The Great Synagogue is the main

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

of the

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish community in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. The synagogue is defined by its unique architecture around the

Ark Ark or ARK may refer to: Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva'' * Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood * Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses Hebrew ''aron'' * ...

. During the first half of the 19th century, synagogues continued to be built in the classical tradition, but there began to be a revival of Greek and Roman architecture. The Great Synagogue in Copenhagen is one of a few synagogues of its period to use Egyptian elements in the columns, ceiling and cornice over the ark.

History

Arrival of Jews into Denmark

Jews were first welcomed into Denmark in 1622 when they were invited into the country by Denmark's king. Although they were scattered around, many of the Jews settled in Copenhagen. Abraham Salomon became the first rabbi in the country in 1687. From 1766 until 1795, around 1,500 Jews worshipped in a small synagogue until it burned down. After the synagogue burned down, a division occurred between the orthodox and progressive members of the Jewish community. As a result, the building of a new synagogue was halted and many members resorted to worshipping in various homes. This division lasted for about 30 years until it was extinguished. The building of the Copenhagen Synagogue occurred after this. In 1814, Jews who were living in Denmark were given the same rights as other citizens as a result of the Royal Decree.

Architecture of the Copenhagen Synagogue

Construction of the Copenhagen Synagogue was completed in 1833. It was designed by Danish architect Gustav Friedrich Hetsch. The synagogue was designed with the neoclassical style in mind, which is demonstrated through the building's simplistic design. The interior of the building, however, has designs that are from the Egyptian Revival style. This style works to help give the synagogue a more Eastern European feel rather than the traditional Northern European feel.

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

scrolls of the synagogue were hidden at the

Trinitatis Church The Trinitatis Church (''Trinitatis Kirke'') is located in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the 17th century Trinitatis Complex, which includes the Rundetårn astronomical observatory tower and the Copenhagen University Library, in ad ...

and were returned to the synagogue after the war.

Terrorist attacks

1985

On 22 July 1985, the synagogue was struck by a bomb placed by Palestinian terrorists. While no people were injured in the attack on the synagogue, a second bomb placed by the same group destroyed the Copenhagen offices of the American

Northwest Orient Airlines Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) was a major American airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger. The merger, approved on October 29, 2008, made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines ...

, killing one person and injuring 26. 4 individuals with links to Palestinian nationalist organizations, including

Mohammed Abu Talb Mohammed Abu Talb ( ar, محمد أبو طلب (alt. transliteration: Muhammad Abu Talib), born 27 June 1954) is an Egyptian-born Terrorist, militant who was convicted on 21 December 1989 of a series of bombings in Copenhagen and Amsterdam in 1985 ...

, were later convicted for these and several other terrorist attacks.

2015

A shooting occurred outside the synagogue on 15 February 2015, killing a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

community member, who had been providing security, and wounding two

Danish Security and Intelligence Service Politiets Efterretningstjeneste (PET) (literally: Police Intelligence Service, official name in English: Danish Security and Intelligence Service, or DSIS) is the national security and intelligence agency of Denmark. The agency focuses solely o ...

police officers who were shot in the arms and legs. The shooting occurred a few hours after another shooting at a Denmark café. Swedish artist Lars Vilks is believed to be the main target of the café shooting. At the time of the shooting, a discussion was being held about cartoon portrayals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Vilks has received death threats in the past for his cartoon portrayals of the prophet.