Praying by candlelight in Amsterdam
A Yom Kippur tradition that dates back to the invention of electricity
CNAAN LIPHSHIZ/JTA
(like the one on Dohany Street in Buda- pest) the Amsterdam building remains a spectacular sight on any day of the year. Yet most of the synagogue’s visitors are not around on the day when its beauty shines brightest: Yom Kippur. On the holi- est day of the Jewish calendar, the hall is packed to capacity as worshippers pray by the warm light of hundreds of candles—a tradition that dates back to the invention of electricity—accompanied by unique cantor- ial melodies that resemble operas. “It’s one of European Jewry’s most pro-
ian Peninsula, the Portuguese Synagogue today sees many thousands of tourists an- nually. Inside its vast sanctuary, a massive Torah ark made of Brazilian Jacaranda wood towers over 17th-century furniture and a multitude of low-hanging golden chandeliers hang among 12 stone pillars. Its architect is said to have drawn in- spiration from Solomon’s Temple, and promised the synagogue would be Eur- ope’s largest and most ornate. While the Portuguese Synagogue was later eclipsed by even larger and more magnificent shuls
O ne of Europe’s oldest and most impres- sive Jewish buildings, this city’s Portu- guese Synagogue is known for its beauty. Built in 1675 for the descendants of Jews who fled religious persecution on the Iber- We are still moved by this story from the archives of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. We checked with the Portuguese Syna- gogue, which confirmed that this tradition continues.
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