Parshat Shemot (שמות – Names), Exodus 1:1–6:1
Exodus 3:5
וַיֹּאמֶר, אַל-תִּקְרַב הֲלֹם; שַׁל-נְעָלֶיךָ, מֵעַל רַגְלֶיךָ- כִּי הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עוֹמֵד עָלָיו, אַדְמַת-קֹדֶשׁ הוּא
And said: Don’t come near here! Take off your shoes, for the place you walk on is holy ground!
In some Eastern countries, it is customary to take off your shoes before entering a synagogue. RAMBAM writes that one should not pray barefoot, unless the local custom is to walk barefoot, even in the presence of great personalities. In a place where it is customary to walk permanently with shoes, it is forbidden to pray barefoot.
Gyrmyzy Gasaba (Azeri: Qırmızı Qəsəbə = Red City) or Krasnaya Sloboda (Russian name) is a town in Azerbaijan, whose population (about 3,500 inhabitants) is entirely Jewish. The local custom is to enter synagogues barefoot. The Six Domes Synagogue was built by Gilel Ben Haim in 1888 in an oriental style. The building is embellished with 6 domes which symbolize the migration of the inhabitants of the village of Gilgat to the town of Gyrmyzy Gasaba in 6 days.
For a long time, the building was used as a warehouse, then as a sewing workshop. After the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1991, the building was returned to the Jewish community. Restoration work was undertaken from 1995 to 2001 and on October 11, 2001 celebrations resumed.