Premier David Ben Gurion, who celebrated his 63rd birthday today, told the opening session of the Congress of Israel Excavations and Antiquities yesterday that the Jewish state’s "sovereignty and last year’s conquests opened a new vista for excavations in Israel." The chief duty of archaeologists should now be, he added, to revive "historical events–otherwise the nation’s birth will remain buried forever."
The Israel Premier went on to say that "archaeological science will fulfill its mission for the benefit of the majority by disclosing Israel’s rich and precious heritage. Our independence demands that we rebuild on the debris and repopulate the land," he added.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
