LA-Jew.com — A synagogue, also spelled synagog ( בית כנסת beyt knesset, meaning “house of assembly”; בית תפילה beyt t’fila, meaning “house of prayer”; שול shul; אסנוגה esnoga; קהל kal) is a Jewish house of prayer. Synagogues have a large hall
The synagogue is the Jewish equivalent of a church, more or less. It is the center of the Jewish religious community: a place of prayer, study and education, social and charitable work, as well as a social center.