The synagogue is the Jewish house of prayer where community worship is held.The synagogue also functions as a centre for teaching and gatherings. The core of religious services is the reading aloud of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses. The Torah scrolls are stored in the Ark. The cantor's dais, or almemor, where the cantor stands to rear or sing prayers, is located either in the centre or at the front of the synagogue, depending on the particular ritual observed. The seating also varies. In Orthodox synagogues (the only type in Frankfurt up to the beginning of the 19th century), women sat separately from the menfolk, often in a gallery (the Women's Gallery). The synagogue of the Judengasse was built in 1462 at the same time as the construction of Judengasse itself. The main synagogue was always located on this site until it was destroyed by the Nazis on 9/10 November 1938.