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The Central Synagogue of Sofia has symbolized the Jewish community of Bulgaria for more than a century. It is the second largest Sephardic (Spanish-Jewish) synagogue in Europe. Besides a prayer room, the Synagogue houses the offices of the Jewish Religious Council. Since 8 May 1992, the Sofia Synagogue also houses the Jewish Museum of History, which includes the Jewish Communities in Bulgaria and the Holocaust and the Salvation of the Jews in Bulgaria expositions. The temple is impressive in size and can accommodate 1,300 worshipers. In the main prayer room there is a magnificent pola, which weighs 2 tons and is the largest in Bulgaria. The altar ("aroon udeasa") is set upon a white marble pedestal and surrounded by exquisite handrails. The interior is richly decorated with multicolored Venetian mosaics, marble columns and lavish ornamental carvings. Frescos on the ceiling symbolize the Heavens.

Jews have had a continuous presence in historic Bulgarian lands since before the 2nd century CE, and have often played an important part in the history of Bulgaria. Sephardim are, primarily, the descendants of Jews from the Iberian peninsula. They may be divided into the families that left in the Expulsion of 1492 and those that remained as crypto-Jews and left in the following few centuries. The site selected was in the city center on the property occupied by' the very old synagogue "Ahava i Hesed" (Heb. Love and Kindness). The construction was completed in 1909. The royal family - King Ferdinand (ruled 1887 - 1918) and Queen Eleonora were among the honorable guests at the consecration of the temple. The Central Synagogue immediately became the symbol of Bulgarian Judaism. It housed the offices of the Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria and the Chief Rabbi of Sofa. It also housed the Beth Din or supreme rabbinic tribunal. The famous Judaic library of the Sofia community with its priceless collection of medieval rabbinic responsa was also located in the Synagogue. Since it opened, the Central Synagogue has held prayer services except for the year 1943-44 when most of the Jews of Sophia were deported to the countryside. Fortunately, the synagogue was not desecrated by the Nazis or local Fascists.

The Sofia Synagogue is a part of the square of tolerance at the heart of the city, located at less than 200 meters from Banya Bashi Mosque. At some 500 m distance from the synagogue, there are also a Catholic cathedral and an Orthodox church. The Synagogue hosts ceremonies commemorating anniversaries from the Saving of the Bulgarian Jews and remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust.

The Synagogue is a house of communal prayer, reading of sacred scriptures, study and assembly. The local religious community follows the laws and customs stemming from the Sepharadic tradition.

- Direct visit
- Virtual visit (specify how)
- Classroom activity (pre- and post- visit) 1. PA 2. Combine with tours of the other connected sites and initiate a follow up discussion about the peaceful coexistance of different religious communities in the square of tolerance.