Grand synagogues have a bema (from a Greek word meaning “platform”) in the center of the sanctuary, upon which a large lectern is stationed for the public reading of the Toroh scroll. Behind the lectern on the bema is a bench where the person performing the Toroh lifting sits while the scroll is being rolled and covered. The bema and its lectern are also used for certain public speeches, such as when an appeal for fundraising is made. The bema must be in the center: this is an important plank in the Hungarian Orthodox platform, meant to oppose the Neolog innovation of placing the lectern near
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