Rite

In the Jewish society of Ferrara, the fulcrum of community life is the synagogue, the place where religious services are held, but also a place to meet. For prayers to be held in public, with the reading of the Torah, Judaism requires a quorum of at least 10 Jewish men, called a minian.

When this condition is not met, prayers are said individually and not as a community and chanting of the Torah portion and haftarah, a passage from the Books of the Prophets, is not done.

When a minian is present, the prayers are accompanied by the singing of the Hazan, or cantor, who guides the rest of the faithful during the course of the service.

Jewish communities differ from one another in the way they chant their prayers, each following local traditions and melodies.