Great Synagogue | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
Location | |
Location | Krystalgade 12 Copenhagen, Denmark |
Geographic coordinates | 55°40′52″N12°34′24″E / 55.68112°N 12.57346°E |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Gustav Friedrich Hetsch |
Completed | 1833 |
The Great Synagogue is the main synagogue of the Jewish community in Copenhagen, Denmark. The synagogue is defined by its unique architecture around the Ark. During the first half of the 19th century, synagogues continued to be built in the classical tradition, but there began to be a revival of Greek and Roman architecture. The Great Synagogue in Copenhagen is one of a few synagogues of its period to use Egyptian elements in the columns, ceiling and cornice over the ark. [1]
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Jews were first welcomed into Denmark in 1622 when they were invited into the country by Denmark's king. [2] Although they were scattered around, many of the Jews settled in Copenhagen. [2] Abraham Salomon became the first rabbi in the country in 1687. [3] From 1766 until 1795, around 1,500 Jews worshipped in a small synagogue until it burned down. [2] After the synagogue burned down, a division occurred between the orthodox and progressive members of the Jewish community. [2] As a result, the building of a new synagogue was halted and many members resorted to worshipping in various homes. [2] This division lasted for about 30 years until it was extinguished. [2] The building of the Copenhagen Synagogue occurred after this. [2] In 1814, Jews who were living in Denmark were given the same rights as other citizens as a result of the Royal Decree. [3]
Construction of the Copenhagen Synagogue was completed in 1833. [4] It was designed by Danish architect Gustav Friedrich Hetsch. [4] The synagogue was designed with the neoclassical style in mind, which is demonstrated through the building's simplistic design. [4] The interior of the building, however, has designs that are from the Egyptian Revival style. [4] This style works to help give the synagogue a more Eastern European feel rather than the traditional Northern European feel. [4]
During World War II, the Torah scrolls of the synagogue were hidden at the Trinitatis Church and were returned to the synagogue after the war.[ citation needed ]
On 22 July 1985, the synagogue was struck by a bomb placed by Palestinian terrorists. While no people were injured in the attack on the synagogue, a second bomb placed by the same group destroyed the Copenhagen offices of the American Northwest Orient Airlines, killing one person and injuring 26. [5] [6] 4 individuals with links to Palestinian nationalist organizations, including Mohammed Abu Talb, were later convicted for these and several other terrorist attacks.
A shooting occurred outside the synagogue on 15 February 2015, killing a Jewish community member, who had been providing security, and wounding two Danish Security and Intelligence Service police officers who were shot in the arms and legs. [7] [8] [9] [10] The shooting occurred a few hours after another shooting at a Denmark café. [11] Swedish artist Lars Vilks is believed to be the main target of the café shooting. [11] At the time of the shooting, a discussion was being held about cartoon portrayals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. [11] Vilks has received death threats in the past for his cartoon portrayals of the prophet. [11]
A synagogue, sometimes referred to as a shul or a temple, is a house of worship in Judaism. Synagogues have a place for prayer where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as weddings, b'nai mitzvah, choir performances, and children's plays. They also have rooms for study, social halls, administrative and charitable offices, classrooms for religious and Hebrew studies, and many places to sit and congregate. They often display commemorative, historic, or modern artwork alongside items of Jewish historical significance or history about the synagogue itself.
The Great Synagogue of Rome is the largest synagogue in Rome.
Synagogue architecture often follows styles in vogue at the place and time of construction. There is no set blueprint for synagogues and the architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. According to tradition, the Shekhinah or divine presence can be found wherever there is a minyan, a quorum, of ten. A synagogue always contains an Torah ark where the Torah scrolls are kept, called the aron qodesh by Ashkenazi Jews and the hekhal by Sephardic Jews.
The Stadttempel, also called the Seitenstettengasse Temple, is the main synagogue of Vienna, Austria. It is located in the Innere Stadt 1st district, at Seitenstettengasse 4.
The history of the Jews in Denmark goes back to the 1600s. At present, the Jewish community of Denmark constitutes a small minority of about 6,000 persons within Danish society. The community's population peaked prior to the Holocaust at which time the Danish resistance movement took part in a collective effort to evacuate about 8,000 Jews and their families from Denmark by sea to nearby neutral Sweden, an act which ensured the safety of almost all the Danish Jews.
There are many synagogues in India, although many no longer function as such and today vary in their levels of preservation. These buildings dating from the mid-sixteenth through the mid-20th century once served the country's three distinct Jewish groups—the ancient Cochin Jews, and Bene Israel communities as well as the more recent Baghdadi Jews.
Lars Endel Roger Vilks was a Swedish visual artist and activist who was known for the controversy surrounding his drawings of Muhammad. Many years earlier he had created the sculptures Nimis and Arx, made of driftwood and rock, respectively. The area where the sculptures are located was proclaimed by Vilks as an independent country, "Ladonia".
The Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy began in July 2007 with a series of drawings by Swedish artist Lars Vilks that depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a roundabout dog. Several art galleries in Sweden declined to show the drawings, citing security concerns and fear of violence. The controversy gained international attention after the Örebro-based regional newspaper Nerikes Allehanda published one of the drawings on 18 August as part of an editorial on self-censorship and freedom of religion.
The Hobart Synagogue is a heritage-listed synagogue located in 59 Argyle Street, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The synagogue is the oldest synagogue building in Australia and is a rare example of the Egyptian Revival style of synagogue architecture. The Egyptian Revival building was constructed in 1845. The trapezoidal shape of the windows and the columns with lotus capitals are characteristic of the Egyptian Revival style. Currently the Hobart Synagogue has regular Orthodox and Progressive services.
The 1981 Vienna synagogue attack was a terror attack that occurred 29 August 1981. The incident took place in the Stadttempel of Vienna, Austria carried out by two terrorists of the Abu Nidal Organization.
The Oslo Synagogue is a synagogue in Oslo, Norway. The congregation was established in 1892, but the present building was erected in 1920. Architectural historian Carol Herselle Krinsky describes the two-story tall, stuccoed building with a round tower topped with a spire supporting a Star of David as resembling "a simple and charming country chapel.'
Events from the year 1985 in Denmark.
Terrorism in Denmark refers to terrorist attacks carried out in Denmark or by people connected to Denmark. Like other countries Denmark increased its focus on defending against terrorist attacks after the September 11 attacks in New York in 2001. The September 11 attacks led to strengthened laws in a number of areas. 31 May 2002 the parliament of Denmark approved anti-terror legislation with the aim of preventing terrorism in Denmark and internationally. The new legislation aligned with the definitions of terrorism which were in use by the European Union and the United Nations.
The following lists events that happened in 2015 in Denmark.
On 14–15 February 2015, three separate shootings occurred in Copenhagen, Denmark. In total, two victims and the perpetrator were killed, while five police officers were wounded.
On 22 July 1985, two bombs exploded in a terrorist attack in Copenhagen, Denmark. One of the bombs exploded near the Great Synagogue and a Jewish nursing home and kindergarten, and another at the offices of Northwest Orient Airlines. At least one more bomb, planned for the El Al airline offices, was discovered. One person was killed and 26 people were injured in the attacks. Sweden-based Palestinians Abu Talb and Marten Imandi were sentenced to life imprisonment in Sweden for the bombings, which were part of a series of attacks in 1985 and 1986, while two co-conspirators received lesser sentences of one and six years imprisonment.
Abraham Alexander Wolff was the chief rabbi of Denmark and translator of the Torah into Danish.
The Neve Shalom Synagogue massacre happened on 6 September 1986 when a group of suspected Abu Nidal Organization terrorists killed 22 worshipers inside the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul, Turkey.
"Synagogue". Encyclopaedia Judaica. Jerusalem: Keter. 965-07-0250-4.