Image via Complex Original
To celebrate Rosh Hashanah and the beginning of year 5773—which began Sunday night at sundown—we have brought you 25 Beautiful Synagogues Worldwide. No “typical” design for a synagogue really exists; they can have whatever shape or floorplan that the architect wants it to have. From Moorish synagogues in St. Petersburg to the self-proclaimed “hipster” synagogue in SoHo (whose description reads more like a sexy downtown apartment listing than a place of worship), we have you covered if you're looking for a last minute spot to celebrate the new year.
rodelph
Rodeph Shalom Synagogue
Year Built: 1928
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Architect: Simon & Simon
The Rodeph Shalom Synagogue is like a little jewel box of a synagogue. Moving past the three-arched entrance, Simon & Simon's sancutary is a treasure trove of gold and tile. This is what happens when art deco meets the Moorish sensibility.
szeged
Szeged Synagogue
Year Built: 1907
Location: Szeged, Hungary
Architect: Lipót Baumhorn
The Szeged synagogue is a work of intense decoration. From the facade of the building to the domes which dot its roofline to the altar, every inch of Baumhorn's synagogue is dripping with fine filigree—did you check out the interior of that dome?
st-petersburg
Grand Choral Synagogue
Year Built: 1893
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia
Architect: A.V. Malov
The Grand Choral Synagogue fits right in with the colorful architecture of St. Petersburg. Moorish architecture abounds in Malov's design, with a large pointed archway denoting the entrance, striped stonework claddingt the building, and minaret-like towers, while the blue and white spiral dome adds an unexpected bit of color while keeping it in line with the other buildings in St. Petersburg.
reconstruction
Jewish Reconstructionist Synagogue
Year Built: 2008
Location: Evanston, Illinois
Architect: Ross Barney
We don't know if it's the wall of glass whose pains of glass are staggered in a way that mimics a Mondrian, or if it's the wood exterior, pierced with smaller windows, or the hints of stone in Ross Barney's sanctuary. What we do know, however, is that if this was our synagogue, we would be looking forward to going every week.
wailing-wall
The Western Wall
Year Built: 1st century CE
Location: Jerusalem
Architect: Herod the Great
Ok, so this might technically not be a synagogue, but the western wall is the most sacred place in Judaism outside of the temple mount, for which it is the western wall. The site has been one of Jewish prayer and pilgrimage for several centuries.
park-east-new
Park East Synagogue
Year Built: 2007
Location: Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Architect: Centerbrook Architects and Planners
This award winning new synagogue design by Centerbrook Architects and Planners has elements that seem to take flight. Copper, stone, steel and glass come together to create a multifaceted experience of material and architecture, while the windows take advantage of the views of the surrounding landscape.
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Central Synagogue
Central Synagogue
Year Built: 1872
Location: New York, NY
Architect: Henry Fernbach
The Central Synagogue is a Moorish temple oasis in the middle of Manhattan—or midtown east, to be exact. Its exterior packs a punch with its twin green and gold onion domes atop octagonal towers, while Fernbach's blue and gold interior arrests the synagogue go-er. Vibrant color and decoration marries with dramatic and bold architecture to create a space that transports the faithful to another place and time.
kahn
Hurva Synagogue
Year Built:Unbuilt
Location: N/A
Architect: Louis Kahn
If Louis Kahn's Hurva Synagogue was actually built, it might have been his greatest building. The general form of the building takes inspiration from the ziggurat, while the congregation would have been organized under tall, trapezoidal, supports that supported the roof of the building. Louis Kahn thought of these massive columns as trees. The faithful would be learning about the Jewish faith under the trees, which harkened back to Kahn's notion of school originating as a group of people learning, together, beneath the shade of a tree.
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jerusalem
The Great Synagogue of Jerusalem
Year Built: 1982
Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Architect: Alexander Freidman
The Great Synagogue of Jerusalem is important, and you are aware of that from the moment you see the building. Lines and blocks build up and up to impress its importance, but Friedman's design is also thoughtfully laid out. To strong vertical supports frame many vertical windows in quick succession, which are under a large lintel which is slightly cleaved by another block. The facade interlocks to provide multifaceted points of visual interest.
sydney
The Great Synagogue of Syndey
Year Built: 1878
Location: Sydney, Australia
Architects: Thomas Rowe, Aaron Loveridge
One only needs to turn to the ceiling of the Rowe designed Great Synagogue of Sydney to see its beauty. Following the intricately carved columns upwards to a ribbed vault that dances and leaps across the nave, or main aisle of the space, one finds a navy blue painted ceiling with stars. Mix this with crazy stonework by Loveridge that turns Hebrew into a new form of decoration and you've got yourself a killer synagogue.
givatram
Givat Ram Synagogue
Year Built: 1957
Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Architect: David Resnick
The Givatram synagogue almost looks other-worldly. A white, slightly amorphous dome with rounded windows sits almost like a mushroom on the ground. But therein lies the beauty in Resnick's creation. It is meant to look organic, natural, and imperfect, as though it just settled there one day.
crosby
SoHo Synagogue
Year Built: 2009
Location: New York, NY
Architect: Dror
The self proclaimed "hipster" synagogue is modern, young, clean-lined, and cool. A simple glass facade gives way to Dror's artfully curated space, complete with exposed brick—every new yorker's dream.
flw
Beth Shalom Synagogue
Year Built: 1954
Location: Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright
Perhaps the most shocking—and ingenious—part about this synagogue, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is the roof. It is made of corrugated plastic. The material of shed roofs is now turned into a translucent canopy for a synagogue, which filters the light into the building in a gentle and diffuse way. Something considered ugly, fit to cover the roof of an outhouse, is now turned into something transformative.
florence
The Great Synagogue of Florence
Year Built: 1882
Location: Florence, Italy
Architects: Mariano Falcini, Professor Vincente Micheli, and Marco Treves
The Great Synagogue of Florence is what happens when you mash together Moorish architecture with local Florentine sensibility. On the inside, you find intricately worked domes, while on the outside you'll find a harmoniously organized facade. The facade of Falcini, Micheli, and Treves's building is, more or less, square, and other geometric forms—like the semi circle, are found within it, harkening back to ideals of Renaissance facades.
eldridge
The Eldridge Street Synagogue
Year Built: 1887
Location: New York, NY
Architect: Herter Brothers
The Herter Brothers managed to create a fantasy in blue at the Eldridge Street Synagogue. The blue tinted windows, painted blue domes, and tiled, vaulted ceiling create a space which shimmers with colored light. The overall effect is one of supernaturality.
rome
The Great Synagogue of Rome
Year Built: 1904
Location: Rome, Italy
Architect: Osvaldo Armanni, Vincenzo Costa
Standing alongside the Tiber River the Great Synagogue of Rome stands in what used to be the Jewish ghetto. Palm trees continue from the landscaping onto the exterior decoration of the Armanni and Costa designed building, and the interior, with its eclectic feel, seems to take inspiration from the appearance of surrounding Christian church interiors, pieced together with ancient Roman ruins.
cymbalista
The Cymbalista Synagogue
Year Built: 1996
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Architect: Mario Botta
If we were to describe what this building looks like, it probably wouldn't sound pretty. The way Botta harnessed the materials for the inside and outside of the building, though, create drama and interest. Textured bricks break up a largely windowless exterior while strategically placed windows dramatically light the minimalistic and meditative interior.
civic-center
Synagogue for the Arts
Year Built: 1965
Location: New York, NY
Architect: William N. Berger
The undulating facade of The Synagogue for the Arts both grabs you in how different it is as well as fits in with the eclectic nature of architecture in new york city. The rolling form of Berger's synagogue, both on the outside and the inside of the building, is calming, graceful, and almost meditative. Although a simplistic form, the use of textured concrete on the exterior of the building captures the light to highlight the dramatic curve on the facade, while the use of wood on the inside amplifies the light to keep the space glowing.
shaareyzedek
Shaarey Zedek Synagogue
Year Built: 1962
Location: Southfield, Michigan
Architect: Percival Goodman
The impact of this building lies in the simplicity of its form. Goodman's work of brutalist architecture took geometric forms and strategically pierced it with windows creating an impactful spot for its altar. The synagogue takes the shape of the great prow of a boat, moving forward, all the while carrying the faithful with it.
east-hampton
Gates of the Grove Synagogue
Year Built: 1987
Location: East Hampton, NY
Architect: Norman Jaffe
The weathered shingles on the outside of the glass and wood sanctuary, designed by Norman Jaffe, let you know that this is a synagogue for Summer. The large plate glass windows allow for an almost seamless transition between indoors and outdoors while the light wood interior keeps the interior space open and inviting.
hungary
Dohány Street Synagogue
Year Built: 1859
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Architect: Ludwig Förster
The Dohány Street Synagogue takes some of our favorite parts of mosque architecture and art and brings it to a place of Jewish worship. We have onion domes, striped stonework, and and amazingly intricate detail work on almost every surface imaginable. Förster's interior stuns the faithful with drama—dramatic color, dramatic patterns, and perhaps most striking, the dramatic arches holding up the building.
cologne
Roonstrasse Synagogue
Year Built: Originally 1899, Rebuilt 1959
Location: Cologne, Germany
Architect: Unknown
The facade of this centrally planned synagogue is dominated by a large rose window, showcasing the influence that gothic architecture had on this late 19th century building. It was built with proportion in mind—going from three doors to a rose window to a square tower whose base is dotted with windows—making it visually sturdy and harmonious.
frankfurt
The West End Synagogue
Year Built: 1910
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Architect: Unknown
Sure, the brilliant blue tiled wall behind the altar is stunning, but did you take a look at the roofline to this building? Instead of sharp lines, the roof gently curves from the dome down to each eave of the building, softening the lines of the building.
berlin
The Neue Synagoge
Year Built: 1859
Location: Berlin, Germany
Architect: Eduard Knoblauch, Friedrich August Stüler
It's not hard to imagine why Eduard Knoblauch's synagogue made it onto our list—check out the triple onion domes with their intricate gold work and gorgeous stonework on its base. This sort of Moorish inspiration is not just fit for mosques. It's interior has unfortunately been recently redone, but if the 19th century image is even close to correct, it's safe to say the interior was as much of a show stopper as the exterior.
paris
Grande Synagogue of Paris
Year Built: 1874
Location: Paris, France
Architect: Alfred-Philibert Aldrophe
The Grande Synagogue of Paris, built by Alfred-Philibert Aldrophe, whose walls and apse are pierced with windows and whose center aisle is capped with a barrel vault, takes architectural inspiration from the surrounding Romanesque and Gothic churches. Unlike the churches of the 12th and 13th centuries, however, Aldrophe's creation is flooded with light, made possible by the ample rose windows and light stone interior, creating an airy, open feel to the synagogue.