1.   Among the sanctuaries is the oldest Jewish synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.

2.   As two journalists approached the meeting in the oldest Damascus synagogue, two Syrians in plain clothes asked to see their identity papers.

3.   The oldest synagogue in America, it has a pristine classical interior, dominated by a dozen white Ionic columns, symbolizing the tribes of Israel.

4.   The structure is the oldest continually used synagogue under the American flag.

5.   The structure is the oldest synagogue under the American flag to have never missed Sabbath services.

6.   Beth Elijah, the oldest synagogue in Damascus, is one of four still open.

7.   Until the discovery of the Wadi Kelt synagogue, the oldest known synagogue was in Gamle, in the Golan Heights.

8.   Israeli officials have also described the blast as a terrorist attack on what is considered the oldest synagogue in Africa, but have provided no evidence for their view.

9.   The tourists were visiting the site on the resort island of Djerba, believed to be the oldest Jewish synagogue in Africa, when the explosion occurred.