Rediscovering Phanagoria: The Lost Jewish City

The name "Taman Peninsula" might not ring a bell for many, but if you take a look at a map, you'll see it's situated right between Russia and Crimea, an area seized by Putin's Russia from Ukraine during its westward expansion.

Now, let's rewind 2,500 years. Back then, this region was ruled by a Greek kingdom called the "Cimmerian Bosporus". The Greeks, at the height of their power, dominated what is today’s Turkey, expanding eastward along the Black Sea coast thanks to their seafaring prowess. Gomer, one of Japheth's sons mentioned in the Torah, is considered an ancestor of the Greeks. His descendants, the Cimmerians, settled in the area.

Phanagoria emerged as the largest city on Taman Peninsula and the entire Bosporus region, serving as the capital of the eastern kingdom. It was a bustling port and commercial center for 1,500 years, only to fade from memory when it fell into ruins. It's only in recent generations that its remnants have slowly started to re-emerge. In 1936, Russia's renowned Pushkin Museum commissioned an archaeological expedition to unearth the city’s remains, revealing evidence of a significant Jewish community and potentially the oldest known synagogue. Discoveries from Phanagoria's Jewish community continue, with some artifacts unveiled just last week.

Jews arrived in the city during the Roman era, more than a hundred years before the Temple's destruction. When the Greek king Mithridates VI, a notorious conqueror, declared war on Phanagoria, its inhabitants quickly allied with the Romans, who were eager to stake a claim in the East. Thus, many Jews, part of the Roman Empire, arrived there.

The synagogue in Phanagoria was established long before the Temple's destruction, confirmed by several inscriptions. It featured grand marble columns and massive stone lamps. Jewish symbols like the menorah, lulav, Aaron’s rod, and shofar were engraved in its stones. According to Vladimir Kuznetsov, many of Phanagoria’s original Jews were converts, joining Judaism, and only after the Romans exiled the land's inhabitants post-revolt were they joined by Jews from the Land of Israel. The synagogue was located in the city's prestigious area, alongside a winery, garden, and sophisticated water storage systems.

Last week, it was announced that a research team discovered the synagogue’s Holy Ark, the bema, and seven-branched candelabras—remnants from one of the world's oldest-preserved synagogues, dating back to the Second Temple era!

The synagogue’s sanctuary stretched 21 meters long and operated continuously for about 500 years until the Hun tribes, of Germanic origin, dismantled the Roman Empire and reached Phanagoria in their raids.

About eight centuries later, the Jewish Khazar Kingdom conquered Phanagoria. During this period, the Jewish community thrived, attracting many Jews from surrounding lands. Around the same time, Emperor Leo III of Byzantine tightened his grip on the Jews, prompting many to migrate to Phanagoria, which became a Jewish stronghold within the Khazar kingdom. The Byzantine historian Theophanes writes: "Phanagoria became a Jewish city."

With the collapse of the Khazar Kingdom, Phanagoria also vanished, sinking into oblivion. It lay buried for many centuries until modern-era excavations began to bring it back to light.