Originally published in The Times Literary Supplement 4845 (1996), p. 20. H. A. Meek, The Synagogue. 240pp. Phaidon. £34.99. 0 7148 2932 3. This is a sumptuous book, with marvellous illustrations, only a few of which are familiar. H. A. Meek’s text provides a clear account of what has come to be Judaism’s most distinctive institution. Meek,…