The frigid air whipped across 14-year-old Nick Moore's face as he raced down Bald Mountain's ski trail alongside his father. Midmountain, Nick spotted his destination: a tiny log cabin nestled among the trees--Utah's "ski shul," operated by Park City's Temple Har Shalom. Inside the rustic cabin, Nick knew he would warm not only his body but also his soul, as he had at each synagogue he's visited as part of a father-and-son adventure around the world.

In a journey that took them from New York to Rome to London, Nick and his father visited as many synagogues as possible before he became a bar mitzvah. Living in New York City, the Moores had a multitude of synagogues right at their doorstep. Every few months, father and son would visit another New York shul, soaking up the unique atmosphere of each. Wherever the family traveled--be it Philadelphia, San Francisco, or Palm Beach--they included local synagogues on the itinerary. Looking for a way to commemorate his 2004 bar mitzvah, Nick decided to write a book about his journey.

Nick's book, A Jewish Journey: One Synagogue at a Time, not only chronicles his journey, but also records the history of 38 synagogues he visited. Each synagogue's story is like a page in the ever-unfolding history of the Jews. "Each has an interesting story behind it," says Nick, "and those stories reflect the unique history of the neighborhood, the congregation, and the Jewish people."

The stories date back to an Italian synagogue founded in 1538 in Venice at a time when Jews were forced to live behind locked city gates. The newest of the synagogues is the "ski shul," founded in 2000.

Although he's visited synagogues around the world, Nick most enjoys visiting Beth Israel in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, where his father grew up. "It might not be the most historic synagogue," he explains, "but it's the one I'm most connected to through my family history. I am indebted to this place because the love of Judaism that my father passed on to me was surely given to him in large part by the people, the friends, and the teachers at Beth Israel."

Nick discovered loads of historical tidbits throughout his travels, but the most important lesson he learned is that, as Jews, we're not just members of our own synagogues. We are all members of the greater Jewish community. "It's not only about the synagogue where you belong," say Nick. "There's a world of other congregations that are different." Yet, Jews around the world share similarities--in prayer, in feelings of community, and in love for Judaism--that made Nick feel at home at each one. "Even in Rome, I felt a connection when they began singing the Amidah," he says with awe.