Pro-Hamas vandals deface, burn ancient synagogue near Hebron

Palestinians at the Eshtemoa Synagogue south of Hebron in the Judean village of Al-Samu on Aug. 23, 2022. Photo by Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90.

(JNS) — Palestinians spray-painted pro-Hamas graffiti on and set fire to an ancient Jewish synagogue south of Hebron in Judea on the morning of Sept. 26.

The Eshtemoa Synagogue, which dates to around the fourth to fifth century C.E., is located in as-Samu, some 7.5 miles south of Hebron and 37 miles southwest of Jerusalem.

The Civil Administration, Israel’s governing body in Judea and Samaria, coordinated a Palestinian firefighting effort to extinguish the flames.

“This is a terrorist act in every sense and should be treated as such. It is an attempt to erase the Jewish identity and symbols from our ancestral lands,” said the head of the Mount Hebron Regional Council, Eliram Azulai, according to Ynet.

Eshtemoa was an ancient city mentioned in the Bible (Joshua 21:14). During the Roman and Byzantine periods, Eshtemoa was described as a large Jewish village.

In March, Palestinian construction workers built an illegal road through the ancient village of Sebastia, near Nablus (Shechem) in Samaria, causing damage to an Israeli heritage site, according to Israeli NGO Regavim.

It was also reported in March that Palestinians had flattened Umm ar-Rihan, a Second Temple-era site located near the security barrier in northern Samaria.

“Since the start of the Gaza war, we have been seeing increasing attempts to destroy Jewish heritage sites throughout Judea and Samaria, and it’s our duty to continue to fight for our history even while fighting for our home,” said Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu at the time.