ETYM French, from Latin synagoga, Greek, a bringing together, an assembly, a synagogue; syn with + agein to lead. Related to Syn-, and Agent.
The house of worship for a Jewish congregation.
Jewish place of worship, also called a temple by the non-Orthodox. As an institution it dates from the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem AD 70, although it had been developing from the time of the Babylonian Exile as a substitute for the Temple. In antiquity it was a public meeting hall where the Torah was also read, but today it is used primarily for prayer and services. A service requires a quorum (minyan) of ten adult Jewish men.
In addition to the ark (the sacred ornamented enclosure that holds the Torah scrolls) the synagogue contains a raised platform (bimah) from which the service is conducted, with seats for the hereditary high priests. The rest of the congregation sits or stands facing it. Two tablets above the ark are inscribed with the Ten Commandments. In Orthodox synagogues women sit apart from the men.
Jevrejska bogomolja, sinagoga.
Skupština vernih, zborno mesto; naročito: jevrejska škola, jevrejski hram.
Prvo je predstavljala zborište, skupštinu i opštinu (na hebrejskom Kneset), a u kasnijem razdoblju jevrejsku bogomolju, koja se posle razaranja Solomovog hrama u Jerusalimu (586. godine pre nove ere) pojavljuje kao tvorevina vavilonske dijaspore u jevrejskom životu. U Rimskom carstvu su postojale sinagoge na čitavom sredozemnom području gde su živeli Jevreji. Vizantijski carevi i neki drugi vladari su ograničavali gradnju novih sinagoga. U novom veku postepeno nestaju ta ograničenja i zabrane. Zbog skučenosti prostora u jevrejskim kvartovima, odnosno getima, sinagoge su sve do emanacije Jevreja u 19. veku upotrebljavane i kao škole i sudnice, pa i kao svratišta za Jevreje - siromahe i hodočasnike. (grč.)