Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in New York City, is dedicated.
A synagogue, also called a shul or temple, is a Jewish house of worship. The term "synagogue" is also occasionally used to describe a Samaritan house of worship. Synagogues have a place for prayer (the main sanctuary) and may also have rooms for study, a social hall, offices, and classrooms.
Synagogues are consecrated spaces used for the purpose of Jewish prayer, study, assembly, and reading of the Tanakh (the entire Hebrew Bible, including the Torah). However, a synagogue is not necessary for Jewish worship. Halakha (Jewish law) states that communal Jewish worship can be carried out wherever a minyan (a group of at least 10 Jewish adults) is assembled. Worship can also happen alone or with fewer than 10 people, but there are certain prayers which are considered by halakha as solely communal, and these can therefore be recited only by a minyan. In terms of its specific ritual and liturgical functions, the synagogue does not replace the long-destroyed Temple in Jerusalem.
Shearith Israel or Sherith Israel (Hebrew: שארית ישראל "Remnant of Israel"), may refer to the following Jewish synagogues: