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Visiting Synagogues Around The World

by Melanie Renzulli (RSS feed) on Apr 6th 2012 at 9:00AM

Places of worship have long been points of interest for travelers. Solemn and usually quite ornate, these buildings provide a window onto a community's history and values and often give visitors a much-needed pause while pounding the sightseeing pavement. Cathedrals are typical for this kind of touring. But have you ever thought to pay a visit to a synagogue?

My fascination with exploring synagogues began on a trip to Willemstad, Curaçao, home of Mikvé Israel-Emanuel, the oldest active Jewish congregation in the Americas built in 1651. Several years later, I had the opportunity to visit the Paradesi Synagogue in Cochin, Kerala, India. Constructed in 1568, it is the oldest "active" synagogue in India - "active" because there are fewer than 20 Jews left in Cochin, most having emigrated to Israel. Coincidentally, I learned about the Jews of Cochin from an exhibit at the 6th and I Synagogue, a historic synagogue in Washington, DC, that is now used primarily as a community center and arts space.

The Jewish diaspora is thriving in many parts of the world. Yet in places like Cochin and Mumbai, the local Jewish community is dwindling, giving impetus to visiting some synagogues before they are shuttered or left to become museums. The following are some of the synagogues I have seen or wish to explore on my travels.

Gallery: Historic Synagogues

Filed under: Arts and Culture

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Lawrence Apr 6th 2012 12:40PM

I was glad to see this post - I first stumbled upon "synagogue traveling" while doing some family tree research, which took me to Bevis Marks in London. Thank you for suggesting a few more places to visit!

Sadly, what I have come across with some frequency are buildings that are former synagogues, often in disrepair, with no one around who knows much about the buildings' histories.

Lawrence Aronovitch
A playwright living in Canada

http://www.aronovitch.ca

Melanie Renzulli Apr 6th 2012 12:44PM

Thanks so much for your nice comment, Lawrence. It's true that some of these sites lack the staff for upkeep or are hard to access. I hope that by shining a light on a few synagogues that readers will know about these buildings in advance of their travels.

lawrence May 16th 2012 2:33AM

Happily, thanks to some work-related travel I have now had the opportunity to visit the Prague and Berlin synagogues you highlighted.

I hope you (or others) will continue to add to the list!

Lawrence Aronovitch
A playwright living in Canada

http://www.aronovitch.ca

hannah Apr 6th 2012 1:28PM

The synagogues in Istanbul are beautiful, too, with an active community here using them all - in your next slide show let's see some more Sephardic synagogues! :)