Absolutely, the White house also has columns and a pediment. Let’s go through the huge doors and see what we can find inside.

That is an impressive building, but not built in the Greek Revival style, try again.

Perfect, the rabbi and other official members of the Synagogue would speak from the bimah. When children reach the age of thirteen and complete their Bar or Bat Mitzvah they would stand here to read the Torah, the Jewish religious book containing the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

Good guess, but try again.

What do you want to explore next? How about the large structure at the front of the room? This is called the Ark. Does its design style look familiar to something we saw earlier? It was designed in the Greek Revival style with columns and pediment at the top like the outside of the synagogue.

Not quite, try again. 

Correct, the Torah is stored safely inside the ark. While arks come in many different shapes, sizes and materials, they are found in all synagogues.

Let’s look a little more closely at the ark and notice another important element, the Ner Tamid. This is another item that you will find inside all Synagogues attached to the Ark. The light which always stays on represents the presence of G-d around us at all times.

Perfect, the tablets were given to Moses by G-d and explain how people should act in an ethical way. Do you know any examples of the 10 commandments?

Something important is written on them, but it’s not that. Take another guess.

What do you see above the ark? This colorful window shows the Star of David, a symbol associated with the Jewish community. Let’s take a moment and look closely at the window.

What colors do you see? 

What shapes can you recognize?

Absolutely, the Synagogue has several stained glass windows, though this is by far the most impressive. This window is especially important as it was the only sign on the outside of the original building that this was a Synagogue.

That is another type of art, but it’s not found here. Take another guess.

Now that we’ve looked up, do you see that there’s a balcony with seats upstairs?

Not quite, try again.

You’re right, during service women sat upstairs in the balcony while men sat separately downstairs.

While we’re up here, let’s look around and see if we notice anything else. Do you see the hatch in the ceiling? It leads to the attic.

Correct, researchers found scars in the roof and remains of an old ladder that led to a bell tower. The bell tower was put up during a time when the synagogue was used as a place of worship for a group of Lithuanian Catholics. After they got their own church and moved out, the building was once again used as a synagogue and the bell tower was removed.

Now, let’s head downstairs to the basement which has previously been used as a meeting space, office, classroom, and social hall.

While you may find that in an attic, it wasn’t found here. Try another guess.

One of the first things you will see is an oven which was used for making matzah, a type of unleavened bread eaten by Jewish people during the festival of Passover. Women would roll the dough on large tables and men would slide the matzah into the oven on a wooden paddle.

That’s a good guess, but try another answer.

That’s right. There’s no chimney on the roof of the synagogue. Instead, the smoke escaped from one of the large columns on the outside of the building.

Thank you for joining us to explore the Synagogue, let us show you back to the exit. ... But wait, here's one last thing. Do you notice this small item on the doorway?

You’re right. This small container is called a mezuzah. It holds a scroll with verses from the Torah on it. It is hung on the right side of doorposts in Jewish households, synagogues, and other buildings.

While you would often find that in a doorway, that’s not what this item is used for. Take another guess.

We hope you enjoyed exploring the Synagogue. If you want to discover more, check out this blog post with hands-on activities and a video showing how the synagogue changed over time. 

You can also come and visit us for a tour and show off your knowledge when the museum is able to reopen.