A synagogue is the space where Jewish believers attend to celebrate religious ceremonies but it is also a prayer center for those faithful who want to get closer to God through prayer, and it is also used as a meeting place to dialogue about the Jewish religion and to learn more about it, especially as it relates to teaching children.
The oldest religious institution
The synagogue is the equivalent of the church for Christians and its name comes from the Greek, the language in which it means "meeting place". Regarding its origin, there are many documents and sources that lead us to consider the synagogue as one of the oldest religious institutions in the universe, which of course is ahead of the Church in age. The oldest are found in Israel, although of course, the Jewish community is vast throughout the world and then it is possible to find these holy places in all countries.
References to synagogues abound in the Bible, a fact that of course confirms that millennial presence.
It has rooms where religion is studied and common prayer spaces
Despite being comparable to the Christian church, the synagogue is not only a place of prayer or religious practices. This is so because in the total space that a Jewish religious center (or synagogue) can occupy there are also rooms where religion is studied, common prayer spaces and various types of offices or rooms that are dedicated to administrative tasks.
According to what tradition maintains, the origin of these enclosures is due to the need that the rabbis opportunely identified to find a place where prayer, the manifestation of faith, is combined with common activities of the Jewish family.
Its design does not follow a pattern. They are oriented to the city of Jerusalem
Unlike Catholic churches, which have rather similar architectural and design features, synagogues can come in many shapes, sizes and designs, some being completely simple and others extremely luxurious and opulent. In many cases the synagogues are built following the predominant architectural style in the region, using similar materials and designs.
Now, we must emphasize that most of the synagogue constructions try to be oriented to the sacred city and center of Judaism in the world such as Jerusalem.
Arch of the Torah or Holy Ark, the most important place and where the Torah is read
One of the most important parts of the interior of a synagogue is the space where the Torah or Jewish holy book is read. This space is known as the Arch of the Torah or Holy Ark. In this space is the platform from which the Torah scrolls are read, a platform known by the name of Bimah. Other important elements are the eternal light, which is achieved with a lamp or candle that remains continuously lit, the candelabrum of the seven lamps, etc.
As with other religious institutions, the synagogue has a wide variety of social activities that are offered to the community to encourage participation and commitment to the Jewish religion.
Targets of attack against the Jewish community
Due to the situation that has always surrounded the Jewish community and also as a result of the strong disputes that Israel has led with the Palestinians and other Arab countries, the synagogues have known how to be the target of attacks on the Jews. Bomb attacks have been the most recurrent and practiced format around the world, leaving many victims in their wake of course.
To counteract these violent attacks that take place and do happen, synagogues usually have extreme security measures that are precisely aimed at deterring these types of attacks. Special constructions are added to the security posts to prevent cars from parking, because of course, one of the attack modes has been car bombs.
