The Federation for the Prevention of the Desecration of
Graves demands that the hundreds of crates of bones
discovered in the basements of the Tel Aviv University be
transferred to the Religious Affairs Ministry for immediate
burial. This demand was made after it became clear that the
university has not honored the promise given two years ago
arrange for their burial.
Two years ago (in the issue of parshas Devorim 5759-
1999), Yated Ne'eman published documented reports
that hundreds of crates of ancient bones which were exhumed
in various archaeological digs throughout the country are
shamefully stored in degrading conditions in a guarded and
protected cellar in Tel Aviv University's Department for
Medical Studies on its campus in Ramat Aviv. It was also
learned that these bones are the objects of diverse and
strange scientific studies.
There are indications that the anthropologists of the
Antiquities Authority visit the cellar quite often. In
addition, it was learned that human bones are supplied to
various researchers for "examinations," and studies are
conducted on them in the Institute for Forensic Medicine in
Abu-Khabir. By the same token, it was discovered that human
bones are even shipped abroad to many countries in the world
for research purposes.
Many complaints were filed with the Attorney General Eliakim
Rubinstein over the past two years, but he never directed
the police to investigate, even though the University is
clearly in violation of the law. Moreover, many crates that
were documented subsequently disappeared from the
Antiquities Authority's cellars throughout the country and
were apparently transferred to secret hiding places.
Two years ago in the matter of the boxes in the cellar of
Tel Aviv University, there was a settlement involving the
Police and arbitrated by Rabbi Moshe Gafni and other
prominent activists, and also approved by the gedolei
Yisroel. According to the terms of this settlement, the
crates were supposed to be brought to burial, thus
precluding the need for a police investigation.
After the disclosure of the affair, the activists involved
in the prevention of the desecration of graves hired a
special investigative and detective team which followed the
archaeologists, photographed and documented the evidence,
and also spoke with students and university employees. Thus,
over a long period, much information validating all of the
grim facts was compiled. It also became clear that despite
its promises, the University still hasn't transferred
hundreds of crates of bones for burial.
Last week, in the wake of solid information about the
existence of hundreds of crates of human bones which have
not been brought to burial, and after repeated attempts to
get the University to keep its promises, a group of
prominent rabbonim and avreichim from Bnei Brak
arrived in the large cellar of the Tel Aviv University in
order to protest the storing of human bones in violation of
the law. At the initiative of Rabbi Moshe Gafni, the group
asked to meet with the custodians of the large warehouse.
Concomitantly, they asked to photograph and document the
activities in the cellar.
Tel Aviv University claims that it lacks sufficient manpower
to transfer the bones for burial. "The agreement signed with
the chareidim has been in effect during the past two years
to the satisfaction of all the sides participating in this
endeavor, whose main objective is the sorting and burying of
human bones," Professor Yisrael Hershkowitz, a professor of
anatomy in the Tel Aviv University, said.
Rabbi Gafni, who discussed the issue on the media this past
Sunday (22 Nisan), sharply attacked the heads of the
University for keeping tens of thousands of human bones in
their cellars in violation of the law and their promise --
bones which still haven't been brought to burial according
to the halocho. "The documentation and clear,
unequivocal data indicate that thousands of crates of bones
are located in those cellars, some of which have been there
for many years. All this is unthinkable from every possible
point of view. It is unthinkable from an educational aspect,
from a Jewish aspect, and surely from a legal one," Rabbi
Gafni asserted.
Rabbi Gafni added that the demonstration which took place
last week was called after it was learned that the head of
the department in the University wanted to send human bones
abroad for research purposes. "We asked him not to remove
them from the area, because according to the law, the bones
must be brought to burial. Sadly, the police are dawdling in
this matter, even though it is in total violation of the
law."
