Right after Succos, on Tuesday, 25 Tishrei, Antiquities
Authority archaeologists conducted a "savage, swift pillage"
of an ancient Jewish burial cave from the Second Temple
period. The grave was discovered while an area in the city of
Shoham, near Lod, was being prepared for construction.
The archaeologists, reaching the site as soon as the cave was
discovered, were summoned by personnel of the Israel Lands
Administration, initiators of the building project. They
began to unearth the pits in a speedy, vulgar manner. Quite
unprofessionally, they used rakes and pickaxes, without
stopping to sort or sift the matter they dug up and without
making the slightest attempt to keep the bones intact. As
they worked, they flung the broken and smashed bones aside
like trash. Many bones landed quite a distance from the
caves.
At a certain point, an ancient clay vase was found. At that
point, the archaeologists began to work carefully, gently, and
with delicate tools in order not to break the vase. It was a
striking contrast to their treatment of the bones of the
ancients, which were broken and smashed in a horrifying
manner.
Activists of the Association for the Prevention of the
Desecration of Graves came to the site as soon as they were
informed of the terrible desecration. They succeeded in
halting the archaeologists, who had, unfortunately, already
managed to desecrate many of the burial pits in the cave.
Activists remained on the site in order to guard the area,
since findings indicate that there is yet another burial room
inside the cave, which the archaeologists are also anxious to
unearth.
Tuesday night, UTJ's representatives along with other public
figures, made extensive efforts to try to save those graves
that are still intact and to bring about a total cessation of
all work on graves at that site. Efforts were also made to
return the scattered bones and bone fragments to their
graves.
