Synagogue

Before the destruction of The Second Temple in 70 CE, communal prayers centered around sacrificial offerings brought by Israel’s priests in the Holy Temple. The destruction of Jerusalem Temples and the dispersion threatened Israel's focus and unity. The Men of the Great Assembly began the process of formalizing and standardizing Jewish traditions and services that would not depend on the functioning of The Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai promulgated the idea of creating individual houses of worship in whatever place Jews found themselves. Thus, synagogue ("assembly"; beit knesset, "house of assembly") is a Jewish house of prayer.

The architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly in and outside the Land of Israel. The basic setup of a synagogue is pretty simple. No matter what the size, synagogues are built facing East because Jews are supposed to pray facing in the direction of Jerusalem. The Ark, where the Torah scrolls are kept, is positioned in such a way that those who face it, face towards Jerusalem. A lantern, called the the "Eternal Lamp," is used as a reminder of the western lamp of the menorah of the Temple in Jerusalem.

The largest synagogue in the world is the New Beit Midrash of Ger in Jerusalem, Israel. The main Sanctuary seats over 8,500. The second largest synagogue in the world is the Belz World Center, also in Jerusalem, Israel, whose main Sanctuary seats 6,000. Construction took 16 years. The largest synagogue outside of Israel is Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York.

The Ramban Synagogue, founded by Nahmanides in 1267, is the oldest active synagogue inJerusalem old city.