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 The Synagogue  62 pictures
 2 minutes HQ video  The courtyard of the synagogue was "Rehova shel Ir", the city center, where the Holy Ark was brought out on special occasions, such as a fast on account of drought. Perhaps it is the square built by Uzi, as indicated by an inscription found there. Much thought, money, and time were put into the building of the synagogue, whose walls are made of hewn stone, i. e., chiseled, smoothed, and fit into each other without any bonding material. The process of the building lasted about forty years, and it is likely that the founders knew they wouldn't be able to pray inside the building they created. From this fact, one may learn about the way of thinking that characterized the people of the time, namely, one does not build for himself, but for the community of which he is a part of. In the famous story, Choni Hame'agel (Choni the circle drawer), meets an old man planting a carob tree, knowing that only 70 years later it would yield fruit. The old man's statement: "Just as I was born into a world where I was provided for by others, I prepare for generations to come", in fact resolves the issue in question. The settlers of Katzrin put forth much money building the synagogue. Researchers estimate the building expenses by millions of Shekels, in terms of present day values. From this investment, one may infer about the importance the founders attributed to the building, as well as about their financial means, which enabled them to fulfill the task.  Despite its ruin, the magnificence of the synagogue is rather impressive still. It shows in the ornamentation of the doorposts at the main entrance, facing north. The lintel is decorated by a wreath, amphorae, and pomegranates. Two rows of columns, four in each, divide the main hall of the synagogue. The hall is surrounded by stone benches in the form of a double step. The congregation would sit on them, facing the center of the hall. The Holy Ark stood on top of an elevated podium near the southern wall, toward Jerusalem. The synagogue also had a second floor, above the columns seen today. The building was very tall, according to the Jewish Law, commanding on building a synagogue "as high as a city". Since it was built and used a long time after the destruction of the Temple, the synagogue had a function of a "Little Sanctuary", and became the Jewish community's most important center. People gathered there for prayer, study, Torah reading on weekdays and holidays, as well as to discuss daily matters. That was where matters of rulings of the Jewish Law were deliberated, and matters having to do with the collection of charity money. Apparently, women also took part in those activities. For 400 years, from the middle of the fourth century A. D. through the middle of the eighth century A. D., the synagogue served the local residents, and underwent three stages of building. The most ancient of them may be seen in the pit, dug at the northeastern corner of the hall. The synagogue was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 A. D., that same earthquake which destroyed many settlements in the northern part of Israel - Beth She'an, Susita, and others.   The Town   
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