An ancient synagogue collection box containing some 500 coins, half of them gold and the rest bronze hidden for well over 1,000 years has been uncovered during an archaeological dig of the ancient settlement of Merot in eastern Galilee.
Archaeologists, who have kept the find secret for many months until completion of the current dig and removal of the coins for exhibition in a museum, declined to put a value on the unique find. The gold hoard was found in a collection box carved in the floor of a storeroom attached to the side of the synagogue. The hole was plugged by a close-fitting stone which apparently saved the collection from being plundered throuhout the ages.
The synagogue had apparently been damaged several times by earthquakes, which presumably led to abandonment of the town and its place of worship. The archaeologists believe that the treasury had been used to pay for reconstruction work, as building materials brought to the site but not yet used were found nearby.
The synagogue site is well protected now. It is in an IDF artillery firing range, and special permission is required to visit it.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
