I wish the main point proffered in the article was in the posted excerpt; that because a carving of the Holy of Holies was found in the center of a First Century synagogue, dating to the time of Jesus (29 AD/CE), the religious role of the synagogue prior to the destruction of the Second Temple was perhaps more significant in religious life than previously thought.
“the religious role of the synagogue prior to the destruction of the Second Temple was perhaps more significant in religious life than previously thought.”
I’d amend that to “more significant in religious life than previous thought by atheist scholars with an axe to grind.”
From the descriptions given in the New Testament of Jesus in synagogues, I would never have thought that previously synagogues weren’t that significant in religious life.