Elath in Archaeology and in Reality
By M. HURWITZ
Because Elath was entered on
the map Jf the State of Israel
only in March, 1949, people are
wont to think of Elath as an
outcome of Israel military op-
erations in the War of Libera-
tion. Due to its distance and to
the lack of contacts with the
place throughout the period of
modern Jewish settlement in
the country, the locality had
lost its historical significance,
lacing in -rich Jewish past, and
,appeared to be a new limb that
had sprouted during the period
of the State's existence, having
had no time to become part and
parcel of the Israeli scene.
It was therefore of great poli-
tical, educational and psycho-
logical importance that the an-
nual convention of the Israel
Exploration Society recently_
held at Elath, turned public in-
terest on this region and illum-
ined it from the point of view of
its historical-archaeological sig-
nificance. Archaeological re-
search has recently turned to
the distant south, revealing finds
of an ancient Jewish past in the
`Four Days of Naples
Is Anti-German Film
The Academy of Motion Pic-
ture Arts and Sciences selected
the Italian entry "The Four
Days of Naples" as one of the
five official nominees (out of a
total of 13 films screened) for
the "Best Foreign Film."
Produced by Titanus Pictures
of Rome and distributed in this
country by MGM, "The Four
Days of Naples" is perhaps the
most anti-German film to be
presented in Hollywood in many
a year. Yet, to the embarrass-
ment of those who want to for-
get conveniently, the public
showing of the film at the Acad:
emy Theatere saw a record at-
tendance—over and above the
number of members and guests
attending any other screening
this season.
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region and bringing Elath and
its environs back to the bosom
of historical Jewish Palestine.
Roads of Communication
Professors Aharoni and Avi-
Yonah devoted their papers at
the conference to the interna-
tional highways that passed
through the region to Sinai,
Egypt and Transjordan over a
period of about 2,000 years. The
large number of fortresses
which have come to light, dat-
ing back to the period of the
Kings of Israel and Judah, mark
the highways that passed
through the Negev in Biblical
times. Along the road from
Beer Yeruham-Avdat-Beer Ha-
fir-Kadesh Barnea an unbroken
line of small and medium-sized
fortresses point to the road
taken by the ancient Israelites
from Kadaesh Barnea and Hor
Hahar in order to wage war
against the King of Arad in the
Negev. In the period of the
Israelite Kingdom strong for-
tresses were built to guard the
road from Elath northwards,
proving the unbroken dominion
of the Kings of. Israel and Ju-
dah in the whole of the Negev
and the connections which then
existed with Elath.
In a later period the Negev
roads played an important role
in communications through
Elath to the Indian Ocean. That
was the reason for Egypt's war
against the Nabateans who held
Elath in the Hellenistic period.
With the decline of the Naba-
tean rule, the importance of
Elath waned, only to arise again
in the Byzantine era. By draw-
ing comparisons between the
three periods in which Elath
served as a base of communi-
cations through the Red Sea,
Prof. Avi-Yonah was able to
show that the Mediterranean
states, under stress from the
East and West, made use of the
Negev roads and of the port of
Elath as an outlet to the Indian
Ocean and to the countries of
Africa and Asia.
Jewish Dominion Over Negev
A seal bearing the inscription
"Lo-Jotham" and the figure of a
ram, unearthed at Tel Halifa
which is identical with Etzion
Gaber or ancient Elath, gives
proof, according to Prof. N.
Avigad, of Jewish dominion
over the region. Prof. Avigad
ascribed the seal to King Jot-
ham of whose father Azariah or
Uzziah we read (II Kings, XIV,
22) that "He built Elath and
restored it to Judah." The ram
symbolizes the town • of Elath
which name is derived from
"ayil" — "ram." (Prof. , Avigad
suggested that the Elath muni-
cipality adopt the figure of a
ram on its emblem.)
Prof. H. Z. Hirshberg read a
paper on the Jewish settlements
that flourished in the Bay of
Elath and particularly on the
island of Yotvah in the Middle
Ages.
Eliahu Elath, president of the
Hebrew University, who from
1945 down to the establishment,
of the State was the Jewish
Agency's representative in
Washington and later first Is-
rael Ambassador to the United
States, dwelt on the political
struggle that was waged for the
inclusion of Elath in the State
of Israel. The Jewish delegation
came up against very strong
opposition on the part of the
great powers and it was only as
a result of Dr. Chaim Weiz-
mann's personal intervention
with President Truman that
Elath was saved for the State of
Israel, and so the Israeli outlet
to the Red Sea was secured.
Present-Day Development
After the conquest of Elath
only a handful of civilians had
decided to brave the difficulties
encountered in permanent resi-
dence there. There is the op-
pressive heat in the country, the
high cost of transportation and
of essential commodities, and
the lack of Jewish settlements
in the Arava, accentuating the
..fileilng of loneliness.
OK Plans for Jewish College in Connecticut
Despite the efforts made by
the Israel authorities to increase
the number of residents, Elath's
growth was slow until after the
Sinai War. It was then that the
question of building a port at
Elath to serve as an outlet to
Africa and Asia came to the
fore. After the closing of the
Suez Canal to Israel shipping,
Elath began in certain measure
to serve as a substitute, particu-
larly for tankers bringing oil.
Thousands of laborers, many
of them new immigrants, began
flocking to Elath where large-
schle building operations were
commenced and where employ-
ment was readily available. A
daily air service was opened
between Elath and Tel Aviv and
the new road connecting Elath
with the North cut the distance
between the southernmost point
and the rest of the country.
Tourism to Elath called for the
erection of modern hotels there;
the water problem has been
temporarily solved by the laying
of a pipeline from nearby
springs, while several agricul-
tural settlements in the Arava
which have succeeded in over-
coming the natural difficulties
in the region and are producing
remarkable crops of fruits and
vegetables, market their sup-
plies to Elath.
Elath enjoys a mild winter
climate, unsurpassed anywhere
else in the country, while the
quarries and mines around the
town provide an important
source of employment. Import-
ant fishing grounds can be de-
veloped in the Red Sea, and the
port being built at Elath is
already a point of call for ship-
ping from countries in the Far
East.
Living conditions in the - town
are also improving. Air coolers
have been installed in almost
all houses, making living bear-
able even in the hottest season
of the year, and modern shops
and cultural activities already
lend Elath the air of a modern
town. Despite the fact that the
population growth recently
slowed down, steps are being
taken to encourage settlement
there and the prospects are that
by 1970 Elath will be a town of
at least 20,000 inhabitants.
HARTFORD, Conn. (JTA) —
Plans for a proposed Jewish
University in Connecticut have
been approved by the Legis-
lature's Committee on Incor-
poration and the Connecticut
State Board of Education, back-
ers of the idea reported.
Harold B. Yudkin of Derby,
who originated the idea, ap-
peared before the committee
which made its favorable report
to the ConnecticUt General As-
sembly conditional on approval
by the State Board of Educa-
tion. The board gave its unani-
mous approval after Yudkin and
Rabbi Theodore Gluck of Derby
outlined plans to the board.
Yudkin told the committee
that passage of a bill introduced
in the legislature and approval
by the governor of the bill
would clear the way for backers
to start raising some $25,000,000
to establish a liberal arts col-
,.....,
■
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