We are in Jericho, considered one of the oldest cities in the world, the first city that fell to the Israelites during the conquest of the land, and one of the most important cities in the country during the Second Temple period. Jericho is unique in the abundance of water available here in the desert area. Also, the comfortable weather in winter. Both conditions allowed it to become a thriving oasis, which attracted kings throughout history to build their winter palaces here. The stability of the water supply throughout all seasons of the year, from the springs of Wadi Kelt, and from the springs of the Na’aran area, along with the local Elisha Spring and Ein Uja in the north, enabled continuous crops as well as attracting animals to the place, thus providing a livelihood for the residents.
Throughout the generations, a Jewish settlement existed in the Jericho area. There are several videos about Jericho during the Hasmonean period and the Herodian period on our YouTube channel and on our website. In this video, I will focus on the seventh to eighth centuries, the beginning of the Arab-Muslim period, and it is time to address the synagogue ‘Shalom al Israel’ located near Ancient Jericho. Although some date the synagogue to the Byzantine period, like the neighboring synagogue in Na’aran, and even earlier to the third century, most scholars date the synagogue to the seventh century, the beginning of the early Arab-Muslim period, and there is much support for this. For example, we also know from external sources that a Jewish community existed in Na’aran, few kilometers away, at the beginning of the Byzantine period, in the fourth century, at a time when there was no Jewish settlement in Jericho. The synagogue ‘Shalom al Israel’ was probably founded in the seventh century, and I will address possible reasons for its founding shortly. It was active until the eighth century. The synagogue, located a few hundred meters northeast of Ancient Jericho, was excavated in 1936 by the Department of Antiquities of the British Mandate government.
The synagogue is 10 by 13 meters in size, and in its center are two rows of columns that divide it into a central hall and two side halls. The synagogue faces south/west, towards Jerusalem. The side halls are decorated with geometric patterns in white, red, and black, as the area between the columns. The synagogue has a single gate from the north/east that leads directly to an inscription in Aramaic which is all about gratitude to the members of the community who helped and financed the mosaic.
About six kilometers from here is the Na’aran Synagogue. It is impossible not to compare the synagogues, and I will address this shortly. The mosaic is decorated in the first part with alternating shapes of squares and circles. In the center, there is a seven-branched menorah within a circle. To its left a Lulav and to its right a Shofar, and below it, the inscription ‘Shalom al Israel’ in Hebrew, which is the origin of the synagogue’s name. Further down the floor there is a rhombus pattern that includes a Holy Ark standing on three legs. A stylish shell decorating the upper part of the mosaic, and around it, geometric shapes in the form of inverted hearts. The mosaic is beautiful. The most striking difference from the mosaic in the synagogue in Na’aran is that there are no drawings of human figures or animals here. A survey around the synagogue revealed that it was surrounded by a dense Jewish settlement and was certainly the most prominent structure.
A comparison between ‘Shalom al Israel’ and Na’aran synagogues, which are only a few kilometers apart is necessary. Both synagogues were built outside the boundaries of the Roman-Byzantine city of Jericho and continued to exist until the eighth century. In Na’aran, the excavations indicate an unplanned settlement, construction of low quality, and therefore there is no doubt that Na’aran was not a wealthy Jewish settlement; it was a rural settlement whose residents lived by their own labor. The excavations in Na’aran showed that the settlement was destroyed in a major fire. The synagogue in Jericho, ‘Shalom al Israel’, is different in nature from that in Na’aran. An important difference is the inscriptions. In Na’aran, the abundance of inscriptions was probably intended to satisfy the wishes of the donors, who were mainly individuals, some of whom were women. In Jericho, the entire community contributed to the construction of the synagogue, which is a testament to the unity of the community, not necessarily its wealth. ‘Shalom al Israel’ synagogue is smaller than the one in Na’aran, has fewer decorations, and does not feature any animal or human decorations. In the Na’aran synagogue, we witness the destruction of the animals and the human figures mosaic, a relatively recent phenomenon, and therefore it can be concluded that the ‘Shalom al Israel’ synagogue was built later than the one in Na’aran because it did not include any figures. I address at length the issue of the destruction of the figures in the video about Na’aran synagogue.
Why did the residents of Jericho need two synagogues? It is possible that the area required for agriculture led to dispersion, and a distance of several kilometers can justify the existence of two separate settlements with a designated synagogue in each settlement. I have come across additional or complementary reasons.
For example, there are reports of Jewish refugees moving from Jerusalem to Jericho when the Persians conquered Jerusalem in the year 614, which led to an increase in the Jewish population in the Jericho area, and the need for an additional synagogue.
Another interesting piece of information: Following the rise of Islam, Jewish tribes were expelled from Hejaz, in Yathrib or Medina today on the Arabian Peninsula. Apparently, some of them reached Jericho on a route like the route I explain in detail in the video about Moa (Moah), which was a Nabatean settlement. The Jericho area was one of the first places they encountered when they arrived at the land of Israel, and here they settled. It was a place with a climate like the place where they lived and there was work and livelihood here, so in light of the population growth and settlement layout, there was a need for another synagogue.
Both synagogues were destroyed at the same time. The signs of destruction revealed in the excavations of Na’aran, in Hisham’s palace, and in the monasteries and churches near Jericho, are linked to a devastating earthquake that struck a wide region in the middle of the eighth century, probably in 749. It is named the “Seventh Earthquake” because it occurred in the year of Shmita. The result of the earthquake was devastating and the Jewish community in Jericho was unable to recover from it, thus ending a glorious period in the history of Jewish Jericho.
I will add a few words about the recent history of the place. After pressure by few Jewish leaders, the synagogue ‘Shalom al Israel’ received a special status from Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1994 after the Oslo Accords, according to which the place remained under Israeli control. This was a precedent after which Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus was also included in a similar arrangement.
And finally, as usual, I have a question for you – who were the prophets who were active in Jericho during the First Temple period? The answer will appear at the end of the video.
