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

