Another type of communal prayer group, favored by some contemporary Jews, is the ''[[chavurah]]'' ({{lang|he|חבורה}}, pl. ''chavurot'', {{lang|he|חבורות}}), or prayer fellowship. These groups meet at a regular place and time, either in a private home or in a synagogue or other institutional space. In [[classical antiquity|antiquity]], the [[Pharisees]] lived near each other in ''chavurot'' and dined together to ensure that none of the food was unfit for consumption.<ref>[[Alan F. Segal]], ''Rebecca's Children: Judaism and Christianity in the Roman World'', [[Harvard University Press]], 1986, 125.</ref>

==List of "great synagogues"==
Some synagogues bear the title "[[Great Synagogue (disambiguation)|Great Synagogue]]".{{dubious|What is the definition?|date=July 2018}}

===Israel===
[[File:Belz World Center Outside.jpg|thumb|The [[Belz Great Synagogue]] (2000)]]
* The [[Belz Great Synagogue]], Jerusalem
* The [[Great Synagogue (Jerusalem)|Great Synagogue of Jerusalem]]

===Europe===
'''Ukraine'''
* The [[Kharkiv Choral Synagogue]]
* The [[Great Choral Synagogue (Kyiv)]], Ukraine

==== Russia ====
[[File:Moscow_05-2017_img31_Choral_Synagogue.jpg|thumb|[[Moscow Choral Synagogue|Choral Synagogue of Moscow]]]]

* The [[Moscow Choral Synagogue]]
* The [[Grand Choral Synagogue]] of St. Petersburg

====Poland====
* The Great Synagogues of [[Great Synagogue, Warsaw|Warsaw]] and [[Great Synagogue, Łódź|Łódź]], destroyed by Nazis during [[World War II]].
* The [[Włodawa Synagogue|Great Synagogue]] of [[Włodawa]]

====Czech Republic====
* The [[Great Synagogue (Plzeň)|Great Synagogue of Plzeň]]

====Hungary====
[[File:Ceiling_New_Synagogue_Szeged_Hungary.jpg|thumb|Interior of the [[Szeged Synagogue|Synagogue of Szeged]]]]

* The [[Dohány Street Synagogue]] in [[Budapest]], Hungary
* The [[Szeged Synagogue|Synagogue of Szeged]]<ref>1340 seats, the synagogue is 48 meters long, 35 meters wide, and 48.6 meters high.</ref>

====Austria====
* The [[Leopoldstädter Tempel]] of [[Vienna]], destroyed during the "[[Kristallnacht]]" pogrom. Served as model for many other important synagogues.

====Germany====
[[File:Alte_Synagoge_Essen_2014.jpg|thumb|[[Old Synagogue (Essen)]]]]

* The [[New Synagogue (Berlin)|New Synagogue of Berlin]]
* The [[Old Synagogue (Erfurt)]]
* The [[Old Synagogue (Essen)]]

====Netherlands====
* The [[Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam)|Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam]]

====Scandinavia====
* The [[Stockholm Synagogue|Great Synagogue of Stockholm]]

====France and Belgium====
* The [[Grand Synagogue of Paris]]
* The [[Great Synagogue of Europe|Great Synagogue of Brussels]] (also known as the Great Synagogue of Europe)

====Italy====
[[File:Firenze_interno_del_Tempio_Israelitico.jpg|thumb|Interior of the [[Great Synagogue of Florence]]]]

* The [[Great Synagogue of Florence]]
* The [[Great Synagogue of Rome]]
* The [[Synagogue of Trieste]]

====Romania====
* The [[Cetate Synagogue]] of [[Timișoara]], 
* The [[Fabric Synagogue]] of [[Timișoara]], [[Romania]]
* The [[Templul Coral|Choral Temple]] of [[Bucharest]]

====Serbia====
[[File:Subotica Synagogue, interior.jpg|thumb|Interior of the [[Subotica Synagogue]]]]
* The [[Novi Sad Synagogue|Synagogue of Novi Sad]]
* The [[Subotica Synagogue|Synagogue of Subotica]]

==== Bosnia and Herzegovina ====

* The [[Sarajevo Synagogue|Synagogue of Sarajevo]]
* The [[Jewish Community of Doboj|Synagogue of Doboj]]

==== Bulgaria ====

* The [[Sofia Synagogue|Synagogue of Sofia]]

[[File:SarajevoSynagogue.JPG|thumb|upright|220px|The Synagogue, [[Sarajevo]]]]
[[File:Sinagogadoboj.JPG|thumb|upright|220px|[[Jewish Community of Doboj|The Synagogue]], 
[[Doboj]]]]

====Turkey (European part)====
* The [[Edirne Synagogue|Grand Synagogue of Edirne]]

==== United Kingdom ====
* The [[Great Synagogue of London]], destroyed by aerial bombing in the London Blitz in 1941

===Tunisia===
* The [[Grand Synagogue of Tunis]]
* The [[El Ghriba synagogue]] of [[Djerba]]

===Australia===
* The [[Great Synagogue (Sydney)|Great Synagogue of Sydney]]

==World's largest synagogues==
[[File:Beis Midrash Gur, Jerusalem, Israel.jpg|thumb|Congregants inside the [[Ger (Hasidic dynasty)#Center|Great Beth Midrash Gur]] ]]
[[File:Amsterdam, Portugese Synagoge, (17 januari 2015) 131.JPG|thumb|[[Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam)]] ]]

===Israel/Palestine===
* The largest synagogue in the world is the [[Ger (Hasidic dynasty)#Center|Great Beth Midrash Gur]], in Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine, whose main sanctuary seats up to 20,000, and has an area of approximately {{convert|7500|m2|sqft|abbr=on}}, while the entire complex has an area of approximately {{convert|35000|m2|sqft|abbr=on}}. Construction on the edifice took more than 25 years.<ref>{{cite news |author=Shaul Kahana|date=January 9, 2022|title=גור קיבלו טופס ארבע - לבית הכנסת הגדול בעולם|language=he|newspaper=[[Kikar HaShabbat (website)|Kikar HaShabbat]]|url=https://www.kikar.co.il/409633.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Nitzhia Yaakov|date=April 20, 2023|title=הכי ביהדות: התנ"ך הזעיר, המגילה הארוכה ובית הכנסת ל-30 אלף מתפללים|language=he|newspaper=[[ynet]]|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/judaism/article/by0irbyf3}}</ref>
* Kehilat Kol HaNeshama, a Reform synagogue located in [[Baka, Jerusalem]], is the largest Reform (and largest non-Orthodox) Jewish synagogue in Israel.<ref>{{cite news |author=Nathan Jeffay |date=January 12, 2011 |title=The Heart of Israel's Reform Judaism |newspaper=[[The Forward]] |url=http://forward.com/news/134639/the-heart-of-israel-s-reform-judaism/}}</ref>

===Europe===
* The [[Dohány Street Synagogue]] in [[Budapest]], Hungary, is the largest synagogue in Europe by square footage and number of seats. It seats 3,000, and has an area of {{convert|1200|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} and height of {{convert|26|m|abbr=on}} (apart from the towers, which are {{convert|43|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}).<ref>{{cite news |title=Out of Darkness, New Life |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/travel/30dayout.html?scp=1&sq=largest+synagogue+in+Europe&st=nyt |access-date=2008-03-12 |first=Nicholas |last=Kulish |date=30 December 2007}}</ref>
* The [[Synagogue of Trieste]] is the largest synagogue in Western Europe.
* The [[Great Synagogue of Rome]] is one of the greatest in Europe.
* The [[Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam)|Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam]], also called "Esnoga", was built in 1675. At that time it was the largest synagogue in the world. Apart from the buildings surrounding the synagogue, it has an area of {{convert|1008|m2|sqft|abbr=on}}, is {{convert|19.5|m|sp=us}} high. It was built to accommodate 1,227 men and 440 women.<ref name="google">{{cite book |last1=Snyder |first1=S. C. |title=Acculturation and Particularism in the Modern City: Synagogue Building and Jewish Identity in Northern Europe |date=2008 |publisher=University of Michigan |isbn=978-0-549-81897-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsvvqDf9pMsC |access-date=2014-12-07}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
* [[Szeged Synagogue]] is located in [[Szeged]], Hungary, seats 1,340 and has height of {{convert|48.5|m|abbr=on}}.
* The [[Sofia Synagogue]] is located in [[Sofia]], Bulgaria, seating about 1,200.
* The [[Subotica Synagogue]] is located in [[Subotica]], Serbia, seating more than 900.
* [[Great Synagogue (Plzeň)]] in the Czech Republic is the second-largest synagogue in Europe, and the third-largest in the world.

===North America===
* [[Baron Hirsch Synagogue]], an Orthodox synagogue in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], was the largest in the United States at the time of its dedication in 1957, seating 2,200 worshippers with an additional accommodation for 1,000 in its main sanctuary.<ref>"Orthodox Synagogue to Be Dedicated November 28–30." Memphis Commercial Appeal, October 21, 1957.</ref> The synagogue moved in 1988, but the building remains in use as a church.
* The [[Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)|Satmar]] synagogue in [[Kiryas Joel]], New York, which is said to seat "several thousand", is also very large.<ref>{{cite book |author=Rabbi Yitschak Rudomin |url=http://www.jpi.org/holocaust/hlchp7a.htm |publisher=Jewish Professionals Institute (JPI) |title=The Second World War and Jewish Education in America: The Fall and Rise of Orthodoxy |chapter=Rebbes, Hasidim, and Authentic Kehillahs}}</ref>
* [[Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar (Rodney Street, Brooklyn)]] is also said to seat "several thousand".
* [[Temple Emanu-El of New York]], a [[Temple|Reform Temple]], is located in New York City, with an area of {{convert|3,523|m2|sqft|abbr=on}}, seating 2,500. It is the largest Reform synagogue in the world.
* [[Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar (Hooper Street, Brooklyn)]] seats between 2,000 and 4,000 congregants.
* The main sanctuary of [[Adas Israel Congregation (Washington, D.C.)]] seats 1,500.
* Temple Emanu-El (Miami Beach, Florida) located in [[Miami Beach, Florida]], seats approximately 1,400 people.
* [[Congregation Shaare Zion]], an Orthodox Sephardic synagogue located in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], is the largest [[Syrian Jewish]] congregation in New York City. It is attended by over 1,000 worshipers on weekends.
* [[Beth Tzedec Congregation]] in Toronto, Ontario, is the largest Conservative synagogue in North America.
* [[Temple Israel (Memphis, Tennessee)|Temple Israel]], a Reform synagogue in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], seats 1,335 to 1,500 people in its main sanctuary. The massive synagogue complex contains over {{convert|125,000|sqft|order=flip|abbr=on}} on {{convert|30|acre|order=flip}}.

==World's oldest synagogues==
{{Main|List of oldest synagogues}}
[[File:Sardis_Synagogue,_late_3rd_century_AD,_Sardis,_Lydia,_Turkey_(19331773400).jpg|thumb|[[Sardis Synagogue]] (3rd century CE) [[Sardis]], Turkey]]
[[File:Duraeuropa-1-.gif|thumb|right|[[Fresco]] at the Dura-Europos synagogue, illustrating a scene from the [[Book of Esther]], 244 CE.]]

* The earliest evidence for a synagogue is a stone-carved synagogue dedication inscription found in Lower [[Egypt]] and dating from the second half of the 3rd century BCE.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pfeiffer|first=Stefan|title=Griechische und lateinische Inschriften zum Ptolemäerreich und zur römischen Provinz Aegyptus|series=Einführungen und Quellentexte zur Ägyptologie|volume=9|publisher=Lit|location=Münster|year=2015|language=German|page=100}}</ref>
* The oldest [[Samaritan]] synagogue, the [[Delos Synagogue]], dates from between 150 and 128&nbsp;BCE, or earlier and is located on the island of [[Delos]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Donald D. Binder |url=http://www.pohick.org/sts/delos.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907135251/http://www.pohick.org/sts/delos.html |archive-date=September 7, 2012 |title=Delos }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=July 2017}}
* The [[Dura-Europos synagogue|synagogue of Dura Europos]], a Seleucid city in north eastern Syria, dates from the third century CE. It is unique. The walls were painted with figural scenes from the Tanakh. The paintings included Abraham and Isaac, Moses and Aaron, Solomon, Samuel and Jacob, Elijah and Ezekiel. The synagogue chamber, with its surviving paintings, is reconstructed in the National Museum in Damascus.
* The [[Old Synagogue (Erfurt)|Old Synagogue]] in [[Erfurt]], Germany, parts of which date to c.1100, is the oldest intact synagogue building in Europe. It is now used as a museum of local Jewish history.
*The [[Kochangadi Synagogue]] (1344&nbsp;CE to 1789&nbsp;CE) in [[Kochi]] in the [[Kerala]], built by the [[Cochin Jews|Malabar Jews]]. It was destroyed by [[Tipu Sultan]] in 1789&nbsp;CE and was never rebuilt. An inscription tablet from this synagogue is the oldest relic from any synagogue in India. [[List of synagogues in Kerala|Eight other synagogues exist in Kerala]] though not in active use anymore.

[[File:The Paradesi Synagogue during Covid-19 pandemic.jpg|thumb|The [[Paradesi Synagogue]] in Jew Town, Kochi, during the COVID-19 pandemic.]]

* The [[Paradesi Synagogue]] is the oldest active synagogue in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], located in Kochi, [[Kerala]], in India. It was built in 1568 by [[Paradesi Jews|Paradesi community]] in the Kingdom of Cochin. Paradesi is a word used in several Indian languages, and the literal meaning of the term is "foreigners", applied to the synagogue because it was historically used by "White Jews", a mixture of Jews of the Middle East, and European exiles. It is also referred to as the Cochin Jewish Synagogue or the Mattancherry Synagogue. The synagogue is located in the quarter of Old Cochin known as Jew Town and is the only one of the [[List of synagogues in Kerala|eight synagogues]] in the area still in use.
* [[Jew's Court]], Steep Hill, [[Lincoln, England]], is arguably the oldest synagogue in Europe in current use.

===Oldest synagogues in the United States===
[[File:Touro_Synagogue,_Newport,_Rhode_Island.jpg|thumb|[[Touro Synagogue]], the [[Oldest synagogues in the United States|oldest surviving synagogue building]] in the U.S.]]
[[File:Touro Synagogue, Newport, RI.jpg|thumb|right|[[Touro Synagogue]], the [[Oldest synagogues in the United States|oldest surviving synagogue building]] in the U.S.]]
[[File:Interieur van de Portugese synagoge te Amsterdam, SK-A-3738.jpg|thumb|upright|Painting of the interior of the [[Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam)]] by [[Emanuel de Witte]] ({{circa|1680}})]]

{{Main|List of the oldest synagogues in the United States}}
* [[Congregation Shearith Israel]], in [[New York City]], founded in 1654, is the oldest congregation in the United States. Its present building dates from 1897.
* The [[Touro Synagogue]] in [[Newport, Rhode Island]], is the oldest Jewish house of worship in North America that is still standing. It was built in 1759 for the [[Jeshuat Israel]] congregation, which was established in 1658.

==Other famous synagogues==
* The [[Worms Synagogue]] in Germany, built in 1175 and razed on [[Kristallnacht]] in 1938, was painstakingly reconstructed using many of the original stones. It is still in use as a synagogue.
* The [[Synagogue of El Transito]] of [[Toledo, Spain]], was built in 1356 by [[Samuel ha-Levi]], treasurer of King Pedro I of [[Crown of Castile|Castile]]. This is one of the best examples of [[Mudéjar]] architecture in Spain. The design of the synagogue recalls the Nasrid style of architecture that was employed during the same period in the decorations of the palace of the [[Alhambra]] in Granada as well as the [[Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba|Mosque of Córdoba]]. Since 1964, this site has hosted a Sephardi museum.
* The [[Hurva Synagogue]], located in the [[Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem)|Jewish Quarter]] of the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City]] of [[Jerusalem]], was Jerusalem's main Ashkenazi synagogue from the 16th century until 1948, when it was destroyed by the [[Arab Legion]] several days after the conquest of the city. After the [[Six-Day War]], an arch was built to mark the spot where the synagogue stood. A complete reconstruction, to plans drawn up by architect [[Nahum Meltzer]], opened in March 2010.
* The [[Abdallah Ibn Salam Mosque]] or [[Oran]], Algeria, built in 1880, but converted into a mosque in 1975 when most [[Algerian Jews]] had left the country for France following independence.
*The [[Nidhe Israel Synagogue]] ("Bridgetown Synagogue") of [[Barbados]], located in the capital city of [[Bridgetown]], was first built in 1654. It was destroyed in the [[hurricane]] of 1831 and reconstructed in 1833.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nidhe Israel Synagogue |publisher=planetware |url=http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/bridgetown-bar-mi-bdgtn.htm#BAR-MI-SYN}}</ref>
* The [[Curaçao synagogue]] or ''Snoa'' in [[Willemstad]], [[Curaçao]], [[Netherlands Antilles]] was built by Sephardic Portuguese Jews from Amsterdam and Recife, Brazil. It is modeled after the Esnoga in Amsterdam. Congregation Mikvé Israel built this synagogue in 1692; it was reconstructed in 1732.
* The [[Bialystoker Synagogue]] on New York's [[Lower East Side]], is located in a landmark building dating from 1826 that was originally a [[Methodist Episcopal Church]]. The building is made of quarry stone mined locally on Pitt Street, Manhattan. It is an example of [[federal architecture]]. The ceilings and walls are hand-painted with [[zodiac]] [[fresco]]s, and the sanctuary is illuminated by {{convert|40|ft|m|2|adj=on}} stained glass windows. The bimah and floor-to-ceiling ark are handcarved.
* The [[Great Synagogue of Florence]], '''Tempio Maggiore''', Florence, 1874–1882, is an example of the magnificent, cathedral-like synagogues built in almost every major European city in the 19th century and early 20th century.
* Boston's 1920 [[Vilna Shul]] is a rare surviving intact Immigrant Era synagogue.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.vilnashul.org| title = Vilna Shul}}</ref>
* The  Northstar Synagogue in Arkhangelsk, Russia is the world's northernmost synagogue building at 65.55 degrees north, second to the synagogue in Fairbanks Alaska.<ref>{{Cite web |last=JTA |title=World’s northernmost JCC opens in Russian Arctic city |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/worlds-northernmost-jcc-opens-in-russian-arctic-city/ |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=www.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
* The [[Görlitz Synagogue]] in [[Görlitz]], Germany, was built in Jugendstil style between 1909 and 1911. Damaged, but not destroyed, during the [[Kristallnacht]] riots, the synagogue was bought by the City Council in 1963. After extensive renovations concluding in late 2020, the main sanctuary (Kuppelsaal with 310 seats) will be reopened for general culture, and the small synagogue (Wochentags-Synagoge, with space for around 45 visitors)

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:CZZSVg018348-07.jpg|The [[Great Synagogue of Tunis]], Tunisia
File:Zarzis Synagogue.JPG|The [[Zarzis Synagogue]], Tunisia
File:Alte Synagoge Erfurt.JPG|The [[Old Synagogue (Erfurt)]] is the oldest intact synagogue building in [[Europe]].
File:Berlin Neue Synagoge 2005.jpg|The [[New Synagogue (Berlin)|New Synagogue]] in [[Berlin]], Germany
File:Frankfurt Hauptsynagoge 1885.jpg|The main synagogue of the city of [[Frankfurt am Main]] (Germany) before the [[Kristallnacht]]
File:Köln synagoge pano.jpg|The [[Roonstrasse Synagogue]] in [[Cologne]], Germany
File:RoyLindmanBethYaakovSynagogueGeneva 001.jpg|[[Beth Yaakov Synagogue]], Switzerland
File:Basler Synagoge(ws) retouched.jpg|The Great Synagogue of Basel in [[Basel]], Switzerland
File:Åbo synagoga, den 27 juni 2007, bild 1.jpg|The [[Turku Synagogue]] in [[Turku]], Finland
File:SynaStPersburgExt.JPG|The [[Grand Choral Synagogue]] of [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia
File:SynagogueSantiago.jpg|The Great Synagogue of [[Santiago]], Chile
File:GerardDoustraatSynagogue.jpg|The Synagogue in the Gerard Doustraat in [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands
File:EsnogaAmsterdam.jpg|The [[Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam)|Portuguese Synagogue]] in [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands
File:Synagogue - Budapest.jpg|The [[Dohány Street Synagogue]] in [[Budapest]], Hungary
File:Synagogue, Szombathely, Hungary.jpg|Synagogue, [[Szombathely]], Hungary
File:Old new synagogue in Prague - inside.jpg|[[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] interior of the 13th-century [[Old New Synagogue]] of [[Prague]], Czech Republic
File:Great Synagogue Plzen CZ general view.JPG|The [[Great Synagogue (Plzeň)|Great Synagogue]] in [[Plzeň]], Czech Republic
File:Lesko synagoga.jpg|The [[Lesko Synagogue]] in [[Lesko]], Poland
File:Synagoga Bobowa.JPG|The Bobowa Synagogue in [[Bobowa]], Poland
File:Beogradska sinagoga.jpg|[[Belgrade Synagogue|Sukkat Shalom Synagogue]] in [[Belgrade]], Serbia
File:Synagogue in Subotica.jpg|[[Subotica Synagogue|Jakab and Komor Square Synagogue]] in [[Subotica]], Serbia
File:Синагога у Новом Саду 3.JPG|The [[Novi Sad Synagogue|Jewish Street Synagogue]] in [[Novi Sad]], Serbia
File:Sinagoga Kadoorie10.jpg|[[Kadoorie Synagogue]] in [[Porto]], Portugal, the largest synagogue in the [[Iberian Peninsula]]
File:Besht Shul1 Medzhibozh.jpg|The [[Baal Shem Tov]]'s shul in [[Medzhybizh]], Ukraine ({{circa|1915}}), destroyed and recently rebuilt
File:Synagoge auf Gelaende der Universtaet Tel Aviv.jpg|The [[Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center]] at [[Tel Aviv University]]
File:Kherson-Synagogue01.jpg|The synagogue of [[Kherson]], Ukraine
File:Or Zaruaa synagogue, founded by Rabbi Amram Aburbeh in Nahlat Ahim, Jerusalem, Israel exterior photo; showing location on 3 Refali street..jpg|[[Or Zaruaa Synagogue, Jerusalem, Israel]], founded in 1926.
File:Hurva synagogue.jpg|The Hurva Synagogue towered over the [[Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem)|Jewish Quarter]] of [[Jerusalem]] from 1864 until 1948, when it was destroyed in war.
File:Hakhurba-synagogue01m.jpg|The remains of the [[Hurva Synagogue]] as they appeared from 1977 to 2003. The synagogue has been rebuilt in 2010.
File:Istanbul Ashkenazi Sinagogue Interior.JPG|The [[Ashkenazi Synagogue of Istanbul]], Turkey
File:Karaite synagogue cali.jpg|The interior of a [[Karaite Judaism|Karaite]] synagogue
File:Jewish synagouge kochi india.jpg|The [[Paradesi Synagogue]] in [[Kochi]], India
File:Kiev34.jpg|The [[Great Choral Synagogue (Kyiv)|Great Choral Synagogue]] in [[Kyiv]], Ukraine
File:Great Synagogue of Rome 01.JPG|[[Great Synagogue of Rome]], Italy
File:RoyLindmanAbuhavSynagogueZefatIsrael 001.jpg|[[Abuhav synagogue]], Israel
File:Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue, exterior.jpg|[[Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue]], Israel
File:RoyLindmanSantaMarialaBlancaSynagogue 002.jpg|[[Santa María la Blanca]], Spain
File:RoyLindmanCordobaSynagogue 003.jpg|[[Córdoba Synagogue]], Spain
File:RoyLindmanElTransito 003.jpg|[[El Transito Synagogue]], Spain
File:Sofia Synagogue.jpg|[[Sofia Synagogue]], Bulgaria
File:BUCTemplulCoral.jpg|[[Templul Coral|The Choral Temple]], [[Bucharest]], Romania
File:Sinagoga din Targu Mures.jpg|Synagogue of [[Târgu Mureș]], Romania
File:Caravan shul interior.jpg|Interior of a "[[caravanim|caravan]] shul" (synagogue housed in a trailer-type facility), [[Neve Yaakov]], [[Jerusalem]]
File:Ohev Sholom - The National Synagogue.JPG|[[Ohev Sholom – The National Synagogue]] in Washington, D.C.
File:ASCALON STUDIOS, David Ascalon, Lincoln Square Synagogue Ark New York.jpg|Sanctuary ark, [[Lincoln Square Synagogue]], New York City (2013), created by [[David Ascalon]]
File:Central Synagogue Lex jeh.jpg|The [[Central Synagogue (Manhattan)|Central Synagogue]] in [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]]
File:Temple Emanu-El Synagogue.jpg|Temple Emanu-El, Neo-[[Byzantine]] style synagogue in [[Miami Beach, Florida]]
File:Bevis Marks Synagogue 01.JPG|[[Bevis Marks Synagogue]], [[City of London]], the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom
File:Stockholms synagoga 2010.JPG|[[Stockholm Synagogue]], Sweden
File:Brisbane Synagogue.jpg|[[Brisbane Hebrew Congregation|Brisbane Synagogue]], Australia
File:אום אל קנאטיר 2.jpg|[[Umm el-Qanatir#ancient synagogue|Ein Keshatot synagogue]] (active 5th–8th centuries), Israel
File:Plymouth Synagogue.jpg|[[Plymouth Synagogue]], England, the oldest synagogue built by Ashkenazi Jews in the [[Anglosphere|English speaking world]]
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Architecture|Judaism|Religion}}
* [[List of synagogues]]
* [[List of synagogues in the United States]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Cohen |first=Shaye J. D. |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-history-of-judaism/temple-and-the-synagogue/AFA83581E6314B2CB8AAA104802B7EC7 |title=The Early Roman Period |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=1999 |isbn=9781139053662 |editor-last=Horbury |editor-first=William |series=The Cambridge History of Judaism |volume=3 |location= |pages=298–325 |chapter=The Temple and the synagogue |editor-last2=Davies |editor-first2=W. D. |editor-last3=Sturdy |editor-first3=John |archive-date=22 December 2024 |access-date=22 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222213921/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-history-of-judaism/temple-and-the-synagogue/AFA83581E6314B2CB8AAA104802B7EC7 |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Levine |first=Lee I. |author-link=Lee I. Levine |url=https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300106282/the-ancient-synagogue/ |title=The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2005 |isbn=0-300-10628-9 |series= |volume= |location=New Haven & London |pages= |chapter= |edition=2nd |archive-date=25 December 2024 |access-date=25 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225210326/https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300106282/the-ancient-synagogue/ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=Messinas |first=Ēlias V. |editor-last=Gruber |editor-first=Samuel D. |editor-link=Samuel D. Gruber |date=2022 |title=Synagogues of Greece: A Study of Synagogues in Macedonia and Thrace with Architectural Drawings of All Synagogues of Greece |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DDJ-zwEACAAJ |location=[[Seattle]] |publisher=[[Kindle Direct Publishing]] |page= |isbn=979-8-8069-0288-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Young |first=Penny |date=2014 |title=Dura Europos: A City for Everyman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gIKkoAEACAAJ |location=<!--Original citation said [[Diss, Norfolk]], but can't find anything verifying this. I'll leave it here for if someone else can.--> |publisher=Twopenny Press |page= |isbn=978-0-9561703-4-7}}

==External links==
* {{Commons-inline|Synagogue}}
* {{Wikiquote-inline|Synagogue}}
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14160-synagogue/ Jewish Encyclopedia: Synagogue]

{{Jews and Judaism}}
{{Place of worship}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Synagogues| ]]
[[Category:Building types]]
[[Category:Jewish buildings]]
[[Category:Jewish holy places]]