Kollek Supports Archaeologists in the City of David Dig Controversy

The controversy over the archaeological excavation in the City of David in Jerusalem between the archaeologists and religious circles entered a new stage today as Mayor Teddy Kollek came out in clear support for the scientists. He offered his support two days before the two Chief Rabbis were scheduled to rule whether the dig site is actually an old Jewish cemetery.

In an interview on the Voice of Israel, Kollek declared that “a scientist will not dig in graves, just as an engineer will not construct a building which may collapse.” He emphasized, however, that the bottom line is that archaeologists must decide in the matter of excavations, not rabbis.

“Such things cannot be determined out of complete ignorance, whether this is the ignorance of a young yeshiva student or someone else at the top of the ladder,” Kollek said in a clear hint to the two Chief Rabbis. Both Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren and Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef have already said the dig was within an old Jewish cemetery.

Last Friday, the parties involved in the controversy reached an interim solution at a meeting attended by Religious Affairs Minister Yosef Burg, the two Chief Rabbis and Dr. Yigal Shilo, the archaeologist in charge of the excavation. It was decided that the two rabbis would revisit the site to see whether it was indeed an ancient cemetery. Following the visit the same parties would meet again to make a final decision in the dispute.

After the meeting Friday, Burg suggested that during their visit the two rabbis might consider limiting the area of the dig so that not all work will have to stop, or perhaps work out a system which would allow the continuation of the work without any possible damage to the old graves. But until the second meeting takes place this week, all work at the site will be suspended.