“It is usual to say,” according to Israeli archeologist Hananya Hizmi, that because the Second Temple existed, there was no need for the synagogue, as Jews would go to Jerusalem for their prayers.
In fact, archeological evidence has shown that “the synagogue was alongside the Temple” from about the fourth century B.C.E. until the Temple’s destruction in 70 C.E., and developed even further thereafter, he said.
Hizmi, 57, is the head staff officer of archeology in the Israeli civil administration of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).
He and his wife Delilah — herself an archeologist working as associate curator for museum education at the Israel Museum — and his daughter, sister, and brother-in-law were in Waukesha for the first yahrzeit and stone dedication for his brother Avner, who was a member of Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha.
In addition, he agreed to give a talk at Emanu-El about the development of the synagogue on Nov. 28. About 40 people attended.
Archeology has shown that “the synagogue was the main center for community activities” in Judea during the Second Temple era. Moreover, synagogues did not only have the functions they have now – study, prayer, and the location of weddings and other ceremonies.
According to an inscription in Greek found in the ruins of a first century C.E. synagogue in Jerusalem, a synagogue could also serve as an inn for travelers, especially pilgrims, to live in during their stay in Jerusalem.
Hizmi also pointed out that this inscription is particularly interesting because it identifies a person, one Theodotus, and his father Vettanos; and describes Theodotus as a priest, the leader of a synagogue, and the son and grandson of leaders of synagogues.
Only eight synagogues have been found and excavated from the Second Temple period in Israel, Hizmi said. The earliest of these was found in Jericho, and it dates from just before the Roman conquest of the area in 63 B.C.E.
The structure of the synagogues from the Second Temple time — seen in those found in Herodium, Gamla, and Masada, for example — was simple. They had benches along the walls and pillars to support the structure, but no bimah; and they were not oriented to face Jerusalem, Hizmi said.
After the Second Temple’s destruction by the Romans in 70 C.E., no synagogues were found in the land of Israel for about two centuries, he said.
However, a third century C.E. synagogue was found in the town of Dura-Europos in what is today Syria, and that one is far more elaborate. It contains wall paintings of biblical scenes and a niche for Torah scrolls in the west wall, oriented toward Jerusalem.
A somewhat later synagogue was found in what is today Israel at Korazin, just north of Lake Kinneret. This was used during the Byzantine Empire era (fourth-six centuries C.E.).
It also had “a rich design” different from the first century synagogues, Hizmi said. It was built with its front door facing Jerusalem, and it resembled the Christian basilica in shape, he said.
Similar synagogues from the period have been found at Rehov and near Beit She’an, the latter of which has a particularly famous mosaic floor depicting a zodiac wheel.
Some 1,000 years later, the synagogues found in Europe came under the influence of Christian churches in elaborate design and decoration, Hizmi said. As examples, he cited the synagogues in Venice as being in styles similar to those of churches as they strove to “get Jews to come to the synagogue and be part of the community,” Hizmi said.
Hizmi also explained his role in the civil administration. The West Bank is divided into three areas, with Israel having complete rule over only Area C, which is about 65 percent of the territory.
That is where Hizmi has authority, and he said he uses it to try to protect archeological sites, combat looting and illegal trade, and authorize “salvage excavation if necessary.”
Individuals and organizations have to apply to his office for permission to do development or construction, and “when I declare something is an antiquity, nobody can change it, even the court,” he said.
In a conversation with The Chronicle after his presentation, Hizmi said he became interested in archeology because he had “always liked history,” and archeology is “history with working with your hands. I like to dig.”
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