Synagogue architecture

Unlike other types of religious architecture where worship buildings often conform to consistent rules for a given architectural period such as the cruciform plan of Gothic churches, or beehive-shaped shikaras of Hindu temple architecture, dominant styles and periods are not present in the history of synagogue architecture. Instead, synagogues have followed styles in vogue at the place and time of construction. Even ancient synagogues show this variation — the ruined synagogue of Merom is in severe Doric style while that of Kafr Bir’im employs a Græco-Roman modification of Corinthian architectural style. Synagogues do incorporate some common features in the interior, but even that is subject to variation.

Blueprint for synagogues

It is a myth that synagogues are based on the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem however this is much debatable. There is no set blueprint for synagogues and the architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. Other local religious buildings and national culture usually influence synagogue architecture. The myth may have arisen because synagogues have been referred to in the Rabbinical Literature as Little Temples and indeed their popularity originated with the destruction of the original Temple as an alternative to the central worship in Jerusalem. According to tradition, the Divine Presence can be found wherever there is a "minyan" (a quorum, of ten — in Orthodox Judaism defined as ten Jewish men aged 13 or over).

A synagogue may contain any (or none) of these features: an ark, called "aron ha-kodesh" by Ashkenazim and "hekhal" by Sephardim, where the Torah scrolls are kept (the ark is often closed with an ornate curtain (parokhet) outside or inside the ark doors); a large elevated reader's platform, called "bimah" by eastern Ashkenazim, "almemmar" (or "balemmer") by Central and Western Ashkenazim and "tebah" by Sephardim, where the Torah is read (and from where the services are conducted in Sephardi synagogues); a "ner tamid", a constantly lit light as a reminder of the constantly lit "menorah" of the Temple in Jerusalem; and, mainly in Ashkenazi synagogues, a pulpit facing the congregation to preach from and a pulpit or "amud" (Hebrew for "post" or "column") facing the Ark for the "Hazzan" (reader) to lead the prayers from. A synagogue may have artworks — especially ornamentation of the main interior features; but normally not sculpture in the round, as these are considered to be like idolatry.(it was long believed that premodern synogoges had no artistic decoration, but such discoveries as the synogoges at dura-europos and beth alpha have disproved this) Rabbis have suggested that a synagogue should have twelve windows, plain or depicting the Twelve Tribes of Israel, to remind participants that their prayers are not individual but communal, i.e., for all the people of Israel, present or not. This particular suggestion, however, is honored far more in the breach than in the observance.

The synagogue, or if it is a multi-purpose building, prayer sanctuaries within the synagogue, should face towards Jerusalem. Thus sanctuaries in the Western world generally face east, while those east of Israel face west. Sanctuaries in Israel face towards Jerusalem. But this orientation need not be exact, and occasionally synagogues face other directions for structural reasons, in which case the community may face Jerusalem when standing for prayers.

Exterior

General styles

Though there are a few Talmudic restrictions on how synagogues could be built, namely that they had to have windows and that they had to be taller than other buildings in town, synagogue plans were generally unrestricted, and even these few rules were often disregarded (especially as Jews were often not allowed to build tall buildings). For much of history, the constraints of anti-semitism, the poverty of many Jews, and the laws of host countries on how and when synagogues could be built made synagogues relatively modest. Given these restrictions, the synagogue was almost always in the style of architecture that prevailed in the country in which it was built.

As the style of the country in which the synagogue was built was followed, naturally the style of the neighboring churches had a great influence on its architecture, only that part of the plan being Jewish which was dictated by the necessities of the form of worship. Accordingly in Strasburg, Cassel, Budweis, Munich, and Hanover well-designed and extremely interesting synagogues are found quite in the style of the neighboring churches. The conditions generally compelled the building to be inconspicuous, however, and the fulfilment of the Talmudical regulation that the synagogue should tower above the other buildings of the city was forbidden by papal authority. Sometimes the papal restriction was evaded by the erection of tall rods on the roof, so that the Talmudical regulation was complied with in letter if not in spirit.

In Italy there were many synagogues in the style of the Italian Renaissance (see Leghorn; Padua; and Venice). Those in Padua and Venice possess interiors of great beauty, and are excellent examples of Renaissance work. So, too, in England; the interiors of Great St. Helens and Duke's Place in London are well designed, and strongly suggest some of the work of Sir Christopher Wren and Inigo Jones. Similarly, in Paris pure types of French architecture are found, and throughout Europe there are synagogues in Romanesque, Gothic, and the many variations of the style of the Renaissance. Even in Japan this law is followed, as can be seen in the illustration under Nagasaki. In America the little synagogue in Newport, R. I., was built in 1763 by the prosperous colony of Spanish Jews. It was designed by a noted architect of the day in the Colonial or Georgian style, even to the minutest detail, though it was well adapted in its plan and interior disposition to the purpose of Jewish worship.

Some of the old synagogues are often irregular in shape, and are hidden away in odd angles in (courtyards, where they have been compelled to take unusual forms. The Altneue Synagogue in Prague is divided into three portions, and adjoining it is a smaller synagogue for special services. In the synagogues in Nikolsburg and Worms there are curious, vaulted ceilings, some of the arches resting on columns that must have seriously interfered with the service. The latter synagogue is probably the oldest extant in Europe. In all these cases the Ark is in a recess in a thick wall, and the almemar is in the center of the building, with no special provision for the accommodation of the worshipers.

Moorish influence

In medieval Spain (both Al-Andalus and the Christian kingdoms), a host of synagogues were built, and it was usual to commission them from Moorish architects. This constructions, built with Moorish techniques and style are framed in the Mudéjar architecture. Very few of these medieval synagogues are conserved: The two best known Spanish synagogues are in Toledo, one known as El Tránsito, the other as Santa María la Blanca, and both, undoubtedly very beautiful, are now preserved as national monuments. The former is a small building containing very rich decorations; the latter is especially noteworthy. It is based upon Almohad style and contains long rows of octagonal columns with curiously carved capitals, from which spring Moorish arches supporting the roof.

Another significative Mudéjar synagogue is the one at Córdoba built in 1315. As in El Tránsito, the vegetal and geometrical stucco decorations are purely Moorish, but unlike the former, the epigraphic texts are in Hebrew. After the expulsion from Spain there was a general feeling among wealthy Sephardim that Moorish architecture was appropriate in synagogues, and many of the most famous ones in the world have been constructed in this style, although Moorish architecture is by no means Jewish, either in fact or in feeling. The Alhambra has furnished inspiration for innumerable synagogues, but seldom have its graceful proportions or its delicate modeling and elaborate ornamentation been successfully copied.

Modern synagogue architecture

Synagogue architecture continues to reflect a mix of old and new styles, including Art Nouveau, International style, and many others.

The interior

The most common general plan for the interior of the synagogue is an Ark at the eastern end opposite the entrance, and with an almemar or pulpit. In older or Orthodox synagogues with separate seating, there may be benches for the men on either side, and a women's gallery reached by staircases from the outer vestibule. Variations of this simple plan abound: the vestibule became larger, and the stair-cases to the women's gallery were separated from the vestibule and given more importance. As the buildings became larger, rows of columns were required to support the roof, but in every case the basilican form was retained. The Ark, formerly allowed a mere niche in the wall, was developed into the main architectural feature of the interior, and was flanked with columns, covered with a canopy and richly decorated. The almemar in many cases was joined to the platform in front of the Ark, and elaborate arrangements of steps were provided.

The Ark

The Ark (usually called "Aron Hakodesh" or "Hekhál" )is the most important feature of the interior, and is generally dignified by proper decoration and raised upon a suitable platform, reached by at least three steps, but often by more. It is usually crowned by the Ten Commandments. The position of the pulpit varies; it may be placed on either side of the Ark, and is occasionally found in the center of the steps.

Other interior arrangements

The modern synagogue, besides containing the minister's study, trustees' rooms, choir-rooms, and organ-loft, devotes much space to school purposes; generally the entire lower floor is used for class-rooms. The interior treatment of the synagogue allows great latitude in design

For the thirty-three synagogues of India, American architect and professor of architecture Jay A. Waronker has learned that that these buildings tend to follow the Sephardic traditions of the tevah (or bimah, the raised platform where the service is lead and Torah read) being freestanding and roughly in the middle of the sanctuary and the ark (called the hekhal by Sephardim and the ha-kodesh by Ashkenazim) engaged along the wall that is closest to Jerusalem. The hekhals are esstentially cabinets or armoires storing the sefer Torahs. Seating, in the form of long wooden benches, is grouped around and facing the tevah. Men sit together on the main level of the sanctuary while women sit in a dedicated zone on the same level in the smaller synagogues or upstairs in a women's gallery.

Interesting architectural and planning exceptions to this common Sephardic formula are the Cochin synagogues in Kerala of far southwestern India. Here, on the gallery level and adjacent to the space provided for women and overlooking the sanctuary below, is a second tevah. This tevah was used for holidays and unique occasions. It is therefore interesting, on more special events, the woman are closest to the point where the religious service is being led.

In Baghdadi synagogues of India, the hekhals appear to be standard-sized cabinets from the outside (the side facing the sanctuary), but when opened a very large space is revealed. They are essentially walk-in rooms with a perimeter shelf holding up to one hundred sefer Torahs.

Interior decoration

There are but few emblems which may be used that are characteristically Jewish; the interlacing triangles, the lion of Judah, and flower and fruit forms alone are generally allowable in Orthodox synagogues. The perpetual lamp hangs in front of the Ark; the tables of the Law surmount it. The seven-branched candlestick, or menorah, may be placed at the sides. Occasionally the shofar, and even the lulav, may be utilized in the design. Hebrew inscriptions are sparingly or seldom used; stained-glass windows, at one time considered the special property of the Church, are now employed, but figured subjects are not used.

Further reading

* Carol Herselle Krinsky, Synagogues of Europe; Architecture, History, Meaning, MIT Press, 1985; revised edition, MIT Press, 1986; Dover reprint, 1996

References

*JewishEncyclopedia

External links

* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1213&letter=S Synagogue Architecture - JewishEncyclopedia]
* [http://www.myjewishlearning.com/daily_life/Prayer/TO_Synagogue/Synagogue_Architecture.htm Early Synagogue Architecture]
* [http://www.sacredplaces.org/PSP-InfoClearingHouse/articles/AMERICAN%20SYNAGOGUE%20ARCHITECTURE.htm American Synagogue Architecture]