During the week covered by this review, we received 4 articles on the following subjects:
Archaeology
Interfaith Relations/Dialogue
Book Reviews
Jewish-Christian Relations
Archaeology
Israel Hayom, August 29, 2022
A rare excavation in the mountainous Binyamin Regional Council, on the site of an abandoned Jordanian military base, revealed an ancient Jewish settlement called Timnah. The excavation, directed by Dr. Dvir Raviv from Bar Ilan University, was one of the first in Judea and Samaria since the 1980s. The site has been identified as Joshua’s city of Timnath-Serah, which is considered by ancient sources to be the town where he lived and was buried. It was later known as Timnath-Heres, a Hellenistic-Hasmonean fortified site that was a district capital in the early Roman and Byzantine periods. The excavations unearthed a large public mikveh (ritual bath), complete pottery, bones and coins from various periods. The highlight was a coin from the time of the Great Revolt against the Romans around 70 CE with the inscription, “Year two for the freedom of Zion.” The findings indicate that the top of the mount was inhabited from the Bronze Age to the Roman period, while the slopes were inhabited from the Hellenistic and Roman periods to the late Arab period. “In the center of Binyamin, the center of the country, an established Jewish town was uncovered that was a focal point on the main road to Jerusalem. It’s exciting to touch the graves and remains and actually touch our roots and heritage. We have the privilege of following our ancestors here,” stated the head of the Binyamin Regional Council, Israel Gantz, adding that, “These discoveries are an answer to anyone who doubts the rightness of the way and our presence here and in all of Israel.”
Interfaith Relations/Dialogue
Israel Hayom, August 29, 2022
This opinion article was written by Uri Erlich, spokesman for Emek Shaveh, an Israeli NGO of archaeologists and community activists. According to the article, the Ministry of Heritage is only acting to preserve Jewish heritage sites, while tens of thousands of heritage sites that tell a “non-Jewish” story are being neglected and are in danger of disappearing altogether, erasing important segments of Israel’s history. The ministry is supposed to be a bridge between the past and the present, stated the article, but instead, chooses to discriminate one heritage over others. A recent appeal by the NGO regarding the fate of the neglected sites was lost, dooming hundreds of sites that will soon be gone forever.
Book Reviews
Makor Rishon, September 2, 2022
“It’s hard to imagine what Jerusalem would look like today if it weren’t for an enthusiastic young German who entered its gates more than 170 years ago,” stated this article. “Jewish neighborhoods and Christian churches, grand houses for the rich and charity institutions for the poor, European style and the aroma of the Land of Israel – Conrad Schick built everywhere in the city and for all its inhabitants, created rare models of the Temple Mount and published sensational historical discoveries. Dr Shirley Graetz comes out with a new book following the architect who did not study architecture, but simply fell in love.” The book Jerusalem of Schick, published in Hebrew, tells the story of Conrad Schick, who arrived in Jerusalem in 1846, at the age of 24. He was sent as a missionary by a mission in Switzerland, and as a craftsman he was supposed to teach the locals craftsmanship and “be a living example… how true Christians live, pray and work, how they treat others with love and seek to help with advice and good deeds,” as Schick himself described it. The book illustrates the extreme difficulties Schick faced in the first four years, and how he eventually became a self-taught architect, spending the remainder of his life in Jerusalem as a friend to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.
Jewish–Christian Relations
Index HaEmek VehaGalil, September 2, 2022
Kibbutz Ein HaShofet in the Megiddo Regional Council is considering establishing a Christian cemetery, following a request from the Biblical Zionist Foundation (BZF). According to the article, the cemetery is intended for members of the International Evangelical Church, who are known to be passionate supporters of Israel. The article mentioned the late Rabbi Eckstein, who commented how the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, and subsequent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by the US, was achieved largely due to the support of the American Evangelical Christian community.