The Jericho synagogue dates to the late 6th or early 7th century CE and was discovered in Jericho in 1936. All that remains from the ancient prayer house is its mosaic floor, which contains an Aramaic inscription presenting thanks to the synagogue donors, and a well-preserved central medallion with the inscription "Shalom al Israel", meaning "Peace pn Israel". This led to the site also being known as Shalom Al Israel Synagogue.

History and description

Discovery

The synagogue, dating from the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

period, was revealed in excavations conducted in 1936 by

Dimitri Baramki Dimitri Constantine Baramki, often styled D. C. Baramki (1909, Jerusalem, Sanjak of Jerusalem – 1984, California, U.S.), was a Palestinian archaeologist who served as chief archaeologist at the Department of Antiquities of the Government of Man ...

of the Department of Antiquities under the British Mandate.- Visiting the City of Jericho
"Jewish Life in Jericho" website by Ari Z. & Yosef N. Zivotofsky, accessed September 2020. The well-off Arab Jerusalemite, Husni Shahwan, who owned the land, built a house on top of the mosaic, careful to preserve it.

Description

The mosaic floor incorporates Jewish symbols such as the Ark of the Covenant, the

Temple Menorah The menorah (; he, מְנוֹרָה ''mənōrā'', ) is a seven-branched candelabrum that is described in the Hebrew Bible as having been used in the Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem. Since antiquity, it has served as a symbol of the ...

, a

shofar A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying ...

and a

lulav ''Lulav'' (; he, לולב) is a closed frond of the date palm tree. It is one of the Four Species used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The other Species are the '' hadass'' ( myrtle), '' aravah'' (willow), and ''etrog'' (citron). When ...

. There is also a Hebrew inscription, "Peace pn Israel" (שלום על ישראל), after which the mosaic was named. The phrase "Peace on Israel" has been widely used on Jewish and sometimes Samaritan synagogue floors from the Byzantine and, in one known case, Early Muslim period.

1967–1995

After the 1967

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...

, the site came under Israeli military control and remained under the responsibility of the owners, the Shahwan family. Tourists began visiting the site, as did religious Jews who came regularly for prayers. In the months after the war, Moshe Dayan thanked Mohammed, the son of Husni Shahwan, for the way the family had managed to protect the synagogue remains, which counted among the better preserved in the country. Mohammed Shahwan, who had just lost the bank he had owned due to the war, placed a guard over the mosaic floor and started charging a modest admission fee from visitors for the years until 1987, when the First Intifada broke out and the Israeli authorities confiscated the mosaic, the house and a small part of the farm around it. They offered compensation to the Shahwan family, but that was rejected.

After the 1995 Oslo Accords

After the 1995 Oslo Accords, control of the site was given to the Palestinian Authority (PA). It was agreed that free access to the site would continue and it would be adequately protected. The PA has deployed a special security force to protect it. At the beginning of the

Al-Aqsa Intifada The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel ...

the site became a source of conflict. On the night of 12 October 2000, vandals entered and desecrated the building, damaging the private house on top of the ancient mosaic. Later, the PA repaired the damage. The Torah scroll stored at the synagogue was rescued from the fire which had been started and was taken to Mevo'ot Yericho. In 2005, the synagogue was open to visits, including by Israeli

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, after the synagogue was restored by the Municipality of Jericho. Such visits, coordinated between the local

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

authorities and the Israel Defense Forces, were initially allowed once every month, in order to conduct prayer services. Since July 2007, Jewish prayer services in the Jericho synagogue have been allowed once every week.

References

External links

Jewish Jericho - description and photos, including the synagogue
{{Jericho Governorate Archaeological sites in the West Bank Byzantine synagogues Synagogues in the West Bank Ancient synagogues in the Land of Israel Buildings and structures in Jericho 6th-century establishments in the Byzantine Empire