Within the last month two similar questions have come to me and I would like some help.

I understand that a Synagogue should be orientated towards Jerusalem, but whereas years ago the direction of a straight line constant bearing rhumb line on a Mercator Projection might have been good enough I would have thought that by now this should have been corrected to the direction of the shorter distance Great Circle which in the USA and Pacific areas could be very nearly at right-angles. In either respect our newbuilding is significantly better than our oldone which was nearly pointing at ninety degrees out of true, just like the new Coventry Cathedral, also for architectural reasons. Are there any Rabbis who were architects, surveyors or navigators out there?

But the second question came from a school-boy who asked "In which direction does a Synagogue face in Jerusalem". This gave me food for thought, not having yet visited that City, and I said that I would have thought that in that area the direction would be towards The Wailing Wall,was I correct? If not where?

David

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