The Temple in Jerusalem Idealized and the Historic- Synagogue-Institution: A Study in Synagogue Purposes in an American Context

This dissertation sketched key structural-functional design characteristics of the
Temple in Jerusalem as they emerge from archeological finds, academic scholarship, and
rabbinic literary and legal traditions. It illustrated numerous embodied and functional
parallels, with detailed descriptions of two successful American Synagogues drawing on
the documents of social history, one built and led by the leadership of a lay community
and the other dominated by a renowned Rabbi. Both synagogues seem to have inherited,
continued, and celebrated venerable purposes that the rise of synagogues once took over
from the ideals of the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem. Synagogues become successful
institutions when they serve their communities, meeting self-perceived as well as
pressing needs, through a willingness to accomplish multiple and diverse purposes.