"When I Saw the Inscription on the Ancient Synagogue in Gaza, I Couldn't Believe My Eyes"

"Gaza has not always been a nest of trouble teeming with terrorists," says Israel Shapira, a tour guide, lecturer, and historian of Orthodox history. "It turns out there were various times in history when a thriving Jewish community existed in Gaza, led by great rabbis and scholars."

Shapira found himself personally interested and eager to learn what really occurred during the Jewish days of Gaza and what its inhabitants went through. "As soon as the conflict erupted, I began to engage with the topic, reading every material I could find on the Jews of Gaza and examining it deeply," he explains, "I also started writing articles about it and discovered many moving, unique, and breathtaking stories."

Shapira emphasizes that even regarding all the existing testimonies about Gaza, it's important to know that some are proven, while others lack concrete evidence. "Such as travelers' tales of items or findings from the time of Samson the Mighty found in Gaza," he exemplifies. "I don't know how accurate these accounts are, but what is clear is that even if they're not true, their mere mention by travelers or visitors indicates the thoughts, reflections, and spirits of that era."

The Ancient Synagogue

Shapira notes the first hint of the Jewish settlement in Gaza during the Talmudic era can be seen in carvings on a marble column depicting a seven-branched menorah, with a shofar on one side and a lulav and etrog, or another shofar, on the other. Below it is inscribed in Aramaic and Greek, the donor's name: Hananiah bar Jacob. "The column is currently located on the top floor of the northern column row of the Great Mosque of Gaza, north of the ancient city's mound," he notes, "This mosque was previously a Crusader church. It is likely that the column originated as part of a public Jewish structure, a synagogue from the Byzantine period that stood at the mound's summit."

Is this truly a synagogue? A house of prayer?

"Certainly, even Rabbi Meshullam of Volterra who visited the land in 1481 mentions in his writings the synagogue in Gaza. According to various testimonies over the years, it seems this synagogue from the Byzantine period existed on the Gaza mound up until the Middle Ages," clarifies Shapira, "It might also have been where Rabbi Israel Najara, known to have lived there, and Nathan Ashkenazi, also known as 'Nathan the Gazaite,' prayed."

Do the remnants of the synagogue exist to this day?

On this subject, Shapira finds it hard to provide an answer. "It is known that in the location traditionally believed to have housed the synagogue, higher than any other in the city as was typical of synagogues throughout the ages, a relatively new Catholic church currently stands. Most peculiarly, its prayer direction is to the west, an unusually rare phenomenon in both Israel and the world. Some scholars believe this church stands on the synagogue's site, and indeed after the Six-Day War, fragments of grilles with inscribed Greek wording reading 'For the peace of Jacob ben Elazar and his sons, to give thanks to God for the sacred place' were found between Jaffa and Gaza."

Samson the Mighty in Gaza

Another topic that Shapira extensively researched is the tomb of Samson the Mighty. "As seen in the Bible, Samson visited Gaza multiple times," he notes, "During one of his visits, he even carried away the city gates after being captured by the Philistines, ultimately calling out his famous plea 'Let me die with the Philistines' and bringing down the building on all its residents. One of the things that deeply moved me was when I stumbled across a 200-year-old map marking 'Samson's Hill,' linked to a famous hill in Gaza with a shrine inhabitants attribute to a sheikh and various miraculous stories. To my surprise, further investigation revealed sources indicating it was the area where Samson took the city gates, as written in the Scriptures where it occurred on a hill near Gaza overlooking Hebron. It was touching to see how all these pieces come together," he says.

The building (now collapsed) cannot be identified since it no longer exists, but Shapira recounts with excitement how Rabbi Meshullam of Volterra, who visited Gaza in 1481, writes down that he identified the house of Delilah the Philistine where Samson visited and the great courtyard he toppled with his might and strength. "Though there are testimonies and versions claiming Samson is buried in Gaza, it seems this isn't true, given the clear biblical account suggesting his grave is between Zorah and Eshtaol, near Beit Shemesh," he emphasizes.

Shapira found himself interested not only in the places but also in the scholarly figures who lived in Gaza throughout the years, like Rabbi Israel Najara – the renowned poet, or Rabbi Nissim Ohana, a prominent scholar who established a school in Gaza for the study of the Tanach and Talmud Bavli, a mikvah, and a cemetery.

The last Jewish resident he describes residing there is Rabbi Yosef Agiv, who at 94, visited the Gush Katif Museum in Jerusalem with great excitement, remarking how this marked his second expulsion from Gaza, as he had been expelled from there before, and by visiting the museum he felt he was closing a circle.

Pictured: Former Governor of Gaza, Colonel David Hakham, receives the 'Shalom L'Cha, Gaza - Following Jewish Gaza' magazine.

Shalom L'Cha Gaza

Recently, Shapira compiled his research into a book on Jewish Gaza titled 'Shalom L'Cha Gaza,' collaborating with tour guide and Land of Israel researcher Ze'ev (Ze'abo) Erlich who contributed to the unique research.

"And even," says Shapira, "though we both worked so hard, there are topics we've left open and unanswered. We have many question marks regarding the individuals buried beneath unmarked tombstones in the Jewish cemetery. To this day, it's unclear where the remains of the mystic poet Rabbi Israel Najara, who lived in Gaza, are buried, and whether the Christians built a church and monastery nearby the Jewish cemetery in Gaza. But we also have numerous answers on a variety of fascinating issues on Gaza, and those are certainly covered in the book."

Who is the book intended for?

"We aimed to write it in a way that's popular yet scientific, known as 'popular science,' so it would suit people without any historical background now interested in Gaza due to the current situation and conflict, while also engaging university professors and archaeologists. Of course, it was also important for us to include the Torah dimension, as it's impossible to write about Jewish Gaza without addressing the halachic issues related to it and the various halachic debates that arose over the years."

Finally, if you could tour the areas of Gaza, where would be the first place you'd choose to visit?

"I would choose to visit all the Jewish cemeteries and the home of the last local sage - Rabbi Nissim Ohana. I would visit his study room in the Jewish quarter where he co-wrote an anti-Christian book with the Muslim mufti of that era. I know it sounds bizarre, but they co-authored a book to fight Christianity. Visiting his room would be the most exciting experience."