88 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, April 6, 1984 Ancient Gamla uncovered BY HAIM SHAPIRO Holyland Features THE JEWISH NEWS Golan Heights — It is the site of one of the great battles of ancient times, with less than 10,000 Jewish men, women and children holding out against 60,000 crack troops of the occupying Roman Legion in the First Century CE, but until just about a dozen years ago no one even knew where the battle had occurred. The place is Gamla, in Is- rael's north. Gamla in He- brew means camel, and the ruins are located on a ridge that resembles a camel's hump when seen from above. Nevertheless, few believed archeologist Shmarya Gutman when he first identified the site. But after he uncovered the ramp built by the Roman army, found a synagogue and ritual bath, and discovered hundreds of rounded catapult stones, the other scholars began to take the claim seriously. The excavations, which began in 1970, are continu- ing. The story of Gamla is told by Josephus Flavius, a Jewish general who was taken prisoner by the Ro- mans and later went over to the Roman side. In his well-known "history," Josephus describes Gamla as the last Jewish stron- ghold in the north to hold out against the Roman forces, which occupied the Holy Land from 63 B.C.E. to the Fourth Century C.E. 7 .;•.21. tc.n. d3r.r."7 7...4. 77 7 7 P tr. 71t1 C.3.•-s.7.1 177 :1" or.Y:,77C1 2C2 • • -.1. -;117 1.143. t.1171"t.: (2. 77 1 t. Tr6A If 1.11.“.1 . CJ1 produced by today's latest space age technology, yet still bargain priced! Like most of our other readers and advertisers, you prob- ably aren't fully aware of the fact that just about everything on our pages has been produced via the very latest elec- tronic, computerized word-processing equipment. We've invested to bring you a better, more accurate and easier- to-read product. This newspaper is a product of millions of dollars in research and technology, yet it remains one of today's best bargains. I To: The Jewish News I 17151 W. 9 Mile Rd., Suite 865 1 Southfield, Mich. 48075-4491 Please send a year's gift subscription to: I NAME I ADDRESS CITY a 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 STATE OCCASION . I FROM: I [1] $18 enclosed ZIP 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Gamla's story is remark- ably similar to that of Masada, on the Dead Sea, whose inhabitants' heroic struggle against the Ro- mans is far more famous. In fact, Gamla fell four years before Masada and while only 960 defenders took their own lives at Masada rather than surrender to the Romans, over 5,000 corn- mitted suicide at Gamla, with another 4,000 dying in the fighting there. One problem that is still bothering the archeologists is the complete absence of any human bones at Gamla. Perhaps other Jews came later to bury the heroes. Another difficulty was to figure out where all the people lived on the rela- tively small peak. Current excavations, however, have shown that the houses were terraced, with the roof of one forming the floor of an- other. A visit to Gamla involves. a long, rocky climb. Upon arrival, one can see the wall, with the first breach made by the Romans, at the town gate. One can also see why that attack was re- Shown are the ruins of Gamla in northern Israel. • These dolmens are located near the ruins of the ancient town and fortress of Gamla. pulsed. The break was a stones which the Romans small one and the attackers used to batter the town into must have been forced to submission. So far, over close ranks and enter al- 1,700 have been counted. Next to the synagogue is most in single file. The second breach in the the ritual bath. Another aspect of Gamla wall is larger and here the Romans must have poured which has nothing to do through in overwhelming with Jews or Romans are the dolmens, great slabs of numbers. Two cisterns for water rock, each balanced on two have been uncovered so far, other rocks and resembling and in times of peace the objects which were found in town also had water from England, Scandinavia and Nahal Daliot, the stream Brittany. The scholars believe that that ran through one of the ravines surrounding the they were erected in about 2,000 BCE as. tombs or peak. According to one view, most of the men in places for sacrifice, but Gamla must have earned more than that they cannot say, neither about the dol- their livelihoods by herding mens nor about those who sheep, which they would take out all week, returning erected them. Perhaps the deepest mystery of all is only for the Sabbath. how they managed to put Then, they would no doubt gather in the the huge stones in place. But even for those with no synagogue, a rectangular interest at all in history and structure of almost monu- pre-history, there is a lot to mental proportions, with find in the environs of tiers of black basalt stone Gamla. The nature reserve benches. It is the oldest that encompasses the site synagogue to have been dis- includes the highest year- covered so far in Roman round waterfall in the coun- Palestine, and it predates try. Bird-watchers spend the destruction of the Sec- hours on the nearby cliffside ond Temple in Jerusalem by observing the vultures and four years. This in itself is even an occasional eagle important because it indi- nesting there. And the pic- cates that there were nic site, located in some synagogues in Israel even nearby Byzantine ruins, is a before the Temple ritual nice spot to have lunch. had ended. Holyland Features The entrance, as in other, later synagogues in Galilee, Foreign students faces in the direction of Jerusalem (ZINS) — Jerusalem. In one corner is More than 800 Israeli Arabs a closet-like recess, possibly a storage place for the holy are currently enrolled at scrolls used in the worship various educational institu- service. All around the syn- tions in East Europe Com- agogue lie the catapult munist countries. "Serving the Jewish community with traditional dignity and understanding" 543-1622 HEBREW MEMORIAL CHAPEL 26640 GREENFIELD ROAD OAK PARK, MICHIGAN 48237 SERVING ALL CEMETERIES Alan H. Dorfman Funeral Director & Mgr.