GCSE Synagogue Trip

On Tuesday 30 November the L5 and U5 Religious Studies pupils visited the Maidenhead Reform Synagogue.  The purpose of the visit was to deepen their study of Judaism.

As part of their GCSE, pupils learn about the importance of the synagogue to Jewish life and practice. The visit to the Maidenhead Reform Synagogue greatly supported the pupils’ learning as they were able to see and experience the features of the synagogue for themselves, bringing to life what we have explored in the classroom.  These features included:

• The ark (aron hakodesh) - This is the holiest place in the synagogue as it houses the Torah scrolls (Sefer Torah). 
• The Torah scrolls (Sefer Torah) - Each scroll is written by hand by a trained scribe. Each scroll is dressed with a mantle, a breastplate and a crown to remind the congregation of the vestments and turbans worn by the priests in the original Temple.
• The ten commandments - These appear above the ark as a reminder that the Jews should be obeying the laws (mitzvot) God has given them.
• The ever-burning light (ner tamid) - This is a reminder of God’s presence (Shekhinah) on earth.  Jews believe that whenever they pray together in the synagogue God is present with them.

One of the highlights of the visit was learning about the history of the Torah scrolls that belong to the Maidenhead Synagogue.  The scrolls were bought from the Memorial Scrolls Trust <https://memorialscrollstrust.org/index.php> which rescued and restored Torah scrolls that been confiscated from synagogues during the time of the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. Seeing the beauty of the restored Torah scrolls, still being used in worship today, was a real privilege.

As well as having a tour of the synagogue, the pupils also had a question and answer session with David, our guide for the morning.  Miss Munro said "I was very impressed with the quality of questions that were asked by our pupils; these ranged from aspects of the Jewish faith (e.g., what is your favourite festival to celebrate?) to the challenges of Jewish life in Britain (e.g., was Britain more anti-Semitic when you were growing up in the 1960s?).  The pupils benefited greatly from this discussion, and we were able to continue our conversation, and consolidate their learning, when we were back in the classroom."