2,000 year-old mikvah discovered during excavation in Israel
The directors of the dig say the discovery changes what was previously known about Jewish life in Roman-ruled Palestine in the Second Temple period.
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
An extraordinary salvage operation has taken place in Israel’s Lower Galilee with the removal of a 2,000 year-old mikvah, or ritual bath, from the site so that it can go on display to the public.
The finding of the mikvah and its subsequent removal took place under the auspices of the Israel Antiquities Authority, which was carrying out a last dig before the construction of a major road interchange.
The excavation was carried out by workers from the village of Kfar Manda, students on pre-army programmes, and local volunteers, including people from Kibbutz Hannaton.
The directors of the dig, Abd Elghani Ibrahim and Dr Walid Atrash, say the discovery of the mikvah changes what was previously known about Jewish life in Roman-ruled Palestine in the Second Temple period.
The Jews who used the mikvah lived and worked on farmsteads in the Galilee, previously undiscovered. Archaeologists believe that a huge earthquake about 1700 years ago wiped out the farmstead, and that 1400 years ago the site was finally abandoned.
It became apparent during the excavations that it was not possible to leave the mikvah in place because of the impending road construction. Instead, the Israel Antiquities Authority, and the kibbutz, co-operated on a crowd-funding campaign to move the mikvah so that it could go on display next to Kibbutz Hannaton’s own, functioning mikvah.
The ancient mikvah is said to weigh 57 tons. It was carefully cut from the bedrock and placed in a steel cage in order to move it to the kibbutz — an operation which was carried out to the cheers of local residents.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
