The Synagogue

Description

Throughout the long and tortuous history of the Jews, the synagogue has been a constant presence and a source of spiritual strength. Playing a symbolic as well as a practical role, it has acted as the focus for the faith of countless Jewish communities all over the world. The significance placed on the synagogue, with its rituals and traditions, emphasises the fact that Judaism is not simply a religion, but a way of life. In this book Harold Meek gradually unfolds the story of the synagogue from its origins in Solomon's Temple to its exuberant Baroque phase in Venice and thence to the classic simplicity of the modern building. Over the course of several millennia, the style of the synagogue has grown and developed, drawing in a vast array of cultural and artistic influences to produce a rich and coherent heritage. A heritage that is always aware of its biblical antecedents and still strongly based on God's commandments to Moses to construct a Tabernacle in the desert. Highly illustrated, with much specially commissioned photography from around the world, this book provides a detailed and comprehensive picture of the synagogue and its decoration. Numerous metropolitan and provincial synagogues, from the flamboyantly Moorish to the sparsely contemporary, are represented as a monument to the art and architecture of Judaism.

Harold Meek read architecture at Manchester University. After serving 12 years as Ancient Monuments Architect to the Government in Northern Ireland, Dr Meek lectured on the history of architecture at Queen's University, Belfast.

"A delicious book. Meek has an ear for the engaging anecdote and an eye for the glorious edifice or architectural detail."-Newsday "This well-designed work will serve as a splendid gift book, suitable for the bar or bat mitzvah. The colour photography is indeed beautiful. Its superb design and visual appeal should render The Synagogue a great success."-Jewish Book World