The Shalom Al Yisrael (Peace Upon Israel) synagogue is a 6th-century Byzantine-period synagogue in Jericho with a beautifully preserved mosaic floor featuring a large menorah, a lulav, a shofar, and the Hebrew inscription “Shalom Al Yisrael” (Peace Upon Israel). The synagogue, discovered in 1936, is located in the Palestinian-controlled area of Jericho and is accessible to Israeli and international visitors only with advance coordination and sometimes military escort.
The Mosaic
The mosaic floor is dominated by a large, detailed seven-branched menorah surrounded by Jewish ritual objects: a lulav (palm branch), an etrog (citron), a shofar (ram’s horn), and an incense shovel. The Hebrew inscription “Shalom Al Yisrael” runs beneath the menorah. The quality of the mosaic is high, and the symbols are rendered with clarity and confidence, reflecting a prosperous Jewish community in Byzantine Jericho.
Jewish Community of Jericho
The synagogue confirms that a significant Jewish community lived in Jericho during the Byzantine period, long after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Jericho’s warm climate, abundant water, and agricultural wealth attracted settlement from the earliest periods, and the Jewish community here maintained its identity and its institutions, including this synagogue, through centuries of Roman and Byzantine rule.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
The Shalom Al Yisrael synagogue requires advance coordination. Hoshen Tours arranges visits when security conditions permit, combining it with other Jericho sites.