Work resumed this morning at Area G, an archaeological site at the City of David, just outside the Old City’s southern wall.
The renewed digging was authorized by an agreement reached between the Ministry of Education and an archaeological team headed by Hebrew University Prof. Yital Shilo, despite vehement protests by ultra-Orthodox circles. The Ministry is permitting excavations in the entire area except for a small marginal section.
The permit triggered angry reactions in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. Posters appeared in the Mea Shearim quarter last night calling the dig “a desecration of Jewish graves” and urging local residents to fight against it. The police warned they would act vigorously against any attempts to disrupt the archaeological work.
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.