How often have you heard people say, “I am a Jew at heart although I do not go to Shul much?” What should the role of a synagogue be in the life of a Jew?
Historically, the synagogue only became a permanent institution in Jewish communities after the destruction of the first temple when most Jews were exiled to Babylonia. The Temple in Jerusalem was always the focal point of Jewish life. It was the place where one would come to serve God. One was obliged to make a pilgrimage up to the temple on the festivals three times a year. When the Temple was destroyed the Jews went through a period of crises. Their centre and focal point was taken away from them. In the place of the temple the synagogue was created.
The synagogue has lasted the test of time and has traditionally served as a house of study, guest house, and an all around community centre but primarily it was a house of God, a place designated for communal worship. The state of the synagogue said much about the community that it served. Throughout our history our enemies have targeted the synagogue in order to hurt us knowing just how dear the synagogue was to the Jews. Indeed the fortunes of the Jews can be traced by the building and destruction of their synagogues. The wooden synagogues of Eastern Europe are a point at hand. They were the most magnificent synagogues imaginable the art that they contained was both priceless and beautiful. Together with the communities that worshiped in them they were all destroyed by the Nazis or the Polls. The few wooden synagogues left standing were turned into stables, warehouses and garages. Out of ten such synagogues, only one has Jewish symbol left in.
About nine years ago I visited a small town in Latvia called Kuldiga it used to have a Jewish population of over 10,000 – all killed by the Nazis. We looked for the Jewish cemetery it was still intact but the synagogue had been turned into a theatre – a sign that there was not even one Jew left in the town.
When our detractors wanted to weaken our link to our faith they tried to weaken our connection to our synagogues. In Mohammedan lands, the rule of Islam began with an edict against the synagogue. It was decreed in the "pact of Omar” in 637 CE that no new synagogues may be built in countries which would be conquered. Old synagogues were not to be repaired. The caliph Al-Mutawakkil confirmed this edict in – circa 850 CE – by decreeing that all synagogues must be transformed into mosques.
They know how precious the synagogue was to Jews. Jews used to pour vast amounts of money into their synagogue – it was there pride and joy. The more beautiful that synagogue the greater the pride, the private home of a Jew may have been neglected but the synagogue was always looked after meticulously. Throughout the ages the synagogue was the very symbol of Jewish life. In any area if one wants to know whether Jews live there we ask is there a Shul – there is no communal worship without a Shul if there is no communal worship there cannot be any Jewish community or Jewish life.
Traditionally if a Jew turned his back on the synagogue it meant he was turning his back on his people and his religion. It is the same today as it was then. Our synagogue must be our pride and Joy. We must invest sweat and blood into our synagogue.
In Anglo-Jewry many people want to be members of a Shul, when I ask them why this is many answer that they want it for burial purposes only. When I point out that taking out Family Funeral Insurance is considerably cheaper then belonging to a synagogue, they say that although that nay be true they still would like to belong to a synagogue. This illogical attitude has often puzzled me. What is it about belonging to a synagogue that is worth so much money? Well now we have an answer: it is Jewish tradition to be involved with the synagogue. A Jew without a synagogue is akin to the night without the moon. We all know that being affiliated with a synagogue is an important part of our identity. This is why when to Jews meet for the first time they ask each other: which synagogue do you belong to?
If our identity as Jews can be measured by our membership to a synagogue it follows that our connection to Judaism can also be assessed by our level of association to our synagogue. Although the idiom that “Judaism is in the home and in the heart” is true, however, a wholesome relationship with the synagogue is an indication of a good Jewish home and a strong Jewish heart.
So in answer to the question: What should the role of a synagogue be in the life of a Jew? It must play very central role. We need to not only belong to a synagogue but also attend the synagogue as much as we can. If praying in Hebrew is difficult English will do. But one must not forget: although the synagogue is primarily a place of communal worship it is also a place of learning and communal life. If the building is there we must make use of it – our connection with it is the barometer of our Judaism. Remember that the Shul is really your home away from home. So while in Shul reconnecting with God reconnect with the synagogue as well.