A synagogue is a Jewish house of worship that serves as a place for liturgical services, assembly, and study. It is sometimes referred to by the Yiddish term shul and by Reform communities as a temple. Synagogues have a place for prayer, study, assembly, and reading of the Torah. The term synagogue is of Greek origin (synagein, “to bring together”) and means “a place of assembly”. The oldest dated evidence of a synagogue is from the 3rd century BCE, but synagogues doubtless have an older history. Synagogues are consecrated spaces used for the purpose of Jewish prayer, study, assembly, and reading of the Torah. Synagogues are also places of social and charitable work, as well as social centers.
At a minimum, a synagogue is a beit tefilah, a house of prayer, where Jews come together for community prayer services. Jews can satisfy the obligations of daily prayer by praying anywhere, but there are certain prayers that can only be said in the presence of a minyan (a quorum of 10 adult men), and tradition teaches that there is more merit to praying with a group than there is in praying alone. A synagogue is usually also a beit midrash, a house of study, where the study of sacred texts is a life-long task. Synagogues also have a social hall for religious and non-religious activities, and they often function as a sort of town hall where matters of importance to the community can be discussed. In addition, synagogues function as social welfare agencies, collecting and dispensing money and other items for the aid of the poor and needy within the community.
