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The 16^th and 18^th centuries were glorious periods of building synagogues in Poland, especially in the southeastern part of this country.

In the big cities and even in the small settlements (towns), the Jews built magnificent synagogues, special in their external style, which excelled in their internal aesthetic beauty.

The beginning of this flourishing was in the period after the decrees and riots in the Jews - the period of the decrees of 5408-5409, during the Cossack war, which Hetman Khmelnitsky was at the head of, by whom hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered. About three hundred communities were destroyed and about eighteen hundred synagogues that were in them were ruined.

The Jews recovered quickly, and immediately and vigorously began to rebuild their destroyed homes. Their vigorous activity in establishing hundreds of synagogues serves as faithful testimony to their effervescence and their strong faith in the forces of life.

The construction work led to the flourishing of various arts, which were mainly folk-naïve. Through painting, graphics, woodworking and sacred vessel design, the many artists expressed their original ideas. The joy of life of the artists is clearly evident in their paintings and the same is true in their colors and light lines, in the description of the world of flora and fauna.

Having learned a historical lesson, the Jews established synagogues to serve as fortresses, to which they could flee when there were riots, to find protection and shelter behind thick stone walls until the riots ended. However, in the small settlements, where small communities lacking the means to erect expensive stone buildings lived, wooden synagogues were erected. Although these synagogues were more modest in their size and exterior decoration, they were more popular and represented a loyal reflection of the people who came to them. The house was often shaped like a Chinese pagoda. The researchers of the arts and architecture of the period, Jews and Christians alike, check their unique and original style, which is not recognized in the foreign Slavic environment. Some see in it signs of the Sino-Mongolian style, and even an influence from the Khazar kingdom.

There is no doubt that all the artists and craftsmen who took part in this construction were mostly Jewish. In all phases of construction and decoration, these wonderful Jews were involved and worked in the architectural planning, in the woodwork, in construction and of course in painting.

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In spite of the popular tone in which the artists painted in a naïve-figurative style, these were people who made a living from their art: traditional Jewish graphics and iconography.

The motifs were mostly taken from the bible - the binding of Isaac, Moses with the Tablets of the Covenant, Jerusalem the holy city, and Rashi's city - Vermiza. Other themes which were known and loved by the people were taken figuratively from the world of flora and fauna, and of course symbols from Jewish symbolism. The lion, the two-horned oryx, the deer, the eagle, the dolphin (whale), the stork and the pelican - these were the animals that symbolized bravery and honesty, most of them were painted in pairs. The subjects used for decoration were grapes, leaves, and pine cones. Pure decoration for which there were friezes and arabesques, whose main function was to connect different parts.

In symbolism we find everywhere, and with many repetitions, the Star of David, the crown of the Torah, the menorah with seven arms. These symbols were usually placed before the ark of the Shatz, above the Ark of the Covenant or on top of the Parochet. The shapes of the Star of David and the menorah were often shaped by letters, from which the verses of the Psalms are composed, usually from the Psalms Chapter 67, and a thin line was used to emphasize the desired shape.

The paintings, which were drawn in bright colors, testified to the creative joy of the creators, and connected the texts, which were taken from the Midrash, the legend, the Book of Psalms or from the prayers, and their purpose was to delight both the eye and the soul.

In the art of writing - graphics, they often used the “Amsterdam letter”, which was long accepted in all European communities, and also in the writing of Jewish Scribes.

A common and loved decoration was the constellation of the zodiac, the legacy of the Kabbalists, the mystics of the Middle Ages.

Apparently, the artists were of status and school, and they passed on their art to their sons, like the artist who painted in the synagogue in Gwozdziec, and they did not hesitate to “sign” it - something that was a novelty. Affluent Jews, community leaders and others contributed money to glorify their house of prayer and their names were mentioned at the bottom of the inscriptions of the greatness of the prayers, thus becoming “champions”. This too was an innovation compared to what was accepted before.

The construction of the synagogue in Gwozdziec started in 1640. This fact even supports the assumption that a Jewish settlement existed in the town long before that, perhaps already a hundred years. At a time, the community was growing

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and it was unlikely to be able to afford the multiple expenses of building a synagogue of such dimensions and rare artistic wealth, whose performers were mostly well-known artists, who were brought from afar. Two famous painters did all the painting, decorations and graphics. The first, who started the sacred service in 1650 and was not able to complete it, was Israel Ben, the son of the old Rabbi Mordechai Shen of the holly congregation of Yartsov, the province of the holy congregation of Lvov, who was also known by the names, Mordechai Lisnitsky or Israel Lisnitsky (he was also the painter in the synagogue in Khodorov). The artist Yitzhak Ben Yehuda HaCohen completed the mural painting in 1729, that is, about eighty years after it was begun. The latter was also from the city of Yartsov and he decorated many synagogues in cities such as Peshadbozh, Pinchov, Dzhaloshin and Shidlov.

The Gwozdziec Synagogue was built in 1640, according to the earliest marking that was found about its building. Although this marking was partially erased, on the other hand, another date, clearer and with no erasures, was indicated on the building and it is written 1652 next to a painting, that was contributed by Yitzhak Bar in memory of his son.

The wooden building was built like most synagogues that were built in East Europe at that time, on a spacious lot and in a prominent place, which gave it control over the entire environment. By leaving the field around it empty of buildings, its builders emphasized its importance even more.

As was generally common at that time, the building faced east - towards Jerusalem, the place of the Temple, that is, the same side where the Ark of the Covenant was located, was facing east, with the front door installed on the west side, also as customary. The large and central hall (the part intended for men) as well as the smaller hall - the ladies' section, were built according to a square foundation diagram as one unit and both were on the same level. The walls of this hall were built of red fir logs, which was common in Eastern Europe. Above the hall raised a ceiling with multiple parts that turned it into an eight-cornered dome by combining triangles in the form of a hook (pedantiv), which were installed inside the basic square of the ceiling opening.

Judging by the internal construction of the roof, we can assume that the original intention of the architect was to design a “barrel-shaped roof” as was done in the synagogue in the city of Khodorov. By the way, it can be assumed that the same architect designed the two synagogues, the one of Gwozdziec and the one of Khodorov, as the similarity between them is great, especially in the interior decorations of the two buildings, which were drawn by the same painters.

The existing roof was probably added in 1652, when they began

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with the paintings on the walls of the synagogue. Since the construction of the roof was carried out after the construction of the building, it became clear during its planning that it was necessary to replace the central wooden construction of the roof with another and stronger one. After the execution, this caused it to bend in many places, due to its poor design.

The hall of the ladies' section was built on pillars on the north side in front of the central hall, and the vestibule in front of the great hall on the west side was also built on pillars. Between these two parts partitions were inserted whose roofs descended in a steep slope leading up to the central lug. Later, a small prayer room was added to the vestibule for the winter season, as evidenced by the bricks it is made of.

From the outside, the shape and scope of the hall were emphasized by the high roof – which was built in the form of an attic (iviansarde), which ended on the narrow side in Protrusions with gables.

The function of the central cornice was designed in a concave shape (Hohlkehle) to serve as a transition between the wall and the roof.

The ceiling and walls were decorated with very rich paintings. It is assumed that the first painter, who began the “sacred work” in 1650, was Israel Ben Mordechai from Yartsov. The entire work was completed in 1729 by “Naim the painter”, Yitzhak Ben Yehuda Leib, also from the city of Yartsov.

The Ark of the Covenant was built on a six-step foundation and consisted of three floors. The lower floor was used as a cabinet for keeping Torah scrolls and above it there were two smaller floors, whose function was to give the Ark of the Covenant great dimensions and grandeur from an architectural point of view.

On both sides of the Ark of the Covenant were pillars with petals in the Baroque style, surrounded on their backs by vine leaf. Everything was painted in colorful colors (Polychroma) - evidence of the talent and great knowledge of the artist whose name is unknown to us.

The stage, in its original design, was also decorated with rich paintings. It stood on eight pillars; its sides and pillars carry a canopy-like roof above them. The decorations in the form of vine leaves were made by wood carving.

The entrance door to the great hall, the main decoration of which was done by

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many profiles. Above the door, on the inner side, the year 1718 was carved in wood.

The infrastructure

The infrastructure of the building was done in a primitive way, by coating the lot with a layer of large stones, to prevent it from sinking and to protect it from moisture. This method was later on found to be not suitable and its usage caused the building to sink over the years, on its eastern side. This is clearly visible on the eastern wall, where the painted curve with the inscriptions indicating the names of the people who bought the lot sank under the benches arranged along the walls and partially disappeared. These inscriptions were originally above the benches, as can be seen on all the other walls.

The outer walls were built of logs, that is, tree trunks that were stacked horizontally on top of each other and were connected by pegs.

The partitions of the internal walls were made using the mounting method, that is, by rods, pillars, clasps and bolts, which were connected together in the essential parts of the construction, which were rivetted with planks on both sides.

The logs they used were round and of red fir wood, or pine wood, rough on the outside and set at a right and smooth angle between the horizontal joints on the inside only. The width of the beams on the inner side ranged from 12 cm to 15 cm. Their diameter was between 28 cm and 35 cm. The beams did not rest directly on the infrastructure but on oak ledges with a diameter of 30/30 cm to 35/35 cm. The role of the ledges was to serve both as a means of insulation against moisture and to give a wider area for the construction of the walls.

In the corners of the building, protrusions were added to the ledges and this was done to serve as a connection between the walls. Internal walls (partitions) were erected only for the ladies' section, the vestibule and the other additions to the building. These partitions were made of a skeleton consisting of pillars, rods, rings and mountings, into which logs or beams were inserted to fill the space. For the skeleton, square oak beams were used. The diameter of the strong rods and pillars was between 20 cm and 30 cm. The rods were covered in the corners. The connection of the pillars and the clasps (bolts) was done using wooden pins. To strengthen the skeleton, they used mountings, which rested on the trees that were used to fill the space. These mountings were attached with hardwood nails with tail-shaped head to the pillars

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and the clasps, with the heads of the nails sticking out a few centimeters.

The pillars were made with wide grooves (Nuth), 4 to 6 cm, to allow the insertion of filler wood horizontally, because these filler woods were usually thicker and difficult to insert, so they also added a tenon (Feder).

The protection of the walls from the climate damage was done by covering the roofs with boards, on the inside, and by covering them with tiles on the outside. The revetment was made vertically and with the help of wooden nails, as was the custom among the Slavic prophets. The tiles were attached to the walls with nails on wooden strips.

The floor was made of beams and on them they placed planks of 3-5 cm thick, with a layer of wood in between and everything was attached with nails.

The complicated construction of the dome did not allow the use of long support beams to install the ceiling, therefore they doubled the support beams on the west side and on the east side, so that they would also carry the ledges, which were also made of two beams. The cluster of the roof was assembled on this frame, which was strengthened by the insertion of clasps and bolts, so that the roof can withstand the pressures of the strong winds that blow in this part of the area. Engraving marks were also found on every beam and beam of the cluster of the roof, which indicates that the roof was attached in these places.

The roof, which was built in the Polish style, did not include an attic (Mansarde) in the French style, as some researchers claim, since this form of roof was already common in Poland in the 13^th century, long before the French began to build roofs in a similar way.

In order to create the octagonal dome (with eight corners), triangles were inserted in the original four corners. The ceiling was suspended and it was anchored to the roof and attached to it with nails. To strengthen the revetment, they used wooden arches. To separate or limit the different parts, they used thick wood stripes, with a square profile.

Before approaching the work of painting itself, the painter divided the areas of the walls by stripes. Above the seats, he began by painting curves with pillars, inserted Hebrew inscriptions into the curves, and decorated the opening of the arch with decorations of thin branches on a red or green background alternately. Above the curve, on a blue background, a wide decoration with stripes and straps, which was

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accompanied by a chain of beads, both above and below it. Above these decorations began a vertical division of the wall, which did not extend to the ceiling, but left room for a wide frieze consisting of a continuous motif, or by an area that was also divided into smaller parts.

The vertical form, in which he divided the areas of the walls, was determined by the dimensions of the windows, which determined the dimensions of the high and low areas, which were separated by thin branches decorations. Usually, the decorations below the windows were drawn in the form of circles (medallions) or in the form of a biaxial arch. On the other hand, the decorations above the windows were made in a sort of closing of a capital in the form of a half a circle. In these areas, he used curves (Archivoiter) with pillars' supporters in the shape of an equilateral hexagon as a frame, and the inscriptions within them filled the areas. The use of arches resting on pillars shows that the painter knew very well how to use the forms borrowed from the architecture of stone buildings.

The area built between the double windows on the north wall and the south wall was highlighted as the center of the wall by the painting of the table with the showbread on the north wall and on the south wall - by the painting of the menorah with seven arms. The dome paintings are the richest of all paintings. The curves, whose function was to serve as transitions to the ceiling, were decorated with very rich leaf decorations on a red and blue background, on which round medallions have been painted with prayers or verses in the form of an acronym, or drawings of animals.

The horizontal triangles, whose role was to serve as intermediate connecting parts to the octagonal dome with its eight corners, were also richly decorated. The triangle on the eastern wall above the Ark of the Covenant was decorated with a double-headed eagle, and the triangle on the west side above the entrance was decorated with paintings of three rabbits and a trio of fish. After it was the curve of the dome which was divided into two unequal parts by drawing a chain of beads as a frame. The smaller lower part was also divided by vertical stripes into different wide areas and on them were circles in which the artist inserted drawings of different animals.

The larger upper part, which the painter always devoted to a central subject, was decorated with the most branched and rich vine leaf decorations.

One of the main subjects which were drawn in triangles was a drawing of a duel between a lion and an oryx with one horn, and the other - also a drawing of a duel between a bear and an eagle. Another theme, which was also a central theme, was on the east side above the Ark of the Covenant, it was a painting of a pair of eagles holding, one on each side, the two Tablets of the Covenant. As it continues upwards, there is a curve with paintings of animals on it as well.

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In the last part of the dome motifs from the plant world are painted.

Before the artist approached the actual work, he prepared and installed the areas he wanted to cover with paintings. First, he professionally smoothed the walls built of logs, and then filled the grooves, covered them with thick paper or linen cloth and whitewashed them with white lime. The whitewash was used as a base color and the evidence for this is that in the places where the paintings were rubbed off, the white background of the lime is always visible. On top of the whitewashed area, the artist drew the lines of the composition freehand, then colored them and marked and emphasized the edges of the outline with black paint. As a general rule, they used to mark the contours first and then cover with colors, but this time they acted differently, they marked the black contour lines before drawing with colors. The layer of white paint that is revealed after rubbing the black contours serves as evidence of this.

The division of the wall and ceiling areas had a decorative function - to serve as a frame for the windows, inscriptions on different subjects, or to enliven and diversify areas by decorating with different motifs, such as: vine leaves, beads or other friezes.

The decoration was versatile, in uniform colors and was consisted of geometrical decorations or thin branches decorations. The latter were drawn within a frame of narrow stripes. The paintings were mostly in the naturalistic style, such as subjects borrowed from the world of flora and fauna.

The painting method

The areas were divided into different parts: the central part, the filling and the frame. The artist always adhered to this rule and very strictly.

Above the seats arranged along the walls ran a horizontal strip and above it was a wide decoration of leaves. These decorations were used as painted backrests of the seats. Across all the seats were drawn small pillars with a base and capital in the Greek style on which the curves rested.

Inside the arches painted on a white background, the inscriptions indicating the names of the owners of the seats were drawn. The opening of the arch was decorated with rich symmetrical leaf decorations, sprouts and buds. The triangular connection was formed on one side by the arch, and on the other - by the straight upper line containing decorations

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of leaves emerging from buds and facing the central part. To add extra diversity to the areas, which were uniformly decorated, the artist painted the decorations at the opening of the arches on a red or blue background alternately.

He divided the other parts of the wall again in another division, with the group of window paintings determining the dimensions and width of the other parts.

The separation between the areas was made by wide decorations of thin branches in a frame of narrow stripes. In this way, high areas were created between the walls and between the windows. The area under the window was almost always in the form of a square with slight changes here and there.

The high areas did not reach the ceiling, but were framed by straight or crushed strips, which again created another division of the wall into two parts - the larger part at the bottom and the smaller part at the top. In this way, the leaf decorations that divide the areas with the upper and narrow parts created a kind of internal frame.

The central part was designed by the sheet of inscriptions, placed within a frame of pillars, or by a biaxial arch supported by hexagonal pillars.

The areas below the windows were also divided as indicated above, but the inscriptions were usually placed in rings (medallions), or within a semi-arched frame.

The inscriptions were always written in black on a white background.

Even in the ceiling, the area was first divided into parts, and the decorations were made afterwards. The artist set different rules here than those he set for the walls, because the shape of the ceiling (dome) was completely different from the shape of the wall.

In the paintings of the leaf decorations, in particular those with geometric motifs, the influence of the style of the Polish wall paintings is evident according to several researchers.

The drawing of the figures is figurative and naturalistic and is reduced to descriptions that were taken from the world of flora and fauna, even though there is also a prohibition against these in the commandments and laws in the Torah (Exodus 24: “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above”). But this prohibition has lost much of its meaning and the severity that was given to it in the old days, when the Israelites were surrounded by nations, who worshiped idols made of wood and stone. However, they refrained from depicting the human figure in its entirety. However, here, as can be seen, the artist allowed himself some exceptions to the rule, when he painted a pair of hands above the Ark of Covenants in the position of Priestly Blessing, or in the zodiac in the center of the dome, when he painted a woman's hand holding flowers in the sign of Virgo, and the meeting of two hands and their arms in the sign of Gemini,

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with each of them reaching out from each side to the other, with the sleeve of each hand painted in a different color, a thing that was used in order to emphasize the belonging of each hand to another person.

The animals that the painter depicted in his paintings were small in number and he painted them in a different place as well, as was customary among all the painters who worked in the sacred works at that time. It must be remembered that many Jewish names were taken from the world of the animals.

Here are some of the motifs: a pair of bears climbing a tree is an ancient Jewish motif that is often found on the shield of well-known families (escutcheon). The elephant as a mighty animal of great size, is often described as carrying a gate on its back, the hare being chased by hunters perhaps symbolizes the man, who is pursued by sin. The deer, the tiger, the eagle, and the lion are a parable to verse 24 in Avot chapter 5, “Yehuda ben Tima says, be as fierce as a tiger and light as an eagle, run like a deer and be brave as a lion, so you will be able to do the will of your God in heaven” or as an illustration to Psalms 42 verse 2 – “As the deer longs for streams of water, so your soul longs for God”. The camel symbolizes the work of the Israelites in Egypt and this motif was also common among Jewish goldsmiths. The lion symbolizes, among other things, the heraldic tribe of Judah. The painted tiger in the picture on the Shatz pillar is also taken from Avot chapter 5 verse 24 mentioned above. The stork, which is often painted with a snake, is probably a symbol of modesty according to the translation of the word to German Yiddish. The stork runs over a snake, which is the symbol of sin. The whale mentioned in Psalms 104 verse 26 – “you have created this whale to play with it” is an imaginary animal. This whale is the favorite subject of every painter because of the legend that says that righteous will enjoy from it in paradise in the world to come. By the way, an ancient and well-known legend tells, that each continent has one whale circling it.

The tree is a frequently recurring motif as an ornament to its name and as a symbol of the tree of knowledge or the tree of life. It also appears frequently in Jewish heraldic. On the other hand, paintings of buds, sprouts and leaves interwoven between them are only means of ornamentation (decoration). A painting of vine leaves is also an ancient and common Jewish motif, like the menorah with the seven arms, which is considered the oldest and most common decorative motif among Jewish arts.

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The sacred vessel

Since the Temple was destroyed, the Synagogue serves as a substitute for its place, and therefore (almost) always, as a memory of the Temple, the motifs that most symbolize the Temple, the religious and spiritual state center: the menorah with the seven arms, the table with the showbread and the Tablets of the Covenant, are painted in it.

The motif of the menorah was depicted twice in the synagogue in Gwozdziec; Once on the southern wall in a large painting, and once on the eastern wall on the Shatz pillar to the right of the Ark of the Covenant, in the picture standing on top of the Shatz ark. The menorah was painted when it is composed entirely of the letters of the 67^th chapter of the Psalms, given in a frame of stripes on both sides, to emphasize the shape of the motif. The artist described table with the showbread on the north wall as a four-legged table covered with a tablecloth, decorated with embroidery, and on top of which stands a six-story ark. The showbread was painted as round slices arranged by pairs in each story.

The painting of the Tablets of the Covenant serves as a capital for the Holy Ark.

On the floor, in front of the ark, a hollow instead of the Shatz symbolizes verse 1 of chapter 130 of Psalms, “A song of Ascents, from the depths I called you, O Lord”.

The Holy Ark stands in the center of the eastern wall and this is the place that was accepted for it during this period in all European countries. It is assumed that the origin of the custom of placing it in the Eastern wall was in the city of Venice, because from Europe one turns east towards Jerusalem, where the Temple was in the past. If so, the worshipers turn to the Ark of the Covenant, which turns to the Holy City.

The Ark of the Covenant is made of wood, has two doors and is completely covered with a richly embroidered Parochet. The entire Ark was carved from wood and stood on a six-stepped pedestal. To emphasize the importance of the Ark and to give it dignity and respect, two more floors rise above it. In the lower floor there were two pillars on each side and around them decorations of vine leaves. The pillars carried the cornice and it carried the upper floor, which was pushed back a little, a thing that balanced the Ark architecturally. The upper floor was also decorated with wood carving work. On this floor there was a painting of a pair of hands spread out in the typical position of the Priestly Blessing, and above them a double-headed eagle crowned with the crown of the Torah.

All the areas were covered in rich polychroma, the walls were painted in black, and the carvings were painted in green and gold.

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The stage

The stage in the center of the great hall was considered one of the most beautiful. All eight of its pillars were made of carved wood and their capitals were decorated with vine leaves. The canopy-like roof consisted of eight inclined sides, each of which consisted of two parts connected by an inclined leaf and covered by iron rings. Above the canopy was a lantern with an onion-shaped awning. The carving work above the closing cornice was in the form of vine leaves, and all the surfaces were painted in different colors each. The ornamentation (decoration) of the stage, both in its lines and colors, was similar to those on the walls, hence the assumption that these were also the work of one of the artists who painted the walls.

Many researchers of Jewish art in Poland, Jews and Christians, were engaged in the study of synagogues built of wood. One of them, I. M. Bresson, proved based on historical information, that in most places the architects of the buildings were Jews. Those who were engaged in all the construction work and interior painting were also Jews. In his opinion, the style of construction (building) is similar to that of the Poles, in particular in the way the beams were connected and in the construction of the roof. In his opinion, the double roof was also installed according to the Polish style, which was already accustomed in the time of Kazimir the Great.

David Davidovich: Wall paintings in synagogues in Poland, Bialik Institute. Jerusalem, 1968.
Maria and Kazimierz Pihotka: Synagogues built of wood, Warsaw, 1957.
Alois Briar, A. Eisler, M. Greenwald: Synagogues built of wood in Poland, Baden near Vienna, 1934.

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Sayings of the Sages painted on part of the two friezes, the lower and the upper one around the curve of the dome, most of which also appear in the pictures of the parts of the dome.

1. Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi said, “Everyone who answers, Amen and Lord, His great name (blesses) with all his might, his judgment is determined”. (Shabbat, 119, 72) (the painter had a spelling mistake in writing the word “kor'in” (determined) which he wrote as “ko'arin” - the editor).
2. Rabbi Yitzchak said, “whoever is used to attend the synagogue regularly and does not attend it one day, the Almighty asks about him why he didn't come, as it is said (Isaiah, 50, 10): Whoever among you fears God and listens to the voice of his servant, etc.” (Berachot, 6, 72).
3. Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi said, “Come and see how great the lowly in spirit are before G-d, that during the time the Temple existed, there was a person who sacrifices an offering, and he is rewarded for the offering, etc.” (Sutta 5, 72).
4. Rabbi Yossi says, “The greatness of the one who answers Amen is greater than that of the one who gives the blessing” (Berachot, 53, 72)
5. Rabbi Shimon Ben Lakish said, whoever says Amen with all his might, the gates of heaven will be opened for him, as it is said (Shabbat 119, 72), open the gates and a righteous Gentile keeping justice, keeping faith, will come in. Whoever answers Amen in this world is privileged to answer Amen in the world to come, as it is said, Blessed be God forever, Amen and Amen, Amen in this world Amen in the world to come.
6. Rabbi Yochanan said, when the Almighty come to the synagogue and do not find there ten men, he gets angry etc. (Berachot 6, 72).
7. Hania Abba Binyamin says, a person's prayer is not heard except at the synagogue, as it is said (Kings 1, 8, 28) to listen to the joy (Berachot 6, 71).
8. Rabbi Levi said, wherever there is a synagogue, and no one comes to pray, he is called a bad neighbor, etc. (Berachot 8, 71).

Paintings of inscriptions in the synagogue, whose images were not published in this book:

1. “You will not be afraid of the fear of night…” (Psalms 91, 5), on the western wall.
2. “The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven” (Psalm 11, 4), on the eastern wall.

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