While tourists visit many ruins of synagogues in the Holy Land, Nazareth Village is the only place where they get to see what these ruins looked like when they were still in use. It is small comparing it to most synagogues, like the one in Capharnaum, but as it is modeled after the one discovered in Masada, its size meets the needs of such a small community. Ruins of synagogues of this size can also be found in Herodium, Gamla and Magdala, which is the latest first-century synagogue to be discovered.
For the first time I could really envision what archaeological ruins must have looked like. Entering that synagogue is like travelling through time.
The completed synagogue at Nazareth Village – exterior
