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The synagogue Since the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in the year 70 the synagogue has been the religious centre of the jewish community. Its function is not only restricted to religious service, it is also an assembly room as well as an area for studies and prayers. Ten adult men are required for the process of the service. Its main aspect is the reading of the holy script. The Tora scripts are kept in a dignified cupboard, the Tora shrine, which in Europe points to the east, to Jerusalem. The reading desk (Birma) was originally placed in the middle of the room and the benches were arranged around it. In the 19th century it was then moved closer to the Tora shrine. Up until the 19th century women were allowed only to attend the service from a nearby room or from a gallery, only then was the separation of men and women abbrogated in many synagogues. The decoration in the synagogue is limited to the Tora, where in front of their shrine, provided with a curtain, an eternal light burns. The Tora scripts contain the five books of Moses, written on parchment paper. During the service the tora scripts are ceremoniously removed, carried to the Bima, unrolled and shown to all sides. It is read on the Sabbath, on public holidays and on the day of fasting as well as Mondays and Thursdays in the morning service. On certain occasions readings from the prophet books and the holy scripts follow. The arrangement of the service is a matter for all - traditionally male – attendants, a Rabbi is not necessary for this. During the over 400 years of history of the Jews in Hamburg, the form of the service changed, and there were differences in the synagogues which existed at the same time, depending on the degree of the orthodox or liberal views of the community. Jews in Hamburg - The arrival of the first Jews in Hamburg - Enlightment and emancipation - Jews in the german empire - Jews and the Weimar Republic - Persecution and the holocaust under the national socialist leadership - Jewish Schools - Jews and business in Hamburg - Living conditions and Jewish residential areas - The Synagogue
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