Experiencing Architecture - Inside a Synagogue

I had a new experience last week. I went into a synagogue for the first time.

I had arranged to attend a talk given by an author I admire. He discussed his new book and writing. It was an interesting talk and I will definitely be picking up his new book, when it is in paperback.

But really sparked my interest was the space. I had never been inside if a synagogue before. I've been to German Lutheran churches, Protestant churches, Catholic churches, nondenominational churches, and more than a few other religious buildings. But never a synagogue.

This one was clearly a 20th century structure that was being renovated piece by piece. It faced the street corner in an inviting way. The interior was like a piece of pie with the seating and balcony radiused out from the center pulpit (I don't know what they are called in Judaism).

On both of the side walls, there was one large stained glass and one smaller. Thanking my Christian upbringing and design education, I was able to identify both Old Testament stories depicted in the larger windows even though one of the windows is really dark.

Moses in the river

Can you tell what this is?
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Adam after eating the apple

It was really lovely being in a religious building that I wasn't familiar with. I have always been very interested in other cultures and religions. Once at Easter, I was there only one to attend Easter mass with my friend's mother. (My friend didn't even come along!) I think this interest in the structures that religions build is also spurred by my general interest in architecture. I love seeing how a physical space can reflect an ideology (corporate, religious, or otherwise).

I also know first hand how a space can affect your experience of it. One of my favorite religious spaces is the LA Cathedral. Down the street from the Disney theater designed by Frank Gehry, the Cathedral is the opposite in every way. The Cathedral has a feeling of being built up over time by the sands, with the inside like a dark cave that opens up to a light filled cavern. This experience is very reflective of the Christian belief system.

I didn't get that level of connection to the synagogue, but you could still feel the spirituality and history. It was a lovely experience.

Jewish school across from Synagogue

Another interior shot