What You Will See Inside a Synagogue [Hardcover]

Ron Wolfson (Author), Bill Aron (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6 - This book provides a warm and thorough welcome to the center of Jewish life, emphasizing its core purpose as a house of prayer, learning, and community. Each appealing spread focuses on an aspect of synagogue life and practice, from the weekly Shabbat service to holidays and life-cycle events. The text is packed with detailed explanations; occasionally, they can be a bit overwhelming for children who might not be familiar with Judaism. Still, the book has a friendly tone and emphasizes basic values such as the importance of learning and welcoming strangers. Numerous clear color photos and pronunciation guides for Hebrew words are included. While the focus is on synagogues in the Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Reform movements within North America, the authors point out that Jews throughout the world practice their religion in synagogues. An excellent overview. - Teri Markson, Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School, Los Angeles
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5, younger for sharing. The authors focus on the synagogues and services of three branches of North American Judaism--Conservative, Reconstruction, and Reform. Clearly establishing Judaism as a religion as opposed to a race or a nationality, they introduce readers to Sabbath customs, prayer, the sanctuary and its contents, the Torah, important holidays and life cycle events, and key tenets of the faith, such as giving to others and repairing the world. Topics are presented in attractive double-page spreads comprising succinct text, full-color photographs, and pronunciation guides for Hebrew words. Numerous sidebars containing captioned, close-up photographs of a variety of ritual objects are a plus. This is a worthy successor to older titles such as Joan Sugarman's Inside the Synagogue (1984), and it will be welcomed in religious school collections as well as school and public libraries where Judaism or comparative religion is a subject of interest. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Skylight Paths Publishing (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594730121
• ISBN-13: 978-1594730122
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,099,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful introduction to the Jewish temple and faith, October 10, 2008

By 

liat2768 "liat2768" (dallas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: What You Will See Inside a Synagogue (Paperback)

I am very impressed with the quality and content of this book. It is intended for a child who does not know much about Judaism and does an excellent job summarizing the beliefs and rituals of Juadism.
The book includes preparing for prayer (donning the tallit and kippa), an explanation of the ark, the torah, the magen david, the ner tamid and almost everything else you would want to know about the inner workings of a temple. There is also a section on Shabbat, Tikkun Olam (fixing he world) charity and major events in Jewish life (Weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs,the holidays).
The temple shown in this book is either a reform or conservative temple, and while the religion is the same, this is not an orthodox temple which would have a slightly different atmosphere.
The book is part of a series intended to show children traditional houses of worship, liturgical celebrations and rituals of different world faiths. It is a great resource to teach a respect and understanding of the religious traditions of the world.