On February 7, Rachel Winer Manin Jewish Studies Graduate Fellows, faculty members, and friends of the program gathered for a dinner and presentation by graduate fellow Abigail Snyder concerning the sacred character of synagogues. Based on her reading of a section from the Mishnah, Abigail argued that the rabbis conceive of the synagogue as a forever holy place. That is, even if a synagogue is converted to no longer serve as a house of worship, the space always retains at least some of its original sanctity. After the presentation, faculty and fellows engaged in a lively discussion, drawing connections between the rabbinic and Roman worlds and asking how the modern Jewish community might understand this section of Jewish law.