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Synagogues: Marvels of Judaism
The most significant volume on synagogue architecture and design to date—brought to life by a stunning array of newly commissioned and archival photographs.
This visually striking compendium illustrates the architectural and historical evolution of over 60 iconic synagogues worldwide. Beginning with the foremost archaeological sites in the Holy Land, it extends to the Jewish sanctuaries of Europe, North Africa, Russia, the Caucasus, Israel, and the New World, from the most ancient to the most innovative creations around the globe. Masterpieces such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Beth Sholom Synagogue in Pennsylvania, the Grand Synagogue in Paris, New York’s Temple Emanu-El, and Dresden’s Neue Synagogue are all featured in magnificent detail. In a series of compelling essays, prominent scholars Lidia Chakovskaya, Steven Fine, Max Fineblum, Mohammad Gharipour, Samuel D. Gruber, Sergey R. Kravtsov, Michael Levin, and Edward van Voolen explore the diverse architectural styles that reflect the synagogue’s rich, complex, and often tragic history. Noted Judaic studies authority Aaron Hughes provides the introduction, highlighting the synagogue’s history and liturgical furnishings from silver menorahs and textiles to carved wooden cabinets and lanterns of eternal light. This gorgeously illustrated volume will appeal to those with an appreciation for art and architecture as well as lovers of Jewish history.
This visually striking compendium illustrates the architectural and historical evolution of over 60 iconic synagogues worldwide. Beginning with the foremost archaeological sites in the Holy Land, it extends to the Jewish sanctuaries of Europe, North Africa, Russia, the Caucasus, Israel, and the New World, from the most ancient to the most innovative creations around the globe. Masterpieces such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Beth Sholom Synagogue in Pennsylvania, the Grand Synagogue in Paris, New York’s Temple Emanu-El, and Dresden’s Neue Synagogue are all featured in magnificent detail. In a series of compelling essays, prominent scholars Lidia Chakovskaya, Steven Fine, Max Fineblum, Mohammad Gharipour, Samuel D. Gruber, Sergey R. Kravtsov, Michael Levin, and Edward van Voolen explore the diverse architectural styles that reflect the synagogue’s rich, complex, and often tragic history. Noted Judaic studies authority Aaron Hughes provides the introduction, highlighting the synagogue’s history and liturgical furnishings from silver menorahs and textiles to carved wooden cabinets and lanterns of eternal light. This gorgeously illustrated volume will appeal to those with an appreciation for art and architecture as well as lovers of Jewish history.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published November 23, 2021
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 3, 2023
As a coffee table book this is ok but it could have been so much more. It covers many different synagogues from different cultures organized by geographical region. Each chapter is written by a different author/expert so this book is essentially a compilation of several authors who contribute a very small amount of text. There is not much content as it is a very brief overview of the subject in each chapter. Additionally, since each chapter is from a different author, there is a lack of continuity and consistency in the content and format of each chapter.
Each synagogue that is profiled has 1-3 paragraphs of text with some very basic and general information. There are also between 1 and 3 photos of each building as well. In many cases this is hardly sufficient to display the beauty and intricacies of the synagogue and in some cases there is no exterior photo of the building.
The photographs are generally very nice and there are some full page spreads. Some photos are smaller and lack detail. The book itself is very large so the full page photos are very impressive.
The final section on synagogue in Israel does not profile individual synagogues as in the other chapters. It mentions some but mostly describes trends and themes in modern synagogues of Israel. This is very confusing as it does not follow the format of the previous chapters and not only are the photos not aligned with the corresponding text, some synagogues mentioned have no photos at all.
The overall quality of the book and pages seems good. The graphic design and page layout is very weak. The choice of font and type style does not seem to go well and is not so easy to read. It appears not much attention was spent on a quality graphic design of the book itself which is unfortunate.
There are several books on this subject, some focusing on synagogues worldwide and some focusing on US buildings. So far, none seem to cover the subject very well beyond a coffee table format lacking detailed content.
If you are looking for a coffee table book with some nice photos, this book should suffice. For anything more detailed, you will probably be disappointed. Probably closer to a 3.5 star review, I rounded down to 3. This book is worth about $20-30 for a quality copy.
Each synagogue that is profiled has 1-3 paragraphs of text with some very basic and general information. There are also between 1 and 3 photos of each building as well. In many cases this is hardly sufficient to display the beauty and intricacies of the synagogue and in some cases there is no exterior photo of the building.
The photographs are generally very nice and there are some full page spreads. Some photos are smaller and lack detail. The book itself is very large so the full page photos are very impressive.
The final section on synagogue in Israel does not profile individual synagogues as in the other chapters. It mentions some but mostly describes trends and themes in modern synagogues of Israel. This is very confusing as it does not follow the format of the previous chapters and not only are the photos not aligned with the corresponding text, some synagogues mentioned have no photos at all.
The overall quality of the book and pages seems good. The graphic design and page layout is very weak. The choice of font and type style does not seem to go well and is not so easy to read. It appears not much attention was spent on a quality graphic design of the book itself which is unfortunate.
There are several books on this subject, some focusing on synagogues worldwide and some focusing on US buildings. So far, none seem to cover the subject very well beyond a coffee table format lacking detailed content.
If you are looking for a coffee table book with some nice photos, this book should suffice. For anything more detailed, you will probably be disappointed. Probably closer to a 3.5 star review, I rounded down to 3. This book is worth about $20-30 for a quality copy.
October 24, 2022
I spent so much time staring at this gorgeous book and it's photographs. Can't wait to read the others in the series, because I know they'll be just as lovely.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews