Customer Reviews

The Synagogue: House of the Jewish People

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I am a synagogue librarian, and I bought this book for my library. Last fall, several teachers wanted books for young children about the synagogue, and our library had only a few old ones. Unfortunately, I found very few books about this topic in print.

"The Synagogue: House of the Jewish People" by Susan Van Dusen discusses the Temple in Jerusalem, the beginning of the synagogue, synagogues around the world, Torah, and prayer. It was written as a textbook for middle school students.

The book has a bright, colorful cover. However, all of the photos inside the book are black and white. The book would be much more effective if at least some of the photos were in color. In fact, it is surprising that a children's book published in 1999 would have only black and white photos.

While the book mentions the many activities that occur in a modern synagogue, "The Synagogue" focuses on prayer, Torah and the sanctuary. There are few if any references to the other parts of a contemporary synagogue such as the social hall, rabbi's study, offices, religious school, library, youth lounge, etc. As a textbook, the many sidebars and questions add interest, but for classroom use, the cluttered pages are a distraction.

In sum, if you are looking for a textbook about prayer, Torah and the sanctuary, this book is one of the few on the market. But if you are looking for a book to use as a teaching aid for grades 1-3, this book will be a disappointment.

Lee Haas

Temple Emanu El

Cleveland, Ohio