• 1 I • 'tU··r -· ·· lld's · t · 1story of th� Synagqgue .1. r:l '. l Dr. Steven Fine (, and Leah Bierman Fine . I Torah Aura Productions ii I) • � -- -- -----~ -- A Child's History of the Synagogue Dr. Steven Fine and Leah Bierman Fine Torah Aura Productions ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors wou d l ke thankth e � nd vidua s for lhe.-r ass stance at vanous stagesol this pm ect·Mr JosephAvir am. l i I i l , I Israel Exploration iSoc ety: Dr Ey,.Boo Beth CongregatiEl on. Baltimore.Mrs. Sy lvla Axelrod Hen;l«,witz,Yeshiva U1wll<Sity Museum: Mrs.G ila H0tow1tz. Hebrew l)wel'Stty of Jerusalem· Prof lee I Levine, Hebrew Universityof Jerusalem The llbra,yof the Welters Art Geilery.B altimore: Prof Jodi Magness, Tufts University.Prof Susan Matheson,Yale Univers ity Art GaJle,y; Prof. Enc M Meyers. Duke Universfty; Mrs Metukah Benjamin Mrs Leah Schechter,Mrs. He len ROQO'Way, Stephen S Wise Temple en M g School; Ms, RhodaT y. Ye$h Un!Vef'Sity Museum: Mr Crai Tef1<owttz. Baltimore. Mr. Eyal Bend1coff. Ms.Amy Fechter. Mr. AriGladste:in , Ml' kk>Pre is, Beth TfiohCommun ity Day School, Balt.imore. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALONGING•IN-PUBLICATION DATA Fme, Steven. Where Goddw'ells · a child's history of the synagogueI Steven fine and Leah Bierman Fine. p c.m Summary: Explams the historyand purposeof synagogues especially three thal we<e famous arcl1aeolog,cal hnds in Israel and Syria ISBN 0-933873-06-9 I Synagogues-Histo,y Juvenile literature. 2. S)"'lagogues-lsrae�asado Site Jwerwle rrteiature 3 Synogogues-Syri&-Oura,Europos(ExUncl city) Juver>ile lilera1u1e. 4.Bel Alfa Synagogue (tlefts,Bah , lsraell Juvenile hte,alure.11. Synagogues.l I.fine, LeahB ierman, 1960- 11. Title BM653.F562 1999 296.6'0'09-dc21 99-25334 CIP A Child's History of Synagogue PHOTO CREDITS the . l=top.m . m,ddle, b=bottom StevenRoe : 7, 9, I Sb. 17b, 181.b. 37, 48b. 51t Enc M. Mey«s·49b Israel Govemmcnt Tounst Office, 14,15 Israel Explorat,onSoc iety, 181. b,20t. 20m. 22, 23 24, 45 JeW1ShMuseum of Maryland: 5.1 1 Jodi Mal"Oss, 19. fic,bertSchee ISL 16b. t7t. 21 Craig Teri<owltl 161. Yale Uweraily Art Oall enes. Di,a faopos An:twe·26. 27, 28, 31, 32. 34.35. 36. 37. 38. 39. Yeshovo Uwefs,ty MuselMI\: cove<. 4, 6.29. 37, 431, m.48t Yeshiva Uoiversrty Museum, rrom Lhe collection of Dr 03VidJesse lson, Zunch I Sm dem, The Dura Europos Syn"!J09U"its ond Fresc,,esW..rusa lem Bialik Institute, t 94 7,Hebrew) 30.331, b. 34 E L SukA>1n1k, TIN>Synagogue of Berh Alpha (Jerusalem. HebrewUnwers ,ty, 1932).40, 41, 42, 43.44, 46, 47, 49. 50 ISBN# 0.933873·06·9 CopynghtC 1999 Dr Steven Fine and Leah Ble1man Fine Pub\!ihedby Toc'ahAul'a Producuons AJI nghtsreserved No partof this publication Ma'/ be reproducedor transmitted in ail)'for m or byairy means graphite,e lectron,cor mechanlcaJ. including photooopying, recording or byany 1 nfoonauon storageand retrieval system,Without permission In writingfrom the pubf lshe< THIS BOOK IS PUBLISHED IN COMMEMORATIONOF SACRED REALM: THE TORAH AURA PRODUCTIONS • 4423 FRUITlANDAVENUE, LOS ANGELES.CA 90058 EMERGENCE OF THE SYNAGOGUE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD, AN EXHIBITION C800lBE·TORAH • (323) 585,7312 • FAX C323> 585-0327• E-MAIL <[email protected]> SACRED MOUNTED BY YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM, FEBRUARY-DECEMBER, 1996 WWW.TORAHAURA.COM R E I\ l i\l MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SYNAGOGUE BUILDINGS TAKI MANY OIHERfNT SHAPtS ANO FORMS. All S\'NAGOOUES HAVE A TORAH SCROLL ANO AN ARK TO HOLD IT Wffi-llN THE 8UILOING. ew build synagogues wherever they live. In Kiev or Baltimore, Buenos ir s or Singapore, you will find synagogues. Some synagogues are ar e and beautiful buildings serving thousands of people, others are m II places where ten or twelve Jews gather for services. For over ,000years the synagogue has been the place where Jews have come og ther to listen to Torah, to learn with rabbis and teachers, to celebrate T>l ALTNEUICHUL Uewish holidays, to pray, to help one another and to meet with friends. It ON A CzCCH STAMP. 1 understandable, then, that the word for synagogue in Hebrew, beit ha­ knesset, means "house of meeting." r---_..::.----:::;;......,_,.Ta-.,.----rr:----, n,c AI.TNEUSCHUL N PRAGUE N CtNTAAl £LJR0Pf OATES TO THE 13111 CENTURY. THE )l\'l'iOF PRACUEST ILL PRAY HERE. MUSEU\1 IN NEWYORK. 1buro"'11,1$:_0Cl;Ul' ""'-•••I� ToJrifX?, �jlll"tooi To j,tffk�Ol'I, rl(Jruu,lt.llll'l c----� TOURO SYNAGOGUE. THl TOVRO SYNAGOGUE IS THE OLDEST SYNAGOGUE IN MORN! NG SERVIC ES TH( UNITED $TATES, BUILT IN 1763. IT I SA SEPHARDIC B' NAI ISRAEl SYNAGOGUE IN SVNAGDGUt, BUILT BY IEWS WHOSE ANCESTORS CAMF BALTIMORE, MD FROM $PA N AND PORTUGAi. PRES DENT GEORGE I I CONGREGATION B. NAI I SRA EL IS WASH NGTON SPOKE IN THE TouRoS>,AGOGUE IN 1790. I TYPICAL OF MANY SYNAGOCUES TOURO SYNAGOGUE: MODEL AT YESHIVA UNIVfRSITY MUSEUM IN AMERICA TOD,W. 4 5 THE t ' A H/\ll HD, IN l�E • ANCE N SEE T TWO '"-lAAK'i. ES�;;;;====-==:::�-.....,;� SARDIS $YNA.GOGVE IN MOOERN TURKf'iAS l l MIGHT HAVE APPEAHU''IIN A\JCIEN1 l1\1ES. ewi• h communities also built synagogues wherever they lived. Some ogues were very large buildings, while others were as small as m. The synagogue of Sardis, in what is now Turkey, is the largest synagogue ve discovered. The synagogue was almost as long as a football field, and right next to the "city hall" and the gymnasium. A visitor couldn't miss LEAH BIERMAN it while strolling down the streets of Sardis. Next to the synagogue was a row of FINE STANDS NEXT TO A shops, including a restaurant. Perhaps our visitor mingled with the Jewish and LARGE TABLE non-Jewish patrons as he ordered breakfast. Later in the day he might have WHERE THE stopped in the courtyard of the synagogue for a drink of water. There he would TOP.AMMA't' HA.Vt8HN meet fellow Jews, as well as people of other faiths, all drawing water from the READ II\ lHE fountain in large jugs. SARO� NA GU -------"------:;._-�:____________ -=....:....- ----==--...._-=�..JS Y GO L 6 7 Sometimes archaeologists are lucky enough to discover a whole synagogue building complete with benches, a Torah ark, perhaps a mosaic floor, wall paintings, menorahs or even plaques with the names of donors. Discoveries of entire buildings are very rare . Usually only a small portion of the synagogue building is discovered. Archaeologists might find only a single rock with a menorah or an inscription carved t >I ' on a piece of marble that tells them that a synagogue once existed. Some synagogues I\ l .\C are known only from ancient writings like the Mishnah and the Talmud. , .. , \ � .�"'" \II' 0 k KIND DAVID APP(ARS ON THS I l' I I R SYNAGOGUEFLOOR fR0M WE R ,\ I' '' ,\' t. \ .\ S I.ANDOF ISRAEl. CAN YOU READ HIS NAME, ., , 11? THIS BEAUTlfUL MC>S,\IC WAS CELEPRAllP ON A MOOER, C ,\ ISRAELI STAMP. \A.\61\ l I �, \ THE�[ WERE OVER 100 SYNAGOGUESIN THE LAND Of ISRAEl ,... 01soIN OTHER PARTS Of THE ANNNT WORLD. THIS MAP SHOWS PLACES WHERE SYNAGOGliES EXISTED N ANCIENT TIMES, ver 100 ynagogues have been excavated by archaeologists in Israel and ve 150 existed in other parts of the Roman world! Remains of syn o�ues have been discovered in Israel, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, unisia, Spain. Italy, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, the Ukraine ani:1 lgaria. Wherever Jews lived, they built synagogues. -----Ar.eliaeologists find remains of another ancient synagogue almost TH( SYNAGOGUE OF OSTI A, every year! THE ANCIENT PORT OF ROME, WAS DISCOVERED IN 1961. 8 9 The Talmud describes a fabulous synagogue in Alexandria, Egypt. It was destroyed in 117 C.E. No remains of the Alexandrian synagogue have been found, so the description of this building in the Talmud is our only evidence for this synagogue's existence: Rabbi Judah said: Whoever has never seen the syna­ gogue of Alexandria of Egypt has never seen the great glory of the Jewish people in his entire life .... The synagogue leader stands upon a wooden bimah (stage) with flags in his hand. When one Torah reader begins to read, the syna­ gogue leader would wave flags so the people would answer "amen" after the Torah reader recites each Torah blessing .... The members of the synagogue sat with people who had the same profession. The goldsmiths sat with other goldsmiths, the silversmiths with other silver­ smiths, the common weavers with other common weavers, the fancy weavers with other fancy VIRAPP1NQ A TORA!-! SCRO t NA CONTEMPORARY SVNI\GOGU(. weavers, and the blacksmiths with other black­ smiths ... Why did the people sit according to their profes­ sions? So that if someone new came to town he would sit with the members of his profession and they would find him a job. nag�gues, ancient and modern, are the center of every Jewish com­ m nify. In this book you will learn about three ancient synagogues. Even though the synagogue of Alexandria was huge, no one was lost in Yoµ ill learn how archaeologists discovered them, and what these the crowd. Seated according to their professions, the synagogue mem­ ----synagogues meant to their communities. Ancient synagogues, like bers would help newcomers get settled in their new city. Helping other .....,___ modern synagogues, were places where Jewish communities came Jews to help themselves was important to the Jews in this ancient together to pray, to read the Torah, to study, to meet with fellow Jews Alexandrian synagogue, as it is for modern Jews in our synagogues.