לוחLuach

Mizrach · San Francisco, CA

Which way is mizrach in San Francisco, CA?

Face 20° from true north north-northeast, which is 20° east of due north. The Temple Mount is 11,941 km (7,420 miles) away.

NESW20° from north
Bearing
20°
Compass point
NNE
Distance
7,420 mi
11,941 km
Off due north
20° east of due north

Use your phone as the compass

Tap “Use live compass” and turn until the arrow points straight up. It starts from San Francisco, CA and switches to your exact position if you allow location access.

NESW
✡ Jerusalem

20° NNE

Direction to the Temple Mount, Jerusalem from San Francisco, CA · 11,941 km / 7,420 mi

If the live compass isn’t available, hold a magnetic compass and face 20° (NNE).

Questions

Which way is mizrach in San Francisco, CA?

From San Francisco, CA, the direction to Jerusalem is 20° measured clockwise from true north — north-northeast, or 20° east of due north. That is the great-circle direction to the Temple Mount, 11,941 km (7,420 miles) away.

Is mizrach exactly east in San Francisco, CA?

Not exactly. The shortest path over the globe from San Francisco, CA runs 20° east of due north, not along due north. The difference is why a compass bearing and a flat map can disagree about which way Jerusalem is.

How far is San Francisco, CA from Jerusalem?

11,941 kilometres (7,420 miles) in a straight line to the Temple Mount.

Why do synagogues sometimes face plain east?

Many communities orient the mizrach wall to approximate east rather than to an exact great-circle bearing, and practice varies. The figure above is the geometric direction to the Temple Mount; follow your community’s custom.