Written by Year 7 pupil, Tommy.
On 7th of October, we went to the Bournemouth Hebrew Synagogue to learn what a synagogue is like. When we arrived, we entered the synagogue to see red carpets, a nice calming smell and a guide awaiting us.
When we entered the prayer hall we saw a lot of dark red and brown. There were a lot of wooden seats and another row of seats above. We discovered that as it is an orthodox place of prayer the women and the men sat apart, the women on the top row and the men on the bottom.
We saw the Ark which was at the East end of the building – the direction in which all Jews pray. Inside the Ark were the Torahs (which had a Star of David on it) these are scrolls. Above that was the Ner Tamid, an everlasting light used in the Jewish religion.
Above the Ark, there was a stained glass window but unlike many of the other windows instead of having a basic picture from the Old Testament (and often with loving memory of those lost beneath them) it had the Ten Commandments in Hebrew.
In the middle of the synagogue they had the bimah for reading prayers and the Torah. It had a raised area in the front at the middle where the main readings would be from.
- The synagogue was built in 1910
- This synagogue had rooms for discussion and studying
- The Rabbi was called Jesmer and started in 2008
- The Jewish year is currently 5782
- Women who can’t climb the stairs to their seats have to sit in seats at the back with metal gates to separate them from the men
- There are only about 25,000 Jews living in England
- When most Rabbis retire they go to Jerusalem
- In Passover season Jews eats flatbread to represent the Jews leaving Egypt at night, so the bread had no time to rise
- In the Shutoc season, Jews will live in basic huts with leaf roofs for seven days. This is supposed to represent the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years after escaping the slavery of Eygypt.
Due to synagogue rules, males had to cover their heads With a cap.
The main reason for wearing a cap or a skull cap (the proper head cover if you’re Jewish) is because it’s a sign you respect and show fear of God. This synagogue was used lots for community meetups and discussion on subjects chosen by the Rabbi