Arad Neolog Synagogue, Neolog synagogue in Arad, Romania.
The Arad Neolog Synagogue was built from 1827 to 1834 in a Greek-Tuscan style, with an unusual triangular plan and over 1,000 seats. A large round-arched window dominates the south side, and the dome is decorated with a rosette bearing a Star of David and twelve painted windows. The Torah ark is framed by two pairs of columns, with the bimah placed in front of it rather than at the room's center.
Constructed in 1834, the synagogue served a Jewish community that grew to over 10,000 members before World War II, making it one of Romania's most significant Jewish religious centers.
The synagogue represents the Neolog movement, a 19th-century Reform Judaism branch that introduced modern practices including High German services and pipe organ music under Rabbi Aaron Chorin's leadership.
The synagogue stands at Str. Tribunul Dobra nr. 10, entered through a small enclosed courtyard or from the rear street named after it. Services are held only in spring and summer because the building has no heating system, and the chief rabbi comes from Timișoara.
The building has an unusual triangular footprint and is not recognizable as a synagogue from outside; entry is through a small enclosed courtyard a few square metres in size or from the back street named after the synagogue. The Torah ark is framed by two pairs of columns, with the bimah placed in front of it rather than at the room's centre as in Orthodox synagogues.
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