Southern New England News

Through BEKI Eyes: Photographs of Synagogues by our Members

Congregation Mickve Israel, Savannah, Georgia – building consecrated in 1878 Donna Levine, 2018.

“Through BEKI Eyes: Photographs of Synagogues by our Members” is the latest edition of BEKI’s high holiday exhibition, drawing on the experiences of BEKI travelers who record their impressions of synagogues near and far with photography.  

As notations of the experience of visiting synagogues, these photos speak to how Jews feel when entering a synagogue that may be new to them, and yet somehow the space of any synagogue still feels like home. “It is this fascination with the ‘same but different’ feeling of the synagogues that makes this exhibition so compelling,” explained Cynthia Beth Rubin, who organized the exhibition. “We relish the universality of our spiritual homes, and we delight in the cultural influences of so many different sensibilities from around the world.”

This year’s exhibition includes photographs from synagogues less often visited, including Morocco, India, and Georgia (the country), as well as personal interpretations of better-known synagogues in Venice, Prague, and Amsterdam. Of particular interest in this edition of the exhibition is the number of North American synagogues represented, including Georgia (the state) and the Touro synagogue in Newport.  

The exhibition will be on view from Sept. 5 until late October, and open to the public by appointment by contacting the BEKI office at (203) 389-2108 or office@beki.org.

Main Photo: Spanish Synagogue in Prague, Czechia by Avital Sokolow Silverman, 2010.

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