Jericho Synagogue

Shalom Al Yisrael preserves a mosaic whose menorah, shofar, lulav and Hebrew inscription identify the building as a synagogue.[1][5] The floor was found during construction of a private home north of the Spring of Elisha, also called Sultan’s Spring.[2] Its surviving decoration, subsequent use for prayer and specific recognition in the Gaza–Jericho Agreement connect the archaeological site with Jewish religious life and the modern administration of holy places in Jericho.[1][3]

The name “Jericho synagogue” requires distinction between several sites in the area: Shalom Al Yisrael in Jericho, Na’aran at ʿAyn al-Dūk to the north, and a building in the Hasmonean palace complex that has been identified as a possible synagogue.[2][4] The Gaza–Jericho Agreement separately lists the Naaran Synagogue, identified as Ein Diuk, and the Shalom Al Israel Synagogue in Jericho.[3]

The Byzantine-period synagogue was revealed in 1936 during excavations conducted by Dimitri Baramki of the British Mandate’s Department of Antiquities.[1] Baramki was a Jerusalem-born Christian archaeologist working for the Mandate government.[5] The building was probably used during the sixth and seventh centuries, before Jericho’s Jewish community disappeared and the synagogue was forgotten.[1]

Jews were prohibited from visiting the site during Jordanian control of the valley between 1948 and 1967, and began returning in the 1970s.[6] After the 1967 war, the site came under Israeli military control, while administrative responsibility remained with the Shahwan family, the Arab owners who had built a house over the mosaic.[1] Tourists and Jewish worshippers subsequently visited the site.[1] The building was renovated in the 1990s and used as a prayer space and yeshiva.[6]

Following the Oslo Accords, control passed to the Palestinian Authority with an understanding that access would continue and the site would be protected.[1] The religious-affairs provisions of the 1994 Gaza–Jericho Agreement required the Palestinian Authority to ensure access to designated holy sites and protect them.[3] They identified the Israeli Government as the relevant authority for Jewish holy sites and specifically placed religious affairs at the “Shalom Al Israel” synagogue under the auspices of Israeli authorities.[3]

In October 2000, the synagogue suffered an attack and fire damage.[1][7] An attempted burning by a crowd was recorded on October 10, followed immediately by the start of Palestinian Authority repairs.[7] An account dated October 12 describes vandalism, the burning of much of the building and its holy books and relics, and damage to the mosaic.[1] An Israeli government white paper likewise describes looting and partial burning on October 12 and states that Palestinian police failed to prevent the desecration.[8]

The Jericho Municipality restored the site during a period in which Jewish entry was prohibited for more than eight years.[1] Renovation of the building was completed in 2009.[6]

The synagogue’s mosaic floor measures 10 by 13 metres.[1][5] Its central composition contains a seven-branched menorah, with a shofar to its right, a lulav to its left and the words “Shalom Al Yisrael” underneath.[5] The decoration also includes geometric shapes, and the floor contains no human or animal figures.[5] Depictions of the Holy Ark and other Jewish ritual objects contributed to the identification of the building as a synagogue.[1]

The inscription supplied the synagogue’s modern name and is translated as “Peace to Israel.”[1][2] Copies of the mosaic are displayed at the Good Samaritan Museum and in the ancient synagogue at Kochav Hashachar.[5]

In 2017, the remains were housed in a two-storey stucco building.[6] The lower floor consisted of a single room displaying the mosaic, with a narrow wooden walkway running along its sides.[6] An exterior staircase led to a small upstairs room used for study and prayer.[6]

The restored building served both as a prayer space and a yeshiva before the fire in 2000.[6] The Gaza–Jericho Agreement distinguished the synagogue’s religious administration from broader arrangements for access and protection, expressly assigning its religious affairs to Israeli authorities.[3]

Access has varied considerably over time.[1][9] In 2007, visits to the ancient synagogue were severely curtailed because of disagreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority over security arrangements.[9] A later account states that weekly prayer services had been allowed since 2007.[1] These reports describe different aspects of access during that period rather than establishing an unrestricted visiting arrangement.[1][9]

A 2022 travel report listed Shalom Al Yisrael among Jericho sites that visitors were then prohibited from entering, alongside the Hasmonean and Herodian palaces.[10] It described entry to Jericho more generally as requiring Israeli military authorization, advance coordination and an organized group visit on Fridays within specified hours.[10] Those restrictions describe conditions reported in 2022, not a current access schedule.[10]

Na’aran, or Naarah, is a separate ancient synagogue site identified with ʿAyn al-Dūk, about seven kilometres north of Jericho.[2] The ancient town appears in references by Josephus and Eusebius; Eusebius described a Jewish village five miles from Jericho.[11] Its synagogue dates to the sixth century.[11]

A mosaic pavement was uncovered at Na’aran in 1918 when a shell exploded, and some fragments were taken to Sydney.[11] L. H. Vincent and B. Carrière excavated the synagogue in 1919 and 1921; P. Benoit published the excavation in 1961.[11] The pavement and additional details were rediscovered in 1970.[11] The complex included a court with a pool, an L-shaped narthex and a mosaic-paved hall measuring 22 by 15 metres, or 72 by 49 feet.[11]

Unlike Shalom Al Yisrael, Na’aran’s mosaic includes human and animal imagery.[5][11] Two gazelles appear at the entrance, geometric designs decorate the aisles, and birds occupy interlocking shapes in the nave.[11] Its central imagery includes a zodiac with the sun in the centre and seasonal symbols in the corners, Daniel between two lions, candelabra and ritual objects.[11] Donor inscriptions commemorate Phinehas the priest and his wife Rebekah, Samuel, Benjamin the parnas, Marutah and Halifu.[11] Images of living beings were later damaged by iconoclasm.[11]

Na’aran has also attracted modern worshippers and pilgrims.[12] In May 2012, worshippers found the site vandalized with swastikas, Palestinian flags and slogans reported as “Palestine is ours.”[12] This incident concerned Na’aran, not Shalom Al Yisrael.[12]

Another archaeological reference concerns a building in the northeastern part of Jericho’s Hasmonean winter-palace complex.[4] The palaces were built in stages from the late second century BCE and were apparently destroyed by an earthquake in 31 BCE.[13] Excavations led by Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer began in the 1970s, and the building identified as a possible synagogue was found in 2001.[13] Netzer also identified the Wadi Qelt synagogue near Jericho as the oldest synagogue ever found, dating it to the first century BCE.[14] These early synagogue references should not be confused with the Byzantine-period Shalom Al Yisrael.[1][14]

Accounts differ over the transfer of the Shalom Al Yisrael property to Israeli authorities in the 1980s: one describes a 1986 purchase by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, while another describes a 1987 confiscation of the mosaic, house and a small portion of the surrounding farm, with compensation rejected by the Shahwan family.[1][6] Protection and access have also been subjects of Israeli–Palestinian disagreement, particularly over security arrangements for visits.[9]

A separate archaeological debate concerns the proposed synagogue in the winter-palace complex, not Shalom Al Yisrael.[15] Its relationship to the palace remains unclear because Herod’s palace was built over it.[4] Multiple architectural phases and mud-brick construction on pebble foundations complicate interpretation; scholars have disputed whether the remains represent a roofed hall or an open, columned garden.[15]