Politicizing archaeology to prove Jewish identity

Ghattas Sayej — Norway (11/24/2008 4:20:56 AM)

After the establishment of the State of Israel, many Israeli archaeologists have used archaeology to uncover the past and to prove the existence of Jews in Palestine. Archaeology was also misused as a tool to support the current occupation of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem). As a Palestinian archaeologist and a former employee at the Archaeology Staff of Judea and Samaria, I have witnessed how some Israeli archaeologists try to select “the interested layers” and ignore or bulldoze the rest which are not related to Jewish heritage. Thank you so much David Ilan for mentioning this issue from in-within. If we as Palestinians and Israeli want to live in peace and have better future for our children, then we need to respect and accept the right of existence of each other. Archaeology should be used as a science to help as understanding the past, not as a tool to prove the right of existence for one ethnic group and ignore the others.

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Elad & powder Keg

Dr. David Tee — korea (11/21/2008 1:37:30 AM)

i think this article is adding to the powder keg not the actions of ELAD.

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Political archaeology

Paul McDermott — United States (11/20/2008 2:52:38 PM)

As a former archaeologist I am horrified by the work done by Elad in the King David National Park. From what I have read this group is serving only the goal of advancing Jewish nationalism in Palestine and not historical truth.

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At last

Christoph Jungen — Switzerland (11/20/2008 11:55:30 AM)

Thank you for finally paying attention to these ideological and political aspects of archaelogy. While it is understandable (and laudable) that BAR (in the interest of its own focus) has been very reluctant about getting involved in any political aspects the situation in Israel and particularly in Jerusalem has gotten to a point that it no longer can be ignored. Some fair attention is needed. And it is not helped by summary statements like the one by reader Zachi Zweig who shrugs it all off by reducing concern only to "extreme leftist Israelis" as if this settled the issue. If it only was that simple! It's not about political views. It's about real humang beings who are driven from their homes and whose right of existence and history above and beneath the ground is removed right now from that spur which constitutes not only some hypothetical "city of David", but undeniably part of the present residential area of Silwan. Archaelogy, like all other sciences, is anything but a neutral science. It is always a question of what you are willing to find and what you deem worthy of being made visible and what can be removed (like evidence of Muslim occupation through many centuries, including skeletons of graves - an absolute taboo when it comes to Jewish graves). ELAD has been very good at hijacking Archaelogy and obscuring the full picture of what has been found. Whether we like it or not: When we dig, we are part of present history and issues as well. What we can and should do is learning to deal with this fact as sensitively and fairly as we can. Ignoring does not help.

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A great disservice

Louis — Israel (11/20/2008 1:38:47 AM)

David Ilan has politicized archeology and has done it a great disservice by focusing on the funders rather that the quality of the finds. His energies would be better used just up the road--literally--where the Waqf is conducting the world's greatest rape of an archeological site as they attempt to remove all traces of a Jewish presence on the Temple Mount.

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bigotry

Michael Krumbein — Israel (11/19/2008 2:16:52 PM)

Hebrew Union College is associated with a movement that has used hatred and bigotry to impose their religious views on other Jews in Israel. Of course a member would write something like that.

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Elad at Jerusalem

DianaGainer — U.S.A. (11/19/2008 2:01:30 PM)

It is important to do excavations, of course. But who does them is important as well. Jews are not the only ones with an interest in demonstrating a past claim to Jerusalem, despite what some may think. Muhammad came to Jerusalem and thus gave Muslims an interest in this international city. It would be far preferable for an unaligned institution to head the excavations, to run the tours, to not push anybody out of their homes in favor of somebody else. Non-Jews have an ancient claim to this sacred place, too, after all, as holy writ itself mentions from time to time. And shall we really start throwing one holy book against another? What would that accomplish? No, we must respect every point of view, not only in scholarship, but also in matters of faith. That is the road to peace as well as enlightenment.

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The only ones bothered with ELAD activity is a small group of extreme leftists Israelies

Zachi Zweig — Israel (10/30/2008 5:32:20 PM)

The reason ELAD started to organize tours at the site, and fund excavations was because the omission of the state. Once the state will do it job, ELAD will stop its activity at the site. If ELAD was not in the picture, the site would have suffered from severe archaeological destructions and robbery. The excavations are conducted by the Antiquities Authority according to the law in Israel that requires salvage excavations at any construction site that has archaeological remains. ELAD is not managing the excavations, they are just the contractors who purchase the property and are compelled by law to fund a salvage excavation before renovating and building. It is the basic human right of each person or organization to purchase property in interest, and no one as the right to call this kind of activity "aggressive". In addition, since when is the concept of "Judaisating Jerusalem" is negative? Most people are not aware of the fact that the site was almost unhabited 100 years ago, and only after a group of Yemenite Jews settled at the place, then more arabs also came and settled there and in other parts of Jerusalem, because of the financial options they had at the city, as a result of the Jewish development of the city. So what is so wrong that in such a meaningful site in Jewish history, Jews are wants to come back and resettle the place, while from the Arab point of view, this site has no historical significance. Almost all residents of Silowan are pleased with the ELAD actions, because this helps them get out of their poverty. David Baary, the director of ELAD, is even usually invited to their family events. The Silowan residents who are seen complaining against the activity of ELAD are a minority that is probably bribed by organization of interest. The guided tours at the site, are done by ELAD only for those who choose to take there guidance. It is very sad that some archaeologists, although they are a small minority, instead of appreciating the great contribution of this organization to the archaeology of Jerusalem, chose to demagogically incite against it.

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Objective Archaeology

A.K. — (10/25/2008 11:21:04 AM)

Funders will forever have a religious/political agenda, but it should never influence the historical narrative, which, in time, will turn to an absolute truth. The City of David tour should objectively present the site's history, and take into account the current settlers of this area. Very important column!

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