The Jewish Synagogue

On our first Monday, Professor Cooperman decided to cancel class in favor of taking a tour of the Jewish Synagogue and Museum. The first thing I noticed about the Synagogue was the tight security they had. There was a huge gate with two entrances on the side that had security posts. I thought this was odd due to the lack of violent crimes here, but it could have been set up for a different reason in a different time.

When we entered the Synagogue, it was unlike any other Synagogue I've ever been in. From the outside, the building sticks out like many cathedrals here do. This could be due to a couple of the architects of the Synagogue being Catholic, but from our tour we found out it was to make a statement that there was a thriving Jewish community in Florence. The inside was just as impressive. However, I couldn't fathom going to services here because it is not in an intimate setting. This place does not cater to how Jewish services are. Since the synagogue was created to make a statement, the acoustics played a distant second to the original purpose.

While we were at the Synagogue, we learned about the history of the synagogue; when it was built (19th Century), how it was financed (Levy), how the synagogue was affected by the flood of 1966. After our discussion in the sanctuary, we went into the museum on the 2nd floor and saw some of the Jewish antiques and a torah scroll that were not in use anymore. There was also a section of the museum that was dedicated towards how Jews in Italy were affected by WWII and the Holocaust.

Overall, I enjoyed seeing the Jewish Synagogue in Florence. It was a beautiful building and I was impressed with everything I saw there.