I DETROIT

I

Site of the decomanos in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem Expert Mixes
Archeology And Tourism

ALAN HITSKY

Associate Editor

itzhak Yaacobi does
not expect a flood of
tourists in Jerusalem
as a result of his trip to the
United States. But
Jerusalem's preeminent
historian, in Detroit this
week for a series of meetings
with Jewish and Christian
groups, travel agents and
the media, believes his visit
will help Israeli tourism in
the long term.
Mr. Yaacobi is spending 17
days in Detroit, Chicago, Los
Angeles and New York in an
Israeli Government Tourist
Office effort to turn around
the recent drop in U.S.
tourism to Israel. While he
would rather be talking
about his latest discovery —
an ancient Roman cross
street in the Old City of
Jerusalem — Mr. Yaacobi is
quick to defend his city's
safety.
"My daughter is pregnant
and we walk through the
Old City all the time. I
wouldn't do that if it wasn't
safe," he says.
He asks how many
Detroiters would walk
downtown at night and says
50 persons were murdered
last weekend in Los Angeles
while he was there. "This is
unheard of in Israel," he
says.
The newest archeological
discovery in the Old City,
made just two weeks ago, is
the long sought major cross
street built by the Romans
after Hadrian destroyed
Jerusalem. All Roman cities
had a cardo and a perpen-
dicular decomanos as the
two main thoroughfares.
Jerusalem's cardo has been
excavated, but the location
of the decomanos was
unknown.

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The beginning of the
decomanos near the Old
City's Chain Gate, in the
Moslem Quarter, was
discovered by workers. Be-
cause of the narrow streets,
Mr. Yaacobi said, the area
will not be excavated, but
uncovering the
1,800-2,000-year-old location
10-15 feet below the present
ground level is important to
historians.
Mr. Yaacobi has been di-
rector of the East Jerusalem
Development Corporation
since the early 1960s and is
responsible for the restora-
tion and maintenance of
historical, religious and
architectural sites in
Jerusalem.
During his visit to the
United States he has found
that potential visitors to
Israel are not afraid nor
listening to the advice of the
media.
Amnon Linn of the Israel
Government Tourist Office
and David Tavor, El Al
Israel Air Lines regional
manager, estimate that Jew-
ish tourism to Israel from
the United States has
dropped 40-50 percent since
Aug. 1, when Iraq invaded
Kuwait. Mr. Linn says the
Oct. 8 riot at the Western
Wall did not help, "but now
we are beginning to see a
revival of the consciousness
of the Jewish people" in re-
lation to travel to Israel.
Mr. Tavor says that many
Jewish groups postponed
their trips after the State
Department issued a Middle
East travel advisory. In-
dividuals, he says, are more
likely to cancel.
Lynn Koppinger, El Al's
Michigan sales represent-
ative, says, "Once people get
used to the Kuwait situation
and realize nothing has
changed in Israel, they will
begin traveling again." 0