“The synagogue is the sanctuary of Israel. It was born out of Israel’s longing for the living God. It has been to Israel throughout his endless wanderings a visible token of the presence of God in the midst of the people. It has shed a beauty that is the beauty of holiness and has ever stood on the high places as the champion of justice and brotherhood and peace. Its truths are true for all, its love is a love for all, its God is the God of all, even as was prophesied of old, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
These words are a reflection of the place that the synagogue and the sanctuary hold in our lives, as well as in the history of our people. They remind us of the spiritual inheritance that has sustained us as the oldest, unbroken cultural and religious tradition in human history.
