A synagogue is a meeting place for the Jewish community.
A synagogue is a space where people of the Jewish religion gather to pray and study the Torah . The notion also allows the congregation of Jews to be named.
A Greek word that can be translated as "congregate" came to the Latin language as synagōga and to our language as synagogue . Specifically, we are referring to the verb synagein , which can be translated as "to congregate" or "to gather" and which is the result of the sum of two components: syn , which is synonymous with "together" , and agein , which means "to lead". .
Characteristics of a synagogue
The synagogue can be defined as a meeting place . The building is generally oriented towards the city of Jerusalem . Among the elements that can be found inside, the Holy Ark that houses the Torah , the candelabra that is reminiscent of the historic candelabra of the Temple of Jerusalem and a platform on which the reading of the Torah takes place stand out.
In synagogues there are usually spaces for worship , rooms for community activities and rooms for teaching Hebrew and Jewish traditions to children.
In a synagogue the Torah is usually studied.
Its historical development
It is important to note that the concept of synagogue is not mentioned in the Torah . Its origin is attributed to the rabbis ' intention to develop a meeting place to pray and share various community issues.
The oldest synagogues on record are in Israel . It is possible to find synagogues all over the world , where the Jewish community of each locality meets.
Synagogues in Spanish territory
In Spain , taking into account that different beliefs and religions have coexisted during its history, there are synagogues in some of its most important cities that serve as an example of the past presence of Jews. This would be the case of Córdoba . Specifically, in this city is the only synagogue that has remained in Andalusia , located in the Jewish quarter area and which has been classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest .
It is a 14th century temple that was built by a builder named Isaq Moheb and stands out for its prayer room, its balconies of multi-lobed arches, its coffered ceiling and the different inscriptions it has.
In the aforementioned country, in addition to the one in Cordoba, there are other synagogues that serve as beautiful heritage and are located in Toledo :
- Synagogue of Tránsito , also known as Synagogue of Samuel ha-Leví . It dates back to the 14th century , has a marked Mudejar style and stands out for the fact that for a long time it was the most important in all of Castile .
- Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca , which dates back to the 12th century and has the particularity that in the 14th century it was transformed into a church . It is currently open to the public as a museum.
The security
Due to the various attacks that extremist groups have carried out against synagogues throughout history , these buildings usually have special security to prevent new attacks.
In this way, it is common for there to be police mobile phones and security checkpoints at the entrance to the synagogues.