This is the second largest Byzantine period synagogue found in Israel to this day. Historians disagree about the date of its construction, though they agree it was built long after the time of Jesus. Its white limestone, brought to Kfar Nachum from some distance, contrasts with the local black basalt. The lintels’ ornamentation includes geometric designs, plants, and animals; a stone eagle, later destroyed by iconoclasts, hovered over the entrance. Pillars in “U” formation supported the second floor and the roof. The inside walls were plastered and the floor was of stone. The congregation sat along the walls facing the center, where the Torah was probably read. A large room and courtyard, possibly the house of study, stood adjacent and to the east of the synagogue. The synagogue was destroyed in the early 7th century (sometime before the Arab conquest in 636).
This is the second largest Byzantine period synagogue found in Israel to this day. Historians disagree about the date of its construction, though they agree it was built long after the time of Jesus. Its white limestone, brought to Kfar Nachum from some distance, contrasts with the local black basalt. The lintels’ ornamentation includes geometric designs, plants, and animals; a stone eagle, later destroyed by iconoclasts, hovered over the entrance. Pillars in “U” formation supported the second floor and the roof. The inside walls were plastered and the floor was of stone. The congregation sat along the walls facing the center, where the Torah was probably read. A large room and courtyard, possibly the house of study, stood adjacent and to the east of the synagogue. The synagogue was destroyed in the early 7th century (sometime before the Arab conquest in 636).