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Synagogues
Synagogues are Jewish houses of prayer and study. They usually contain separate rooms for prayer (the main sanctuary), smaller rooms for study, and used for community or educational use.
There is no set blueprint for synagogues, and the architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. The Reform movement mostly refers to their synagogues as temples. Some traditional features of a synagogue are:
- The ark (called aron ha-kodesh by Ashkenazim and hekhal by Sephardim) where the Torah scrolls are kept. The ark is often closed with an ornate curtain (parochet) outside, or inside, the ark doors.
- The elevated reader's platform (called bimah by Ashkenazim and tebah by Sephardim), where the Torah is read (and services are conducted in Sephardi synagogues).
- The eternal light (ner tamid), a continually-lit lamp or lantern used as a reminder of the constantly lit Menorah of the Temple in Jerusalem.
- The pulpit, or amud (Hebrew), a lectern facing the Ark where the hazzan, or prayer leader, stands while praying.
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