#shul

[prickly-porcupine-memes]

[nesyanast]

Early morning light in the synagogue.

Photo: Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation stained glass windows by me

[indecisiveavocado]

2nd question about safety at leftist events

Visibly Jewish does not include Israeli symbols. Think the magen david or something.

[koshercosplay]

it's time to attend jumblr shul!

[notaplaceofhonour]

Time, weather, political and demographic shift inevitably erode cities and buildings. These along with occasional upsurges of violent anti-Semitism, have been particularly thorough erasers of the physical evidence of Jewish history. SYNAGOGUES360 visually and digitally saves Jewish synagogues, an impressive physical expression of Jewish culture, for this and future generations to see and experience.

[jidysz]

Drawing by Klaudia Kiercz-Długołęcka 

Sztetł

Yiddish - שטעטל

English transcription - Shtetl

Meaning - a town

Sztibł

Yiddish - שטיבל‎

English transcription - Shtibl

Meaning - a house or a room used for communal Jewish prayer

Jesziwa

Yiddish - ישיבֿה

English transcription - Yeshiva

Meaning - a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of the Talmud

Mykwa

Yiddish - מיקווה

English transcription - Mikvah

Meaning - a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion to achieve ritual purity

Synagoga (this one is in Polish)

Yiddish - שול

English transcription - shul

Meaning - synagogue

Macewa

Yiddish - מצבֿה

English transcription - Matzevah

Meaning - a headstone or tombstone marking a Jewish grave

[askjumblr]

Anybody else feel extremely uncomfortable with the idea of cameras in synagogues?

For one thing, there's the security cameras, but I'm not super concerned about those. It's sad that we even need them, but they keep us safe.

But the thing I actually have a problem with is the cameras inside the sanctuary. My synagogue livestreams Friday night services for people who can't make it in person. I know that that in and of itself is a violation of shabbat, but that's not even my biggest concern. It's a reform synagogue, so not everyone observes shabbat at all, and even the ones that do, most of them find it acceptable to watch shabbat services online- either because they think using the internet is fine, or because they're willing to make an exception for the sake of getting to see the service. I myself fall into the latter camp, and will do several things I normally wouldn't do (ie drive) because getting to attend services is very important to me. So that's how I found myself watching the livestream when I was too sick to make it one week. I was very grateful for the chance to still experience it, hear the music, and hear the rabbi's dvar torah. But it also made me aware of just how many cameras there are inside the sanctuary! The stream kept switching angles. There was a close up of the rabbi, a view of everyone on the bimah for candle lighting, looking at the door during lecha dodi, and - this one bothers me the most - the camera would occasionally view the whole congregation. And watching that made me think - hey, that's where I sit. If I was there, I would be on video. It's been bothering me ever since. I sometimes go back when it's not shabbat and watch the videos again because I really liked something the rabbi said or they sang a certain melody that I wanted to hear again or whatever, and now I notice myself in every one of those videos.

I counted last week, and there are six cameras in the sanctuary - that I know of. There could be more.

I'm not saying I think they should stop livestreaming services. I have a friend who, due to her disability, is rarely ever able to make it to in person services, and I'm very glad she's able to watch it from home. I think it's good to make it accessible to our whole community. But still, I feel like I'm being watched and I don't like it. For me, at least, davening feels really vulnerable. It took me a long time to get comfortable enough to actually focus on the prayers rather than being self conscious and thinking about the people around me, and part of that comfort comes from the fact that I know, love, and trust these people.

I know nobody's going to be watching me specifically through the video, they're just trying to watch the services, but I just can't shake the uncomfortable feeling that someone is watching me.

Anyone else whose shul streams their services, do you ever feel like this? How do you deal with it? I want to feel comfortable again

.

[judaismandsuch]

Where do Jews pray?

Aside from the "technically true" answer of 'wherever they happen to be' this is going into the words used English for the specifically chosen buildings.

You run into a few different common ones: Synagogue, Temple, and Shul.

Each have different histories, and implications that many people may not know.

So I want to break down the etymologies, implications, etc. as well as mention some less well known ones.

1)Synagogue: Linguistically arguably the most correct. It comes from from french, latin, and ultimately greek, and ultimately is from the translation of the Bible into Greek. The word be created as a translation for the word Knesset. It literally would translate (in the original greek) to 'meeting place'. overall: 10/10, cannot go wrong with using this word.

2)Temple: A fairly Common word, but one that is rife with theological implications that many are unaware of. Basically it goes like this: There was the first temple and the second, and we are waiting for the third (in theory). When the Reform movement started, one aspect was that the Temple was no longer felt to be a necessary and lamented missing aspect of Judaism, and that the places of prayer were equivalent.* So they began to call their Houses of Prayer 'Temple's. No one in the Orthodox movement would use that term, nor would people in the Conservative movement call their houses of prayer 'Temple'. (at least none that I have seen, and very much none at the begining, I am sure that there are some conservative shuls nowadays that do use the term 'temple'). Now, this means that the use of the word 'temple' to describe a Jewish house of worship is also a theological position. So hearing people use the term 'Temple' as a catch all term instead of Synagogue will annoy a lot of more religious Jews. Now there are a few disclaimers about this: 99% of people aren't aware of this. I have met many a reform and conservative individual that was unaware of the history. So like all pieces of information on a small aspect of theology, don't assume a use of a term implies full knowledge of ramifications. Of course, there is the other issue "Temple" refering to loads of other religions' houses of worship, so it isn't really a good identifier. 2/10, find another word people.

3)Shul A loan word from Yiddish, it actually is the same linguistic root as 'School'. A place of learning. I like it, but a lot of people won't know it, so you'll need to then translate the word. 8/10, but I am biased.

Other words that you may see:

Jewish Church: The issues are obvious, but for some reason I like it.

Beit Knesset: The Hebrew word, 'House of Meeting' it's good, but y'know obv. issues of using hebrew in english.

*I am summarizing and simplifying a large religious movement, obviously this misses some nuance.

NOTE: There are a lot of terms! This is "Common ones you run into in North America" But there are def. terms for it from other Jewish communities that I never heard!

If you have one you didn't see on the list, put it in the notes! (or a direct comment, I'm no cop)

[garlic-and-cloves]

So, I've ended up in a position where I'm leading Kabbalat Shabbat, Ma'ariv and maybe also Mincha next month, none of which I actually know, for an event because I'm in charge of religious education for our youth group and no one else knows it either. Does anyone have any resources? Recordings maybe? I can only find cantor versions which are not helpful. (My shul is Conservative and entirely ley-lead. I'm not entirely sure which tunes we use as Kabbalat Shabbat is only every other month or so for some reason)

[seldarinesorcerer]

Showing up to shul by myself as a young 20 something is always intimidating because I feel like I stand out. Everyone else who usually comes are families of all sizes, and I'm so envious of Jewish families and friends who get to worship and sing and study together.

Then there's me, the one in the corner of the congregation, singing under my breath with my magen tucked under my shirt. Shy to make friends, feeling like I don't belong or it would have been better if I attended over Zoom or something.

I observe shabbos by myself, doing my best to avoid the antisemitism that plagues my social media feed, and yet the anxiety follows me away from the screen. Do I deserve to light these candles? Do I deserve to be blessed with rest? Of course I do, but I don't feel worthy in my little studio apartment.

I wish I could throw myself headfirst into my community without fear, but I feel it everywhere—from my shul to the online communities that I so desperately wish I fit in at.

Maybe I am a fake jew after all, but I so desperately want to feel real. I want to feel confident in my love for my G-d.

[nesyanast]

The Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation Orthodox Synagogue houses six stained windows by the distinguished Scottish stained glass artist William Wilson, RSA. These richly coloured works combine Jewish religious symbols with abstract and floral motifs with one depicting the act of Creation.

Photos by me

[girlactionfigure]

Templo Libertad Buenos Aires, Argentina

The Jew in You

[anonymousdandelion]

And if you feel comfortable doing do, please feel free to share more specifics in the notes about your movement/denomination/what “kind” of synagogue you attend!

(Note: For purposes of this poll we are excluding special non-weekly holiday services, such as Yom Kippur, which obviously draw bigger crowds.)

[bl00d-f3t15h]

Congregation Bet Ha'am (house of the people) a reform synagogue of the Portland, Maine Jewish community

[mental-mona]

This is aimed at Reform synagogues, but 90% of the advice applies to synagogues of ALL denominations.