Quarter drew to an end, some
of the sites were opened to
visitors. The "Burnt House"
is drawing crowds daily, as is
the audio-visual presentation
of its history, which includes
shots of the building as it was
found.
Thwards the end of 1987,
another section, west of the
"Burnt House" and east of
the Hurva Square, was open-
ed to the public. Its most in-
teresting feature is the
"House of Noble Dimensions"
in Hebrew Beit Hamidot —
so called because of its split-
' level, 5,400 square feet of
elegant luxury. The first floor
apartments are set around a
square stone court with stairs
leading to the basement; they
include a spectacular hall
that may have been used for
public functions.
Remains of frescoes and
paintings on the walls as well
as of mosaics on the floors
hint at great wealth. The
basement boasts several
cisterns, which held rain-
water — a must at the time,
because Jerusalem had
limited water resources. Of
greater interest is the
number of bathing chambers
found, mute testimony to the
fact that here lived a devout
family bent on observing
ritual purification. This is
hardly surprising, since from
fragments of inscriptions and
other clues found at the site,
scholars believe that Beit
Hamidot was the home of a
priestly family whose head of-
ficiated at the Thmple. Even
in the bathing chambers,
were found remains of
frescoes, paintings on the
walls, mosaics on the floor„
marble tables, benches for the
convenience of the bathers,
and a profusion of small ob-
jects — ivory combs, glass bot-
tles that held forgotten
fragrances and jars still re-
taining traces of dried up
ointments.
This small, happy world of
gracious living ended
tragically in just one day. As
Roman soldiers poured into
the Herodian Quarter, they
set fire to hundreds of homes.
Many inhabitants died in the
fire; some were put to death
by the Romans as they tried
to escape from their burning
homes. Others were found
suffocated in underground
passages where they had
taken refuge in an attempt to
escape the wrath of the in-
vaders. As to those who were
"fortunate" enough to emerge
unscathed, they were sold in-
to slavery or exiled into the
furthest corners of the Roman
Empire. Thus began the long
exile of the Jewish people.
—
World Zionist Press Service
May the coming year be
filled with health and
happiness for all our
family, friends
and customers.
SUPERIOR BUICK•FUGO
and
NATIONWIDE AUTO BROKERS
WALTER, ALLEGRA & SARI SCHWARTZ
BRIAN & AARON
To All Our
Relatives
and Friends,
Our wish for a
year filled with
happiness,
health and prosperity.
SIMCHA
A SUPPORTIVE ORGANIZATION FOR
JEWISH LESBIANS AND GAYS
Wishing All Our
Friends and Customers
A NEW YEAR
Filled With Peace,
Health and Happiness
Donna and Elaine
IT'S THE GIFTS
May the coming year be
one filled with health,
happiness and
prosperity for all our
friends and family.
FARMINGTON PHYSICAL
THERAPY, RC.
1
May the New Year Bring
To All Our Friends
and Family — Health,
Joy, Prosperity
and Everything
Good in Life.
k
ROBIN & BRADLEY FINE & THE
STAFF OF FOOTLOOSE SHOE STORE
Best Wishes For
A
Happy and Healthy
NEW YEAR
To All Our
Customers & Friends
nznzri
n3C5
SAM and HELEN
BRAVERMAN
Wish Their Relatives & Friends
A most healthful and
JOYOUS NEW YEAR
ON THE BOARDWALK
Orchard Lake Road, S. of Maple • 855-5529
We Will Be Closed
For The Holidays
Sat. — Rosh Hashanah
Mon. — Yom Kippur
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
159