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Firstly, I must apologise if this is not the right place to ask, and for the mediocre image quality.

It appears to be a purple crown on a light box with Hebrew text, and is present at a number of synagogues in the Stoke Newington area of North London.

Google was of no help, so I was hoping someone here might be able to shed some light on it!

enter image description here

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    Looks like a simple ornament to me. No religious significance.
    – Danny Schoemann
    Feb 4, 2016 at 10:22
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    If I had to guess, I would say that this is a general welcome sign. On the top (the red part) there appears to be the statement "baruch haba b'shem hashem/ berachnuchem mibeit hashem" which is a line we say at the end of the Hallel prayer (mention in the talmud, Pesachim 119) - blessed is he who comes in the name of God, we bless you from the house of God.
    – rosends
    Feb 4, 2016 at 11:16
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    the bottom quotes from proverbs 11:10 -- btuv tzaddikim ta'alotz kiryah When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices
    – rosends
    Feb 4, 2016 at 11:20
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    While I agree with @DannySchoemann that it may have no religious significance beyond the fact that it quotes verses, it may have. E.g. maybe there's some source in Judaism for using those verses for ~this purpose. Or maybe some British rabbinic authority encouraged the use of these signs as an expression of Judaism somehow. Likely, decorating a synagogue per se has some religious significance.
    – msh210 ♦
    Feb 4, 2016 at 14:13
  • Oddly, it seems to say "ברוך הבא בשם השם ברכנוכם מבית ד׳", using two different non-names in lieu of God's name (from Ps. 118:26, as others have noted). I Googled that phrasing but found nothing.
    – msh210 ♦
    Feb 4, 2016 at 19:49

2 Answers 2

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Stoke Newington is near Stamford Hill, a chassidic neighborhood in London. Probobly some Grand Rabbi is visiting as this box is of the style currently used to decorate and welcome such rabbis. No Overtly religose segnificance.

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  • This is the correct answer. Boxes, signs, and banners like this are often (I almost dare to say always) used by chassidim when a Grand Rabbi ("Rebbe") is visiting.
    – Adám
    Aug 4, 2016 at 6:52
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I am able to make out the first and the last words, and my best judgment is that this is a verse from Psalms 118:26:

בָּר֣וּךְ הַ֭בָּא בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה בֵּ֝רַֽכְנוּכֶ֗ם מִבֵּ֥ית יְהוָֽה׃

Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD; We bless you out of the house of the LORD.

As mentioned, above, it is an ornament with no specific significance other than that. From what I can tell, they have abbreviated G-d's name using only the daled, so it has no "holiness" per se.

The verse is a good one, though. Perhaps, the idea is that people coming into the synagogue will easily notice this, and the words in the verse portray a theme of welcoming.

That's for the phrase in the semi-circular pattern. I'm uncertain about the phrase below it.

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  • judging by the light coming through and the mechitzah placement, I would guess this is over a door and not an Aron.
    – rosends
    Feb 4, 2016 at 16:30
  • @Danno Now that you mention it, and I view it again, I think you're right. I edited.
    – DanF
    Feb 4, 2016 at 16:43

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