Important Finds
at Jerusalem Dig
Unlock History

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

JERUSALEM—At a press con-
ference Prof. Nahman Avigad re-
vealed details on excavation in the
Jewish .quarter of the Old City of
Jerusalem under the auspices of
the Hebrew University's institute
of archaeology, the department of
antiquities and museums and the
Israel Exploration Society.
An area of 400 square meters
was investigated and nine stages
of occupation identified beginning
with the end of the Israelite period
and ending with the period of the
Crusaders.
Remains of buildings, an agri-
cultural - industrial installation.
pottery finds and clay figurines
discovered in the lower stratum of
settlement on virgin soil and at
rock level, prove that the site was
first occupied in the 7th Century
BCE. This would seem to consti-
tute a convincing proof that Jeru-
salem spread from its initial set-
tlement on the eastern hill, south
of the Temple Mount, to the hill
west of it, at the end of the king-
dom of Jordan.
Probably this new section of the
City should be identified with that
area of Jerusalem known in the
Bible as the Mishna (2 Kings,

22:14).

In the period of the Ilasmo-
neans (2nd to 1st centures BCE)
there was a considerable upsurge
. of building in the upper city.
This is borne out by the discov-
ery of remains of large public
sti i ictures revealed in the stra-
turn relating to this period. Also
discovered were plastered water
basins and channels.

Remains of buildings dating to
the Herodian and succeeding pert-
ods were found in the upper stra-
"Ita. In the fill between two floors,
a large number of fresco frag-
ments, remarkable for their color
and design, were found. Also dis-
:covered were fragments of Ionic
capitals. These fragments seem to
belong to an elaborate palace
which stood near the site of the
excavation. The style of these re-
mains and the coins found with
=them, indicate that a dating to the
..ttst century BCE (ie, the end of
the Hasmonean period and the
'Beginning of the reign of Herod)
would be appropriate.
Tiles bearing the stamp of the
10th legion have been found in
considerable numbers in the stra-
tum post-dating the destruction of
Jerusalem. Deep sunk foundations
of a large Crusader building pene-
trated and destroyed the remains

of earlier strata.

Jewish Federation
Formed in Far East

SYDNEY — A Federation of

Jewish Communities of Southeast
Asia and the Far East will be

established by decision of the Ex-
ecutive Council of Australian
Jewry.
The president of the World Jew-
ish Congress, Dr. Nahum Gold-
mann, and its secretary-general,
Dr. Gerhart M. Riegner. were at
the conference where the decision
was made.
The executive of the new fed-
eration will consist of representa
tives from Australia, Hong Kong.
India, Japan, New Zealand. the
Philippines, Singapore and Thail-
and. A secretariat probably will
be set up in Sydney.
All member communities of
the new federation are directly

affiliated with the WJC, but the
federation as such will become a

regional associate of that body.

The initiative to establish such
was taken by the

a federation

executive council, spokesman for
the vigorous and growing 70,000-
strong Jewish community of Aus-
tralia.

Even when I am reading my
lectures I often think to myself.
"What a humbug you are," and I
wonder the people don't find it out.
—,Williain.Makepeace Thackeray.

How much does it cost to fly to
Israel?
Well, usually, the roundtrip
economy fare is S840.
But after October 14th, you can
fly to Israel and back for 5405'on
a nine day tour.
At these prices, how can you
afford to stay home?
You'll land in Tel Aviv, and from
there it's just a short distance to all
the really interesting points on the
map.
For example, Jaffa, Tel Aviv's
twin city, is an ancient port men-
tioned in the Bible.
(It was after leaving Jaffa that
Jonah had his unfortunate en-
counter with the whale.)
And today while Tel Aviv is a
modern, thriving city, Jaffa is a
carefully preserved artists' colony
whose shoreline hasn't changed
much since the time of Jonah.
When you go to Jerusalem, you
can take a guided tour of the new
Knesset (Parliament) Building,
and if you're lucky see the Prime
Minister, herself; address Israel's
governing body.

Friday, December 12, 1969-11

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JERUSALEM

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And in the Old City expect to
shed a few tears:
You've heard stories, you've
seen pictures, but no one can de-
scribe the emotion charged min-
utes when you put a yarmulke on
your head and actually touch the
Wailing Wall.
Is nine days in Israel long
enough?
That's hard to say.
Especially since our history is
not only recorded in the Bible,
but in countless Roman, Cru-
sader, Moslem, and Byzantine
relics from small coins to entire
cities.
(For such a little country, the
guidebooks are awfully thick.)
So you may want to stay even
longer.
But regardless of which fare plan
you choose, you'll save a lot of
money from October 15th through
March 14th when our winter rates
are in effect.
So this year instead of settling
for a hotel room on Collins Avenue,
or a dice game in San Juan, come
home with us.

York to Td Am,
p.m.., ow. it 1..4 t, tor otoott too moo., do" rot, round loo from No.

The Airline of Israel

For more information contact your travel agent or EL AL Israel Airlines.

24100 Southfield Road, Southfield, Michigan, 352 5737

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