Synagogue architecture

Synagogue architecture often follows styles in vogue at the place and time of construction. There is no set blueprint for synagogues and architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. According to tradition, the Shekhinah or divine presence can be found wherever there is a minyan: the quorum of ten required for Jewish prayer.

Synagogues have some requirements. They always contain a Torah ark where the Torah scrolls are kept (called an aron qodesh (Hebrew: אָרוֹן קׄדֶש) by Ashkenazi Jews and a hekhal (היכל) by Sephardic Jews). Also, since synagogues are buildings for congregational worship, they require a large central space (like churches in Christianity and mosques in Islam). They are generally designed with the ark at one end, typically opposite the main entrance on the east side of the building, and a bema either in front of that or more centrally placed. Raised galleries for female worshipers have been common in historical buildings.

Beyond these requirements, there is little to dictate synagogue design. Historically, synagogues were typically according to prevailing architectural styles. For example, the synagogue of Kaifeng looked like Buddhist temples of that region and era, with its outer wall and open garden where several buildings were arranged.

The ark may be more or less elaborate, ranging from a cabinet not structurally integral to the building to a portable arrangement whereby a Torah scroll is brought into a space temporarily used for worship. There must also be a table, often on a raised platform, from which the Torah is read. The table or platform, called a bima by eastern Ashkenazi Jews, an almemar or balemer (Yiddish: (ב)אַלעמער, from al-minbar) by Central and Western Ashkenazim, and a teba (תֵּבָה) by Sephardic Jews, where the Torah is read and from where the services are conducted in Sephardi synagogues, can range from an elaborate platform integral to the building (many early modern synagogues of central Europe featured bimahs with pillars that rose to support the ceiling) to elaborate free-standing raised platforms, to simple tables.

A sanctuary lamp, a constantly-lit light as a reminder of the constantly lit temple menorah of the Temple in Jerusalem. Many synagogues, primarily in Ashkenazi communities, feature a pulpit facing the congregation from which the rabbi addresses the assembled. All synagogues require an amud "post, column", a desk facing the Ark from which the hazzan or "cantor" leads the prayers.

A synagogue may or may not have artwork; synagogues range from simple, unadorned prayer rooms to elaborately decorated buildings in every architectural style.

The synagogue, or if it is a multi-purpose building, prayer sanctuaries within the synagogue, are typically designed to have their congregation face towards Jerusalem. Thus, sanctuaries in the Western world generally have their congregation face east, while those east of Jerusalem have their congregation face west. Congregations of sanctuaries in Israel face towards Jerusalem. However, this orientation need not be exact, and occasionally synagogues face other directions for structural reasons; in such cases, the community may face Jerusalem when standing for prayers.

The styles of the earliest synagogues resembled the houses of worship of other faiths in the Byzantine Empire, such as the ancient synagogues in Palestine. Later styles continued this practice: synagogues of Morocco are embellished with zellij, colored tilework characteristic of Moroccan architecture. The surviving medieval synagogues in Budapest, Prague, and the German lands are typical of Gothic architecture.