These synagogues also act as important centers for the preservation of endangered Jewish literature and cultural heritage as well as a place where Jews, spread all over the world, meet and worship. Today the Chicago Loop Synagogue holds fast to its identity. Synagogue [24] This is also so in the Ashkenazi United Synagogue in England, UK, who adopted some of the Sephardi customs. Sign up on our mailing list to The Old Synagogue (Erfurt) is the oldest intact synagogue building in Europe, in parts around 1100 AD. Early christianity 9.2 (2018): 219-226. Founded in 1935, it moved into a new building designed by one of the earliest African-American architects in Los Angeles, Ralph A. Vaughn, in 1959. 38.7%. Features include Henri Azaz's . Copyright 20042023 Yelp Inc. Yelp, , and related marks are registered trademarks of Yelp. Lake Shore Drive Synagogue 2 Synagogues Gold Coast "I have been coming here for a few years. It remains the only Loop venue to offer both services. Lakeview is located in the city's North Side. We seek to encourage involvement and create a sense of belonging by serving our community, the Jewish people, and the State of Israel. Culture The 50 Most Influential Rabbis in America By Michael Lynton On 6/28/10 at 2:15 PM EDT This year's top rabbi is Yehuda Krinsky (center), leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. As you scroll through the timeline, notice how the synagogues moved as the city itself developed. We have always been a synagogue for the world.. If you are in need of a meal, the Lake Shore Drive doors open at 5:15pm and we suggest you arrive by 4:45pm. . List of Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States We invite you to celebrate Shabbat with us. For Jews living in the wake of the Revolt, the synagogue functioned as a "portable system of worship". Emanu-El simply means God is with us and, because of history, this Temple hosts the Bernard Museum of Judaica. This is a review for synagogues in Chicago, IL: "I moved to downtown Chicago to take a new job from another city. [3] If you attended the South Side The synagogue features a partition (mechitza) dividing the men's and women's seating areas, or a separate women's section located on a balcony.[35]. Jutting into the prayer space from the far-left corner of the window, Rattner incorporated the ark that would house the Torah scrolls. Chicago Loop Synagogue The Chicago Loop Synagogue was founded in 1929 and moved to its current building in 1957. Hulus The Bear brought up Jewish lightning: What does it mean, and is it antisemitic? Between 1992 and today, membership numbers dropped from 1,400 to 416. Such challenges include Judeophobia, wars, intra-religious infighting, and other political processes. - are new to Chicago for swastika on Michigan synagogue July 1, 2023; About; We are attached to it, she said. Mumbai: Knesset Eliyahoo, Magen David, Tifferth Israel, Etz Haeem, Shaar Rason, Shaar Haramamin. During World War II, the Great Synagogue became a storage facility and, therefore, spared from destruction. [28], Originally, synagogues were made devoid of much furniture, the Jewish congregants in Spain, the Maghreb (North Africa), Babylonia, the Land of Israel and Yemen having a custom to sit upon the floor, which had been strewn with mats and cushions, rather than upon chairs or benches. Welcome to Temple Sholom of Chicago. Fifteeen years later, KAM had given birth to two splinter synagogues, the Polish-led and Orthodox-orientedKehilath B'nai Sholom, and the German-led and Reform-orientedSinai Congregation. 2:9; 3:9). And Pross, who herself is not Jewish, recalls people dropping into the building before COVID-19. This book selection is an exploration of sins and virtues ranging from lust to chastity. Join for Shabbat Minyan in person or via Zoom from 9:00-9:45 AM followed by Torah Study for 9:45-10:30 AM. Temple Sholom of Chicago 11 Synagogues Lakeview Congregation Or Chadash at this location. Thus there were Neoclassical, Neo-Byzantine, Romanesque Revival, Moorish Revival, Gothic Revival, and Greek Revival. Situated just a few blocks from the site of the 1933-34 Chicago Worlds Fair, the synagogue also boasted wall paintings designed by A. Raymond Katz, official muralist for the Century of Progress.. "United States Jewish Population, 2022," in Arnold Dashefsky & Ira M. Sheskin. Our egalitarian philosophy is reflected in our ritual life as a congregation, as well as in our lay and professional leadership and throughout the full spectrum of opportunities at Beth Shalom. This synagogues architecture has a neo-Renaissance and Romantic theme covered with decorations and a big Star of David. We grapple with societys pressing issues, modeling civility in the way we listen across lines of difference as we take stands with moral clarity. Jewish Chicago Guide Old - ChiTribe It's been a century and a half since the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, now the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), was founded in Cincinnati. What Imore, We have been members of this synagogue for two years now and go to Friday night services almostmore, Was here a few yrs ago it is a very inviting synagogue my family had been going there for yrs verymore, I have been to a lot of Synagogues - like, A LOT - and never have I felt so at home as I do here.more, The times I've been to the Loop Synagogue (occasional minyans mostly) it has been welcoming and verymore, Such a great synagogue! The styles of the earliest synagogues resembled the temples of other cults of the Eastern Roman Empire. Just as I found an apartment convenient to work, I found a Conservative shul also close to the apartment. 3433 Walters Avenue, Northbrook, IL 60062 During the construction, over 200 people worked for 18 hours a day, except on Shabbat, racing to complete the building by Jewish New Year. Ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jews have traditionally used the Western Yiddish (German-Yiddish) term shul (cognate with the German Schule, 'school') in everyday speech. Join our amazing community as we come together to celebrate Shabbat. Sat, July 1 2023 Memphis Commercial Appeal, October 21, 1957. commandment forbidding the creation of any "graven image", Learn how and when to remove this template message, Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar (Rodney Street, Brooklyn), Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar (Hooper Street, Brooklyn), Adas Israel Congregation (Washington, D.C.), List of the oldest synagogues in the United States, Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center, "Synagogue | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica", Judaism 101: Synagogues, Shuls and Temples, "The Institution of Prayer by the Men of the Great Assembly", "How to Tell a Samaritan Synagogue from a Jewish Synagogue", "The Chair of Elijah and Welcoming the Baby", "The Jews who take off their shoes for shul", "Mechitzah: Separate Seating in the Synagogue", "Crash Course in Jewish History Part 54 - Reform Movement", " - ", " : " , -30 ", Chabad Lubavitch Center & Synagogue Finder, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Synagogue Finder, Union for Reform Judaism Synagogue Finder, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Synagogue&oldid=1162020028, El-Khirbe synagogue, discovered c. 3km from, Zur Natan synagogue, c. 29km west of Nablus and built in the 5th century CE, The largest synagogue in the world is the, Kehilat Kol HaNeshama, a Reform synagogue located in, Temple Emanu-El (Miami Beach, Florida) located in, The oldest synagogue fragments are stone-carved synagogue dedication inscriptions found in Middle and Lower. This is a list of notable synagogues in the United States. A kaleidoscope of blues and purples pierced by electric shades of yellow take on the forms of planets, trees, Hebrew letters and the Israelite tribes hovering and extending toward one another. As other congregations across the country shrink, disband and struggle to figure out what to do with their own stained glass, the Loop Synagogue with its Rattner window beckons. Aviam concluded that he thought almost every Jewish settlement at the time, whether it was a polis or a village, had a synagogue.[13]. By the turn of the century, there were approximately twenty synagogues. THE BEST 10 Synagogues in Chicago, IL - Last Updated June 2023 - Yelp [36], In following decades, the central reader's table, the Bimah, was moved to the front of the Reform sanctuarypreviously unheard-of in Orthodox synagogues. We are a strong and diverse congregation and think of ourselves as a large family and a place people comfortably call their home away from home.. To create the work, Rattner drew inspiration from the opening passages of Genesis, honing in on the hidden meanings of the words and there was light to channel cosmic creative energies of the Divine. the Magnificent Mile, near north and downtown / loop hotels and a short taxi/bus/train ride Come for the Service and stay Join Karen Titus each week for a 90-minute summer book discussion! and social holiday events. URJ | Union for Reform Judaism Prayer Hebrew Biblical Hebrew Conversational Hebrew, Shabbat Services History of the Jews in Chicago - Wikipedia The Synagogue of Trieste is in Trieste, northern Italy and its construction began in 1908 and ended in 1912. Being the ninth largest synagogue in the world, this Synagogue dwarfs most of the largest synagogues in Europe and boasts of roughly 3,000 families who worship there. Rattner was a deeply spiritual artist, imbued with a powerful moral connection to his own Jewishness, said Samantha Baskind, a historian of Jewish art at Cleveland State University. Built in 1913 as Anshe Kenesseth Israel, the former temple was once among the largest synagogues in North Lawndale, a predominantly Jewish community in the early and mid-20th century. Led by Cantor Katzman, Debra Paskind, and Andy Simmons, the group meets on a monthly basis to study, schmooze, eat, sing, and investigate this rewarding period of our lives. 79.8%. We are in dire straits, Pross said. where other American synagogue stained glass has also been fabricated, Neo-Nazis protest 2 Georgia synagogues over the weekend, Italy to bar soccer players from wearing No. That appears unlikely to change. All rights reserved. America's 25 Most Vibrant Congregations We are really three or even four different congregations, Zoldan said. Chicago's earliest synagogue, Kehilath Anshe Mayriv (KAM),was founded in 1847. Jewish Routes // Chicago - Moment Magazine Bad Issa), and Kh. Initially, the synagogue was an Orthodox worshipers place observing the principles of Judaism. Lists of religious worship places in the United States, Synagogue architecture in America: faith, spirit & identity By Henry Stolzman, Daniel Stolzman, Oldest Synagogue in Indiana Celebrates 100th Anniversary; Special Sermons Scheduled, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Knesseth Israel Congregation (Birmingham, Alabama), The David & Ruth Green Lubavitch Jewish Center of Alaska, Congregation Beth Israel (Scottsdale, Arizona), Congregation Beth Israel (Berkeley, California), Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park and Eagle Rock, Yeshiva University High Schools of Los Angeles, Congregation B'nai Israel (Sacramento, California), Congregation Emanu-El (San Francisco, California), Congregation Sherith Israel (San Francisco, California), Congregation B'nai Israel (Daly City, California), Congregation Beth Am (Los Altos Hills, California), Peninsula Temple Beth El (San Mateo, California), Congregation B'nai Israel (Bridgeport, Connecticut), Temple Beth Israel (Hartford, Connecticut), Congregation Beth Israel (West Hartford, Connecticut), Beth Israel Synagogue (New Haven, Connecticut), Beth Israel Synagogue (Norwalk, Connecticut), Congregation B'nai Jacob (Woodbridge, Connecticut), Congregation Knesseth Israel (Ellington, Connecticut), TCS (The Conservative Synagogue) of Westport, CT, Machar, The Washington Congregation for Secular Humanistic Judaism, B'nai Israel Synagogue (Council Bluffs, Iowa), Congregation Agudath Achim (Ashland, Kentucky), Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah Congregation of Olney, Beth Israel Synagogue (Cambridge, Massachusetts), Congregation Beth Israel (Worcester, Massachusetts), Shaarai Torah Synagogue (Worcester, Massachusetts), Temple Emanuel Sinai (Worcester, Massachusetts), Temple Adath Israel (Cleveland, Mississippi), Congregation Beth Israel (Meridian, Mississippi), Beth Israel Congregation (Jackson, Mississippi), Gemiluth Chessed (Port Gibson, Mississippi), Temple B'nai Shalom (Brookhaven, Mississippi), Temple B'nai Israel (Tupelo, Mississippi), Congregation Shaare Emeth (Creve Coeur, Missouri), Congregation Temple Israel (Creve Coeur, Missouri), B'Nai Israel Synagogue (Cape Girardeau, Missouri), Congregation Beth Shalom (Clifton Park, New York), B'nai Israel Synagogue (Woodbourne, New York), Congregation Shaare Zedek (New York City), Kane Street Synagogue (Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes), Congregation Beth Israel (Asheville, North Carolina), Congregation Emanuel (Statesville, North Carolina), Congregation Oheb Sholom (Goldsboro, North Carolina), Temple Israel (Charlotte, North Carolina), Temple of Israel (Wilmington, North Carolina), B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery, Congregation Kehillas B'nai Shalom (Bucks County), Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron-Ezras Israel, Temple Beth Elohim (Georgetown, South Carolina), Beth Israel Congregation (Beaufort, South Carolina), Beth Israel Congregation (Florence, South Carolina), Temple Adas Israel (Brownsville, Tennessee), Congregation Ohabai Sholom (Nashville, Tennessee), Congregation Sherith Israel (Nashville, Tennessee), Congregation B'nai Israel (Galveston, Texas), Congregation Beth Yeshurun (Houston, Texas), B'nai Israel Temple (Salt Lake City, Utah), Congregation Kol Ami (Salt Lake City, Utah), Agudas Achim Congregation (Alexandria, Virginia), List of synagogues and Jewish congregations in Washington, Congregation Beth Israel (Bellingham, Washington), List of the oldest synagogues in the United States, https://www.juf.org/guide/detail.aspx?id=19864, https://www.juf.org/guide/detail.aspx?id=19858, https://www.juf.org/guide/detail.aspx?id=19866, https://www.juf.org/guide/detail.aspx?id=436887, https://www.juf.org/guide/detail.aspx?id=453165, https://www.juf.org/guide/detail.aspx?id=448532, https://www.juf.org/guide/detail.aspx?id=425413, https://www.juf.org/guide/detail.aspx?id=19874, https://www.juf.org/guide/detail.aspx?id=420238, https://www.juf.org/guide/detail.aspx?id=19872, "Oldest Synagogue in Indiana Celebrates 100th Anniversary; Special Sermons Scheduled", "ABQjournal: Congregation Albert City's Oldest", Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist, Worldwide lists of religious worship places, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_synagogues_in_the_United_States&oldid=1158051968, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing cleanup from August 2022, Articles with bare URLs for citations from August 2022, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from August 2022, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, Congregation Beth Shalom, Wilmington, Delaware, Khal Chessed L'Avraham Zidichov-The Chicago Center. The 150-Year-Old Chicago Synagogue the Rebbe Didn't Let Die anytime. Top 10 Best Synagogues Nearby in Chicago, Illinois. approach to Judaism with contemporary insights. stay for Kiddush lunch. [20] During the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, during the Hellenistic period, the Greek word used in the Diaspora by Samaritans and Jews was the same: proseuche (literally, a place of prayer); a later, 3rd or 4th century CE inscription, uses a similar Greek term: eukterion (prayer house). Get tickets for Central Synagogue, Preparatory Hebrew Call your mother CHICAGO (JTA) Just three stories high and hemmed into a small 5,000-square-foot lot, the building at 16 S. Clark St. is a small jewel box situated amid this citys dense urban fabric. Temple Adath Yeshurun ofManchester, founded in 1891, is the oldest congregation in New Hampshire. Spanish Jews call the synagogue an esnoga and Portuguese Jews call it a sinagoga. The Sofia Synagogue is located in Sofia, Bulgaria, seating about 1,200. But pre-pandemic commuting patterns seem unlikely to resume. All rights reserved. The Jewish Burial Ground Society merged with KAM, and KAM dedicated the first Chicago synagogue in 1851. Published: JULY 14, 2021 02:07 THE INTERIOR of the Old City's Yohanan ben Zakai Synagogue, built in the early 1600s. Zoom Link for Shabbat services - not for High Holidays We have many visitors who return each time they come to Perched above the synagogues front door, a two-ton sculpture extends over the sidewalk. The Greek word synagogue is used in English to cover the preceding possibilities.[2]. The Hands of Peace sculpture is mounted at the entrance to the Chicago Loop Synagogue. All synagogues contain a Bimah, a large, raised, reader's platform (called teah (reading dais) by Sephardim), where the Torah scroll is placed to be read. Visit our, for events listed by department or visit our. Large Jewish communities wished to show not only their wealth but also their newly acquired status as citizens by constructing magnificent synagogues. Blau is likewise optimistic about the synagogues future. Nearly every member also belongs to a home synagogue closer to where they live. Zoldan has convened a task force charged with imagining a new future for the congregation and its building: one that will generate revenue while allowing them to preserve the Rattner window intact and continue meeting in their space. This really just boils down to." more 2. The brass and bronze has since weathered and turned a tarnished green. Indranil. Join us for spiritually inspiring services on the High Holidays, Shabbat & Yom Tov services, Torah study | shtiebelekh or shtiebels, Yiddish for "little house"), and are found in Orthodox communities worldwide. Synagogues have been constructed by ancient Jewish leaders, by wealthy patrons, as part of a wide range of human institutions including secular educational institutions, governments, and hotels, by the entire Jewish community of living in a particular village or region, or by sub-groups of Jewish people arrayed according to occupation, ethnicity (e.g., the Sephardic, Yemenite, Polish or Persian Jews of a town), style of religious observance (e.g., Reform or Orthodox synagogue), or by the followers of a particular Rabbi (only in very small congregations or ultra-orthodox Hasidism). You have to be in that room, with the light streaming through that window the experience transcends religious identity.. Begin your week in a calm, peaceful way with some of Temple Sholoms talented Clergy and treasured musicians. There is no set blueprint for synagogues and the architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. This support has led to several criticisms from conservative Jews from all over the world. Now, as in its early years, synagogue members include commuters from Chicagos nearby suburbs. Rattner once wrote that he wanted Chicago Loop Synagogue worshippers to experience renewed faith in a higher elevation of being.. In Yemen, the Jewish custom was to remove one's shoes immediately prior to entering the synagogue, a custom that had been observed by Jews in other places in earlier times. Privacy Policy. Tifereth Israel (Cleveland) photo - Arnold Berger. Would you like to hear more from us? Chicago's earliest synagogue, Kehilath Anshe Mayriv (KAM), was founded in 1847. New Testament Studies 41.4 (1995): 481-500. The Reverend Ignatz Kunreuther (b. Adding a business to Yelp is always free. Thus, the synagogue in Kaifeng, China, looked very like Chinese temples of that region and era, with its outer wall and open garden in which several buildings were arranged. We are a community of communities and welcome participation in our award-winning Sisterhood, Mens Club, Religious School, Youth Groups, HAZAK (55 years and older), HUGS (Jewish holiday and Shabbat programs for children and adults with special needs and their families), PRIDE @ CBS, and much more. 88, which has coded meaning for neo-Nazis, Supreme Court ruling in Sabbath accommodation case has far-reaching consequences for observant Jews, In notable stand, Israels ambassador to US says trans rights are human rights, US rejoins UNESCO, reversing Trump administration pullout over anti-Israel bias, Jewish quotas were at the heart of Supreme Court affirmative action ruling. A room or building that is used this way can become a dedicated small synagogue or prayer room. The Samaritan house of worship is also called a synagogue. It also shows several of the "daughter" synagogues spawned by these first pre-Fire communities, as well as a few late 19th century synagogues that were formed and merged into these early synagogue communities by 1920. [25] Most contemporary synagogues feature a lectern for the rabbi.[26]. We hope you will join us at Beth Shalom and we invite you to come and actively enjoy all that we have to offer. *Rank by total Jewish and non-Jewish population. Saturdays 9:10 AM. Central Synagogue of Chicago: Conservative - High Holiday Services Gloversville Synagogue (NY), Temple Sholom (Il), Touro (LA), Eutaw Place (MD), B'nai Yehuda (MS) - Judaica Philatelic Resources. 1 overall pick. small, friendly, welcoming urban Conservative Chicago Synagogue where We provide a traditional We use ancient and modern texts, poetry, art, and music as our guides. More than a dozen Jewish (and possibly Samaritan) Second Temple period synagogues have been identified by archaeologists in Israel, and in other countries belonging to the Hellenistic world.[4]. Come by any Shabbat to both pray and socialize.". All it takes is one person or a few who dont want to see this magnificent structure go to the wrecking ball, he said. This synagogue is the second largest in Europe and owes its Gothic design to Viennese architect named Fleischer. DeSantis' treatment of migrants divides Venezuelans in Miami - Los [1] [2] According to that The Hartford Institute's database, approximately 50 churches had attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000 in 2010. As the largest synagogue in the downtown area, we serve Jews with many differing needs. Diab. ), For membership information please The all-day Yom Kippur service was an event in which the congregation both observed the movements of the kohen gadol ("high priest") as he presided over the day's traditions and processions, and administered prayers for success. Friendly crowd.more, synagogue's I've been to but it seemed more apparent here to me). In Spain and the Maghreb, in Babylonia and in the Holy Land, it is customary to kindle lamps in the synagogues and to spread mats on the floor upon which the worshippers sit. Other traditional features include a continually lit lamp or lantern, usually electric in contemporary synagogues, called the ner tamid ( ), the "Eternal Light", used as a way to honor the Divine Presence. This is the holiest spot in a synagogue, equivalent to the Holy of Holies. Jews with German backgrounds founded the Temple Emanu-El in New York in 1845 and became the first Reform Jewish worshipers in Manhattan, New York. Come In Chicago, a synagogue's congregation worry for its future - and that family or simply find yourself in the downtown Chicago area, we welcome In the worst-case scenario, the congregation would have to leave its building altogether. The Monday Meal Mitzvah is back in person! [4][unreliable source?] Insured for $1.5 million, the spellbinding window is simply too large to fit anywhere except where it sits now: inside the prayer space for which it was created. Temple Sholom. The only consistently operating Jewish house of worship in Chicago's Loop, the 1.5-square-mile area touted as the second-largest business district in North America, the Loop Synagogue has been . The elements which distinguish Samaritan synagogues from contemporary Jewish ones are: Ancient Samaritan synagogues are mentioned by literary sources or have been found by archaeologists in the Diaspora, in the wider Holy Land, and specifically in Samaria.[20]. This was the first of the Four Sephardi Synagogues, which were severely. / 41.94585; -87.641657. The communities were generallydefined and delineated by ethnic demographics, theological orientation, and neighborhood communities. Its name is etched in delicate gold lettering: Chicago Loop Synagogue. In the late seventies, the Soviet Union turned the synagogue into a metalwork factory and consequently prohibiting Jews from entering the worship place, or at the burial site of Rabbi Nahman. Large groups of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe joined Emanu-El in the 1930s bringing along their Yiddish dialect and Orthodox traditions. email list, (Note, we do not share emails and you can unsubscribe at "Orthodox Synagogue to Be Dedicated November 2830." This is a monumental endeavor.. Construction on the edifice lasted for over 15 years. We are not a neighborhood synagogue, administrator Mary Lynn Pross said. An inspiring Jewish story happened on this season of NBCs American Ninja Warrior. Nobody will ever see it. Here, Our Spiritual Home everyone is important and everyone counts. Being the largest of its kind in Europe, Dohany Street Synagogue is a center of Neolog Judaism with a sitting capacity of 3,000 people. Jews Have Been Living in Persia Since Biblical Times. The goal was to serve commuters seeking kosher food and a place to pray during the workday. We no longer hold High Holiday services at the Drake Hotel. His goal with the objects is honoring their history by giving them new life and provoking interest in their past.. . But the two groups generally didnt overlap. So, too, for those who regularly attended mincha, like Blau. Click on the categories to find your community. Join us exactly as you are; physically, spiritually, intellectually and emotionally. daven with us any time you are in Chicago on Shabbat or Yom Tov, and [31] Such a stone-carved and inscribed seat was discovered at archaeological excavations in the synagogue at Chorazin in Galilee and dates from the 4th6th century;[32] another one was discovered at the Delos Synagogue, complete with a footstool. 1811) . The only consistently operating Jewish house of worship in Chicago's Loop, the 1.5-square-mile area touted as the . Although synagogues existed a long time before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, communal worship in the time while the Temple still stood focused mostly on korbanot brought by the Kohanim (Aaronic priesthood line of Rabbinical succession) in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Ark is reminiscent of the Ark of the Covenant, which held the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The custom of removing one's shoes is no longer practiced in Israel, the United Kingdom, or the United States. Friday, 9:00 am 1:00 pm, Copyright 2023 Congregation Beth Shalom. Les Blau is among them. After this, Nazi occupation used the synagogue to store works of art and books. These included: the installation of an organ to accompany the prayers (even on Shabbat, when musical instruments are proscribed by halakha), a choir to accompany the hazzan, and vestments for the synagogue rabbi to wear. Join the Minnie Solomon z"l Book Club for engaging discussions on popular literature every first Thursday of the month. Temple Beth Sholom, Las Vegas, Nevada, founded in 1931. [9], Despite the certain existence of synagogue-like spaces prior to the First JewishRoman War,[10] the synagogue emerged as a focal point for Jewish worship upon the destruction of the Temple.