*Travel

Jewish Family Service

New Year's Eve
In The Desert

• JANET K. RODGERS

Special to The Jewish News

T
•

his New Year's Eve, instead
of merely drinking another
champagne and shedding
another tear for "Auld Lang
Syne", consider joining a real archaeo-
logical dig in the desert oasis of Ein
Gedi.
Magnificently located on the shore
of the Dead Sea in Israel, the third
phase of this excavation will take place
from Dec. 28, 1997, to Jan. 30, 1998,
under the leadership of Dr. Yizhar
Hirschfeld and jointly sponsored by
the Hebrew University and University
of Hartford.
Ein Gedi is
located about
50 miles
southeast of
Jerusalem and
12 miles north
of Masada.
One of the
most fascinat-
ing places on
4 earth, it is a
lush and
intriguing
oasis in the
Negev desert
with high,
The mosiac floor of the
rocky cliffs, a
pounding
waterfall, tropical flora in and around
the nature preserve and a kibbutz-like
garden village.
Visitors often spot exotic ibex (wild
goats) in the area that is threaded with
excellent hiking trails. It was in this
very place that young David hid from
the wrath of King Saul some 3,000
years ago.
Excavations at Ein Gedi began
about 25 years ago when a series of
sixth century synagogues was uncov-
a ered, exposing one splendid mosaic
floor. Last year, enthusiastic volunteers
from all over the world uncovered an
entire section of this isolated ancient
community — a street, the entrance
to the village, multi-storied homes,
shops, a ritual bath and many small •
treasures such as coins, pottery lamps,
cloth, jewelry and glass.
Roman-Byzantine Ein Gedi was
described in the fourth century as a
large village of Essenes (a second-cen-
tury sect of Jewish mystics and
ascetics) that subsisted primarily on
the production of an expensive aro-
matic oil called "balsam." The aim of
this third season of excavations is to
uncover the residential area of this vil-

•

•

•

•

and

Plante & Moran

lage, its houses, alleys and shops, and
to try to unravel the secret of the pro-
duction of this valuable oil.
What is the dig like? Well, plan to
work. An archaeological dig is the
most fun hard work that can be done
— digging, picking, sifting, washing
and sorting from early morning to
afternoon. It is often exciting and
sometimes truly thrilling. Weekends
are free to travel and relax. Breakfast
and lunch are served on site under a
canopy amid the date palm trees.
There will be lectures about the
site, about the excavation; and field
trips will be offered in and around the
surrounding desert area. And an
important dig like this is also a great
way to meet
people of all
ages and
backgrounds
from all over
the world.
No prior
knowledge or
background is
required but
every volun-
teer must be
in good phys-
ical health
and of good
cheer.
Ein Gedi
Ein Gedi synagogue.
is located on
the Dead Sea at the lowest point on
earth. This means that the sun is
always shining and it's warm year
round. In the winter, the desert
weather is the best but quite
extreme: The mercury can climb to
90 degrees during the day and then
plunge to 40 degrees at night. The
black mud from the Dead Sea has a
healing effect and people come from
all over the world all year long to
benefit from these famous mud
baths.
To participate in this expedition
and stay at the Ein Gedi campsite,
the cost is from $225-$450 per per-
son per five-day week. The caravan
rooms are triples, doubles and singles
and all are equipped with linens,
kitchenette and a bathroom.
To register, mail a non-refundable
$30 check payable to Israel
Exploration Society Ein Gedi by Nov.
30 directly to Dr. Y. Hirschfeld,
Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew
University, Mt. Scopus, 91905
Jerusalem, Israel.
To ask questions, fax from the
U.S.: 011-972-2-582-5584; or e-
mail: hani@actcom.co.il.

are excited to present

Dennis Prager is an internationally
renowned theologian, philosopher,
author, radio talk show host, and
periodic symphony orchestra
conductor.

Mr. Prager is coauthor of The Nine
Questions People Ask About Judaism,
the most widely used introduction
to Judaism in the world, and Why
the Jews? The Reason for
Antisemitism.

Brilliant, compelling, humorous,
and a charismatic moralist who
presents completely original
thoughts regarding current events
and issues that threaten the very
soul of our nation.

Don't miss this unique opportunity
to hear Mr. Prager speak about
his most recent book,

Happiness is a Serious Problem

The ticket cost for this program is
$7.00 per person.

For more information, contact
Betty Barach at (248) 559-1500.

AIR -MASTER

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING CO.

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
SERVICE * SALES * INSTALLATIONS
YOU'LL G Vii,g THE COMPANY WE KEEP

. .... Vio::... .,

v ..

.

•••••

•

...,

,..

••••::•••••••:.

It Hard lb Stop A acne:

❑

QUALITY WORK * EVERY TIME * NO EXCUSES!

BERKLEY W. BLOOMFIELD GROSSE PTE. N: OAKLAND

399-1800

788-9073

882-4870

HTTP:/WWW.GLOLINK.COM/AIRMASTER

682-9090