Chief Rabbi Nissim has complained to Prime Minister Eshkol about archaeological work going on in the vicinity of the West Wall in Old Jerusalem, In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Chief Rabbi protested what he called the “invasion” by archaeological groups of a building that is partially used by the Beth Din, the supreme rabbinical court. He said that the court, which now uses less than half the rooms, will soon need the whole building. The building is owned by the Jerusalem municipality. Mayor Kollek rejected an earlier protest by the rabbi.
Meanwhile archaeologists headed by Professor Mazur of the Hebrew University have begun digging near the south wall of the Temple area on a license issued by the Ministry of Education. The Chief Rabbinate had protested that work as well.
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.
