Sanctuary configurations
Hi all,
Some more precise requirements for sanctuary configurations are as follows:
- Regular Shabbat Friday evening and Saturday morning services = 80 – 120 people. Adjacent kiddush space required for same number of people
- Typical Bar- or Bat-mitzvah Saturday morning service = 220 – 250 people. Adjacent kiddush space required for same number of people
- Large Bar- or Bat-mitzvah Saturday morning service = 320 – 350 people. Adjacent kiddush space required for same number of people
- High holy days (around September), which includes the festivals of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) = 1,000 – 1,200 people in main sanctuary + up to 300 people in secondary sanctuary. You might mount an argument to split the larger space into 2x smaller sanctuaries, but it has to be convincing. Adjacent kiddush space would be good for Rosh Hashanah though not essential. No kiddush space required for Yom Kippur
There are some other special requirements surrounding festivals:
- Simchat Torah (coming up soon) involves a torah being unrolled to its full length in the middle of the sanctuary, which might be around 50m. People stand in a circle holding onto it, then it is rolled back to the beginning and everyone has a bit of a dance together
- Sukkot (coming up tomorrow) as you know involves building the sukkah in a courtyard, but also requires adjacent multifunctional space for family activities
I hope this clears some things up for you all.
Regards,
Warwick.
Secular Synagogue 
Hi Warwick,
Kiddush and main service space to cater for same amount of people, but does not need to be same size right?
As in space given to those standing and those seated would be different I assume.
Also there is a mention in the original brief for two courtyards, does it matter which the sukkot will be located in?
Thanks for the extra info!
Regards
Al.
Hi Alex,
You’re correct, the sanctuary needs to accommodate up to 1,200 people sitting, but the kiddush space (or spaces) are standing + tables laden with goodies.
When thinking about your courtyard spaces, you might like to have one that makes more sense for events and festivals like sukkot. It probably wants to be secure and connected centrally to key indoor rooms like the sanctuary, but could possibly be visible from the street / on a roof etc.
Warwick.