At least five ancient graves were heinously desecrated last
week by Haifa University archaeologists carrying out work in
the new city of Elad-Mazor.
The archaeologists were summoned to the site by the Ministry
of Housing in order to authorize the release of an additional
area for construction in the new city. Ancient graves were
encountered in the course of their work. Consequently, for no
reason, and in a most reprehensible, brutal manner, they
unearthed and totally emptied all of the burial caves.
Unfortunately, activists of the Federation for the Prevention
of the Desecration of Graves arrived on the site only after
this criminal desecration had taken place. There was nothing
they could do since the archaeologists had finished their
clandestine work quite rapidly. However, the piles of bones
which remained scattered testified to the horror which had
been perpetrated on the site. The activists plan to collect
all of the desecrated bones and to return them to the burial
site.
This is not the first time that graves of ancients have been
exhumed and desecrated in the Elad-Mazor region. Scores of
graves and ancient burial caves located within the city
limits have been unearthed in the past few years. Two months
ago, Antiquities Authority workers emptied an ancient
Hasmonean burial cave within the city.
Activists of the Federation for the Prevention of the
Desecration of Graves consulted with the gedolei
haTorah on this issue last week. The activists expressed
their great fear that grave desecration would gain impetus in
the near future with the new government, and discussed the
measures which must be taken in order to abolish this evil
decree.
Last week, Rabbi Zelig Braverman, head of the Burial
Department in the Religious Affairs Ministry, sent strongly-
worded letters to the chief archaeologists and heads of the
Housing Ministry, protesting his shock over the criminal, and
superfluous, desecration of the graves of our ancients.
