Jews’ Mindsets in Constructing SynagogueCase Study: Juybareh Neighborhood in Isfahan

The study of the synagogue is the exploration of the history of Israel. There are no periods of life imaginable without this place of public praying and religious teaching. Synagogue was very soon transformed into the main center of Judaism and, due to the same reason, long after Jews’ scattering, Jews’ beliefs and rites were preserved. The synagogue was the center of the Jewish society’s activities the same way that Jerusalem Temple was the center of all Jews. In fact, the synagogue was a small sacred place for the compensation and lack of the main temple for the scattered Jewish community. Therefore, disregarding the idea that how can the details of synagogues’ construction differ in various countries, the building of the synagogue and the praying and rituals in them are the most important visible manifestations of Judaism; the main goal of their construction was the unification of the Jews who were scatrtred all around the globe. The main purpose of the current study is to introduce the method of the Jewish ideas’ formation regarding the construction of the synagogue. Assuming the effect that the Jewish mindset has on the construction of the synagogue in Isfahan, Juybareh Neighborhood, the present study presents historical-interpretive research to find answers to the following questions: how can the Jewish mindset influence the architectural design of the synagogues in Isfahan? How can the survey and observation of the synagogues in Juybareh Neighborhood in Isfahan help to figure out the formation of the synagogue in Iran?This article initially deals with the formation of the Judaism, history of Judaism in Iran, including Isfahan, and Jewish thoughts in the construction of synagogue; then, using survey observations and records in Juybareh Neighborhood, several samples of synagogues are analyzed and investigated. The recognition and classification of the architecture in Isfahan’s synagogue enables a better perception of the synagogues’ spaces.