Orientation of Judeo-Christian synagogue. If the structure had been a traditional Jewish synagogue, its niche should have been oriented toward the Temple Mount, where the Temple had stood until its destruction in 70 A.D. The builders had a clear view of the Temple site, and yet they oriented the synagogue niche slightly east of north, on a direct line with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.