Shtiebel

A shtiebel (Yiddish: שטיבל, romanized: shtibl, lit.'little room or house', pl. שטיבעלעךshtibelekh) is a place used for communal Jewish prayer. In contrast to a formal synagogue, a shtiebel is far smaller and approached more casually. It is typically as small as a room in a private home or a place of business that is set aside for the express purpose of prayer, or it may be as large as a small-sized synagogue. It may or may not offer the communal services of a synagogue.

Shtiebels were common in Jewish communities in Eastern Europe before the Holocaust. The shtiebel was distinctly characteristic of Hasidic Judaism and played a central and critical role in the life of the Hasidic community. Shtiebels continue to exist in contemporary Israel and the United States.