The National Antiquities Authority last week secretly
desecrated an ancient burial cave in the Mount of Olives
Cemetery in East Jerusalem. The cave, dating back to the
Second Temple era, had been discovered during government-
sponsored tractor work to build an observation point for
tourists and sightseers who come from all corners of the
world to visit the famous cemetery.
The archaeologists removed almost all the bones from the
cave, and also took away the ancient stone coffins that were
found there, probably intending to display them in a museum
somewhere. The Authority also had tractors cover over the
entire area with dirt, to conceal that the looted cave ever
existed.
The Authority's move was yet another blatant violation of its
agreement with the Ministry of Religions to stop desecrating
Jewish graves. Approximately half a year ago, the Authority's
director, Amir Drori, promised to not conduct any
archaeological digs where any human graves are found, or even
where their presence is merely suspected. Drori also
committed the Authority to notify the Ministry of Religions
whenever archaeological digs unexpectedly even come close to
grave sites.
Last week's sneak desecration in the famous Mount of Olives
cemetery, and the Authority's attempt to conceal its deed,
again showed that Drori's word cannot be trusted. In fact,
activists claimed that the incident indicates that Drori
never really had any intent to stop desecrating ancient
graves, so that the agreement that he signed is virtually
meaningless.
In this instance, Drori attacked a site that is close to the
hearts of hundreds of thousands of observant Jews around the
world, for according to Prophecy, the resurrection of the
dead will actually begin on the Mount of Olives. This is why
Jews throughout the ages have sought to be buried there, and
it also is partly why the cemetery is a popular tourist
attraction.
It should be noted that regarding the Mount of Olives area,
in several instances in the past when construction uncovered
similar ancient caves that contained stone coffins, activists
succeeded in having the caves securely reinforced with thick
concrete walls. The caves were tightly sealed, so that the
remains that were buried there could continue to rest in
peace, until the dead will be resurrected. These measures
could have been taken regarding the cave that was desecrated
last week too, but Drori and the Authority had other
ideas.
At the Organization for the Prevention of Grave Desecrations,
whose members discovered the pillage, concern was expressed
over the safety of other burial caves in the Mount of Olives
cemetery. The group has contacted several members of
Jerusalem's city council to persuade the council members to
exert pressure on the city government to prevent similar
sneak encroachments on the Mount of Olives. The tractor work
for the observation point was being done by the East
Jerusalem Development Company, which is jointly operated by
the City of Jerusalem and the Ministry of Tourism.
Impassioned appeals were made to Yoel Marinov, the firm's
director, to not allow the Authority such a high hand in the
future. Marinov admitted that the Authority had made off with
the stone coffins that had been in the cave, and he added
that the Authority had assured him that all the bones that
were found were handed over to the Ministry of Religions,
which according to the activists is blatantly not true.
At the Organization for the Prevention of Grave Desecrations,
it was claimed that the archaeologists handed over to the
Ministry only a few bones from the cave, and they found many
fragments strewn around outside on the ground, exposed to the
elements, when they first arrived after desecration was
over.
Marinov denied complicity in the Authority's sneak operation,
and explained that one of his firm's tractors "came across
the cave by accident."
He commented that members of the Antiquities Authority were
at the site in the first place "pretending simply to be
supervising the construction," for the Authority has special
jurisdiction over the entire area. That is, the Mount of
Olives is one of the tens of thousands of "archaeological"
districts throughout Israel -- areas that are "classified" as
likely to contain archaeological artifacts.
According to Israeli law, all builders, public and private,
who seek to dig in such "classified" areas first need a
permit from the Authority, and the charges for these permits
have helped to make the Antiquities Authority one of the
Israeli government's wealthiest agencies. The Authority
grants construction permits in such areas only if the
Authority determines that no artifacts are endangered.
However, a government report documents that many times,
before the permits are issued, the Authority charges the
firms exorbitant fees to conduct digs to save artifacts which
often turn out not be there.
In this instance, as well, Marinov said, the Authority was
watching the digging for the observation point, ostensibly to
protect "archaeological interests." In the end, however,
their real purpose was another illegal attack on Jewish
graves, for bones are not considered archaeological artifacts
and neither are coffins.
It also came to light last week that the Authority had
desecrated several burial caves in the Barakee Junction area,
along the road that leads to the city of Charish. The road is
being widened, and when the digging uncovered burial caves
the Authority was notified, and not the Ministry of Religions
or any activists who work to prevent desecrations. As a
result, the archaeologists were able to completely empty all
of the caves of their bones.
As has happened repeatedly in the past, when activists and
officials from the Ministry of Religions arrived at the scene
they were physically prevented from approaching the digging
that was underway. After hours had passed and darkness had
fallen, some of the activists, in fact, did make their way
in, not following any path, but they found that the dig was
over and that all of the caves had already been thoroughly
looted.
Complaints are being sounded by The Organization of the
Prevention of Grave Desecrations, in the hope that the powers
that be can put a stop to Drori and the Authority. "How can
it continue to be tolerated, that a government agency time
and again directly and wantonly strikes at the beliefs and
sentiments of hundreds of thousands of Jews who hold that it
is a basic tenet of our faith, that the soul remains after
death? How can it be that in a Jewish state, there can be
such a shocking disrespect for Jewish graves and the remains
of our ancestors?"
The spokesman added, "All over the world, Jewish
organizations have succeeded in impressing on the different
governing authorities that the sanctity of Jewish grave sites
must be protected. Why just here, in the Holy Land, the
Jewish state, are our ancestors treated as nothing more than
rocks and stones, to be crushed and thrown around without a
second thought?
"It is time to act decisively against Amir Drori and the
Antiquities Authority. Drori continues to flagrantly flout
the law. In the process, he is trampling not only upon the
ancient graves, but also upon the beliefs and sensibilities
of hundreds of thousands of Jewish people, in Israel and
around the world."
