FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 37
H
ave you ever heard of a mik-
vah rescue team? Well, one was
formed in Israel this past summer
to rescue a 2,000-year-old ritual bath
from being covered by a new intersection
on a major highway in the Galilee.
In Israel, it’s often said that archaeology
is the enemy of the building contractor.
When construction teams begin clearing
and drilling a site, it is not unusual that
they come across ancient artifacts or sites.
In Jerusalem, we have been fortunate to
witness examples of harmony between the
modern city and the archaeological finds;
ancient structures are accessible to visitors
while being protected by modern buildings
and roads. But Jerusalem is unique; most
sites in the country are partially excavated
and documented by the Israel Department
of Antiquities, and whatever is able to be
saved (pottery, coins, etc.) is removed and
then construction begins.
In July 2021, two unemployed tour
guides, Anat Harrel and Steve Gray, both
from Kibbutz Hannaton, a pluralistic,
egalitarian kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley
(which is part of the Michigan-Central
Galilee Partnership Region), joined an
archaeological dig minutes from their
home. Most tour guides would love the
opportunity to spend a few weeks playing
in the dirt and uncovering history, and
COVID gave them this opportunity.
Working with the regional archaeolo-
gist and several volunteers, they discov-
ered a massive Second Temple Period
ritual bath. They knew the fate of this
incredible find and were devastated at
the thought that, in a matter of weeks, it
would be covered by a highway intersec-
tion and would disappear forever.
Anat and Steve decided to create a cam-
paign to rescue the mikvah. They only had
a few weeks to raise $75,000, which would
cover the cost of the massive machinery
and manpower that it would require to
unearth and transport the ancient bath to
its new home, right next to the modern
mikvah at Kibbutz Hannaton.
Unfortunately, their crowdsourcing cam-
paign only raised a small portion of the
funds needed. Ultimately, after knocking
on doors of various government minis-
tries and even reaching the office of the
prime minister, they were able to secure
the funds. Days before the intersection was
to be paved, the mighty Herod (yes, that’s
really the name!) Crane Company trans-
ported the structure to its new home.
As Anat Harrel said to the Jerusalem
Post after the mikvah victory, “We are
elated. It’s just 20 meters from our current
mikvah. Our motto is, ‘Renewing the old
and sanctifying the new.’ We feel we’ve
really done it. We’ve taken something
very old and are renewing it … We plan
to refurbish it and make it usable.”
Naomi Miller is director of Israel Partnerships at
the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator and
Israel Representative and Missions director for the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. This
story first appeared on myjewishdetroit.org. For
more information on the mikvah discovery, enjoy
this podcast: www.israelstory.org/episode/lost-and-
found-part-i.
Local tour guides help rescue Roman-era mikvah from being paved over.
Rescuing the Past in Israel
NAOMI MILLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
ERETZ
LEFT: Team members who saved the Second Temple Period mikvah. RIGHT: Haviva Ner-David, rabbi, writer and mikvah coordinator at Kibbutz
Hannaton, at the archaeological site where a Roman-era ritual bath was found in July 2021.
COURTESY OF JESSICA STEINBERG