Israel, important 2,000-year-old synagogue discovered in Magdala.

Important discovery in Israel, and to be exact in Magdala, Galilee (a location known as the hometown of Mary of Magdala, or Mary Magdalene), where a two-thousand-year-old synagogue dating from the Second Temple Period has been discovered. The discovery is significant because it is the first time that two synagogues have been found in the same settlement from the Second Temple Period, or the period of Jesus’ preaching (the first synagogue was discovered ten years ago).

Archaeological excavations in Magdala are being conducted by Y.G. Contractual Archaeology Ltd. led by Yehuda Govrin and under the academic sponsorship of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa. The excavations are being carried out according to a tender launched by Netivei Israel (the state-owned infrastructure company) in the form of salvage excavations as part of the expansion of “Route 90,” the major highway that runs all the way across the country, from the border with Lebanon in the north to the Dead Sea in the south, and runs right by Magdala.

Overlooking the northeast coast of Lake Tiberias, two thousand years ago Magdala was a large Jewish settlement. Following the destruction of the Second Temple, it was the main base for Yosef Ben Matityahu (Flavius Josephus) in his struggle against the Romans in Galilee, known as the “Great Revolt.” The eastern area of Magdala was excavated more than a decade ago by the Israel Antiquities Authority: the synagogue that was found there was also dated to the Second Temple Period. A single stone block was unveiled in the center of the synagogue, forming the support for the seven-armed candelabra (Menorah). Archaeologists think that the artist who created that support was imitating the Menorah located inside the Temple: the block is still visible today in an Israel Antiquities Authority exhibit at the Yigal Allon House.

The newly unearthed synagogue is a large, square building constructed of basalt and limestone. It includes a central hall and two additional rooms. The walls of the central hall are covered with both white and colored plaster. A masonry shelf covered with plaster was found in a small room on the south side of the hall: the room therefore may have been used to store scrolls.

The building found during the 2009 excavations represented the first synagogue of the Second Temple Period found in Galilee and the ninth in the entire country. Now, as anticipated, another has been found in the same village. Professor Adi Erlich, head of the Zinman Institute of archaeology at the University of Haifa, says, “The fact that we have found two synagogues shows that the Jews of the Second Temple Period were looking for a place for meetings of a religious and perhaps social nature. The stone supporting the Menorah of the other synagogue in Magdala suggests that the local Jews considered Jerusalem to be their religious center and their local activities took place because of this centrality. The synagogue we are excavating now is close to the residential street, while the one in 2009 was surrounded by an industrial area. So the local synagogues were built within the social fabric of the village.”

“The discovery of a second synagogue in this Galilee settlement,” comments Dina Avshalom-Gorni, who is part of the team of work directors, “sheds light on the social and religious lives of Jews in the area at that time and reflects the need to have a building dedicated to Torah reading, study and gathering. We can imagine that Mary Magdalene and her family came to this very synagogue, along with the other inhabitants of Magdala, to take part in religious and community events. The revelation of a second synagogue sheds new light on the community life of Jews in Galilee, the region where, according to the New Testament, Jesus performed miracles.”

“The safety project we are undertaking here at the Magdala intersection,” says Shai Klartag of Netivei Israel, “will play a decisive role in saving lives and preventing traffic accidents. As a long-time engineer, I am proud to have the privilege, through Netivei Israel’s current and future projects, to bring to light wonderful discoveries like this one that comes from the splendid past of the Land of Israel.”

According to Eli Escosido, Director General of Israel Antiquities Authority, “This discovery, by Israel Antiquities Authority and the excavations of the University of Haifa revealing something new every day, is of great importance. In the coming weeks we will reach an agreement on opening the site to the public.”

Pictured: the excavation

Israel, important 2,000-year-old synagogue discovered in Magdala.

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