A Day At The Touro Synagogue

On the following day, two meals are eaten, one following the morning synagogue service and the second meal is eaten in the afternoon, generally with coffee and cake. The former meal is preceded by Kiddush. Saturday morning is usually spent in Torah study at the synagogue. The highlight of the service is the reading of a specified segment of the Torah.

When I visited my first Jewish synagogue, I expected it to be very different. My previous experience with religious ceremonies was limited to a few visits to Baptist churches. The most surprising thing for me at this one was, oddly enough, its similarity to Christian services and rituals. I went into the religious visit expecting an enormous difference in the customs and perhaps even in the attitudes of the people attending the service. What I found instead was a religious ceremony very reminiscent of the Christian ones I’ve been to before.

My finance and I attended a Friday night Shabbat service. Shabbat is the Jewish Sabbath day; their day of rest. It begins on Friday and concludes Saturday evening. Shabbat allows time for members to focus on what it is important and that is: worshiping, reflecting on the week, and growing together. Depending on the day (Friday or Saturday) and week (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th), the service may vary including the content of worship, it’s timing and style. The Shabbat service we attend took place on the second Friday of the month; it involved music, prayer and a sermon. As we entered Shir Takvih, we felt very welcomed; everyone was polite and answered any questions we had. After we received a copy of their translated prayer book (machzorim) we were directed to the designated place, where we were told that we could sit anywhere we like. The white painted room which was surrounded by big round windows had several roles of wooden fold up chairs. Not wanting to be a disturbance we sat in the back row. At the front of the room there was a bimah with an assortment of musical instruments on one side and a podium

Everybody looked very cheerful and benevolent. It felt like one big family gathering. We entered the synagogue and there were plush chairs and carpet embellished with nature like colors and leaf designs. The roof was high, there was a lot of light, gold accents, a stained glass window, wooden beams that were exposed, as well as a wooden bureau, which housed the Torah. There were also candles and podium/table from which the rabbi spoke.

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One interesting concept that I learned was to stand the book straight up on the next available chair, instead of faced down or in any other position to accentuate the importance of the scriptures and prayers that the books consist of. The service started promptly at 9:00 pm in which the members of the Jewish Synagogue were already wearing a tallit, which is a prayer shawl that represents the six hundred and thirteen commandments, and silently prayer with a swaying motion incorporated. After asking the congregate that was aiding the observers throughout the service, he explained that Jews usually sway, rock, or shake because it is stated that the physical act is a way of connecting spiritually to God while praying along with other justifications within the Torah. My initial feelings regarding the acceptance of me as a visitor was kind of unsettling because I was the center of attention along with the two other observers. Some congregates would greet us warmly offering any help, while some others often discretely talked among their other fellow congregates about our attendance with some people staring for portions of the service. Besides, the interaction of the congregates to the clergy was very divided in the aspect of gender roles due to the fact that the table that two intricate cased Torahs were brought out on could only be seen by the men and recite by men only. As far as the division of roles, I found it interesting that some of the women explained to us that it was not a form of disrespect or act of degrading because they play their specialized role in the congregation, which is often misunderstood and in their perspective more liberating than most portray it to me. It was also explained to me that women are seen as separate but equal when stated throughput Jewish

At 10:00 on April 30th, I visited Temple Israel for the Shabbat service. It is a Jewish Synagogue in Canton, Ohio. The Shabbat service included praising God and honoring it as a day of rest for people and for God. Before I walked into the actual room of worship there was a table of Kappa’s. They are the little white hats you wear on the back of your head. I learned that it’s custom in Judaism to cover your head before going into the sanctuary as a sign of respect. There were also programs of information what’s going on in the synagogue. There’s also a rack of Tallit’s, Jewish adults wear these and before they put it on they say a prayer. In the actual sanctuary, there were pews, a Bimah which is the stage, an ark which faces Jerusalem where the Torah is held, and a light called Ter Namid which is an eternal light that is always on to represent God’s eternal watchfulness over his followers. In front of the pews there were Siddurs which is a Jewish prayer book. It contains daily and Shabbat prayers. They are in Hebrew and in English and since I am a non-Jew, I followed along in the English side that is printed alongside the Hebrew side. The Rabbi calls out what page they are on during the service in this book. This is similar to what priests do at church. There is also a Chumash which is what includes the five books and I learned that it is commonly the same book as the Torah. Out of a sign of respect, I had to stand whenever the Ark was opened or whenever the Torah was

Since being new to the service Mr. Snaider sat by my partner and I to help guide us and answer any questions we may have. The room was quickly getting filled up as the service was about to begin. As the service began Paula Morris led the service along with Eva Freund who gave the main message of the night. Many events happened throughout the night. Since it was Shabbat, in order to welcome it Paula asked the group to get up and sing L’cha Dodi which welcomes everyone and the angels into the Shabbat service. As we started to sing, I noticed other members of the congregation holding hands with other members of the group and waving their heads along singing joyfully. Something completely unexpected, but my partner and I participated in the events as a sign of

Introduction: This report will investigate the design and structure of sacred places and the events and rituals that go on within them. The aim of this report is to analyse the sacred places in the Brisbane city Synagogue and the Brisbane Cathedral and the sacred events and procedures that go on inside of them.

There were two striking aspects of the service that stood out in my mind. The first was the amount of standing. I had heard that traditionally Orthodox services do not permit sitting at all. Only some of the

I visited the Beth Samuel Jewish Center, in Ambridge Pa. While I was there I meet up with Barbara Wilson, who is a Congregational Administrator at the synagogue. Before taking the tour she let me know some of the background information about the synagogue. First she explained to me that the Beth Samuel Jewish Center was the only synagogue on Beaver County, where it is located. She then went on the explain that they have families from all over the county coming to their religious services. I then asked if the synagogue was more conservative or reformed. This is when Barb explained that since Beth Samuel is the last synagogue left in the area they have to cater to both sides of the spectrum. Barb explained, “On different days of the week we have

From all the clubs and organizations I am associated with, I consider the National Conference of Synagogue Youth my favorite extracurricular activity for the past three years. The National Conference of Synagogue Youth is a club that is growing internationally, especially when I was president last year for Dallas. The local club I was managing started off with a population in the low twenties to the mid-thirties with the help of popular events I created with the board and friends associated. For example, The board members of NCSY in Dallas successfully bring in a Holocaust survivor for the week pertaining to Holocaust day every year. I would spread the information through others with Instagram, text messages, and emails that would later be

What is the Great Tradition, and what two key elements make up this tradition within the different groups; is there any resemblance or inequality as to one’s religious preference. So, what is the Great Tradition, “it refers to the sectors of culture that are codified or systematized by a literate elite” (Scupin, 2012. Pg. 158). Therefore, stating that Judaism is a religion that is controlled through others powerful sphere’s, while applying the ultimate decisions as to how they will enforce obedience; through their administrator’s religious ways. “In Judaism, the Great Tradition includes a body of sacred texts, prayers, liturgy, rituals, and a cycle of holy day observances determined by a lunar calendar” (Scupin, 2012, pg. 158). In addition,

Though there are several factors that I considered when deciding where to do my fieldwork paper, I chose Beth Israel Synagogue located in Lexington Park, Maryland primarily for accessibility. St. Mary’s County is a rural area with a predominately Christian population. As I begin to search for a congregation with beliefs which differed from my Catholic beliefs, I did not have many options in the immediate area. The nearest Buddhist, Hindu, or Sikh congregations are located in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore; both areas are at least an hour and half drive from my house. Within the Southern Maryland area, there are a few synagogues and Islamic temples. Location limited my choices to the Jewish and Islamic faiths as choices. Though I would have loved to visit the Islamic temple as well, I chose Beth Israel Synagogue because it was located closer to my house than the Islamic temple in Calvert County.

Personally, I really enjoyed this sermon. Instead of it feeling like I was listening to a rabbi speak about Judaism, I felt like I was listening to a family friend speak about life. You felt like you personally knew the rabbi because he was so opened to talking about his family, and their recent vacation. I thought it was brilliant how Rabbi Neely took his experience on a water ride and was able to relate it to everyday life and his own faith.