The Temple Mount Sifting Project

Being assigned to an army base in the Negev, I thought it would be fun to “experience” the south. I tried so very hard to put together a weekend of adventure south of Beer Sheva; unfortunately, without a car, it seemed a bit short of activities to keep us going for the first weekend away from the base. The thought of being stranded in the desert with nothing to do on Shabbat was not appealing. Jerusalem called – and we answered.















Our Friday activity was a sifting project at the Tzurim Valley National Park. The story behind this project is poignant and sad. But first, a little history.

Herod build the Temple Mount about 2000 years ago on Mount Moriah; it is best described as a platform around the temple. Visualize a hill that was covered by a shoebox. The southern side had 88 arches and columns to support the platform. There were many cisterns and passageways that were last used by the Crusaders/Christian Knights for stables. These were known as the Solomon’s Stables. This was classic Herodian architecture.

For centuries after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans, either foreign rulers or the Islamic Wakf have forbidden any work on the mount itself. In addition they have never allowed access to the site or to anything underground.



The first problems began about 13 years ago when the stables became a mosque. In the building, windows were opened in the southeast walls. There was no architectural oversight during this construction and many “old things” were destroyed. Three years later, in the construction of an emergency exit (which would have been underground at the time), more than 10,000 tons of dirt were excavated and unceremoniously dumped just outside of the city in the Kidron Valley. This was NOT an excavation in the archeological sense, but rather tractors and backhoes clearing an area with wanton disregard. There had never been any archeological study conducted on the Temple Mount.

The Islamic Wakf, the Moslem trust, conducted this illegal construction project. In 1999, archeologists believed that it was the goal of the Wakf to turn every vacant point on the Mount into a mosque, and secondly by doing this without sanctioned oversight, to prevent any archaeological research on the mount that might reveal elements of its Jewish past. The soil is literally bursting with archeological wealth relevant to Christian and Moslem, as well as Jewish history.

The soil was believed to be rich in information, as the human history of the Temple Mount was undocumented. Even though the examination of soil and artifacts were no longer in their original contexts; it remained an important task to undertake. The first task of the project was to move the soil to the Tzurim Valley National Park, where the current project is located. Initially mechanical portable screeners were used; and then replaced with hand sifting and a process of washing the material and scrutinizing it to identify all the archaeological artifacts.

Funded with private donations in 2005, the project has sifted through 15 percent of the rubble to date. The staff and volunteers (50,000 and counting) have uncovered history-rich artifacts, from the First Temple Period until today amidst the rubble, including a large amount of pottery dating from the Bronze Ages through modern times, a large segment of a marble pillar's shaft, and over 100 ancient coins, among them several from the Hasmonean dynasty. Primarily volunteers who heard of the project by word of mouth and through Jerusalem-based email lists have conducted the work at the site.



And this is where we enter the current project. Aron gave us an overview of the project and off to the sifting tables we went. We chose a bucket with material soaked in water, spill it onto a screen, and spread the mud out evenly. The material on each screen is thoroughly washed;



it is picked over for any man-made items. Generally, there are six common types of finds:



* Pottery
* Glass shards
* Bones
* Metals
* Mosaic stones
* Rarer finds such as coins, seals or jewelry may also turn up.



And did I have a lucky day! I was quite proud of myself when I identified a knuckle of some biblical animal. That went into the “Bones” bucket.












The other items that I wasn’t sure of were the winners:








a piece of a speckled glass ring that was dated to the Byzantine era, and a triangle piece of Opus Sectile (floor tiles).










These artifacts were put into little plastic bags and labeled with identifying info that included my name and email address.




My friend Doris found a coin.(This apparently is the official pose for anyone finding a coin!)













Frankie stressed that the finds are unique because they are part of the first archaeological project that has ever examined artifacts from the Temple Mount. Frankie has been studying the glass and was very excited to add another piece to her the collection.



Every one is very important and exceptional. Even the smallest piece of pottery that is found can be dated to a certain period of history which, when processed statistically, will help to understand the amount and types of activities that took place on the Temple Mount throughout history. The project’s deeper meaning is a spiritual connection to a wonderful and holy place.

Replaying this memory has certainly increased the depth of this experience. It started out as part of a continuing adventure and concluded as one of the most meaningful events in my life… making history.

Controversy has always been associated the Temple Mount and, unfortunately, will continue to be a dividing line in the sand of religious beliefs. For more information regarding the project, go to http://templemount.wordpress.com

This is a text associated with the Project:
Thou wilt arise, and have compassion upon Zion; for it is time to be gracious unto her, for the appointed time is come: For Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and love her dust (Psalms 102: 14-15).

And the adventure continues…

The Election

One of our evening activities could have been called Israel’s National Election – A Primer. It appears to be a convoluted process. It also appears that it hasn't been working well, as no party has been able to remain in office for a full term of 4 years.


I had seen the billboards in Tel Aviv, and they called to me and my camera. The candidates were larger than life! The reality was that I had no idea what voting in Israel entailed.



This will be a very short posting, as I have no expertise in Israeli politics. The voting process, however, is noteworthy in an arcane way. All of the soldiers were able to vote on the base. The "local" voting sites take care of a large number of voters who would otherwise be required to submit absentee ballots. Our “club house” was turned into the polling site (and therefore off limits to us).



The soldiers came to vote in "waves", but the wait was never long.



There were about 32 parties in the running with platforms that range from “marijuana” to the “ultra-orthodox” and most everything in between.


Each party has a colored slip of paper (a small slip of paper) that is placed into an envelope with identifying information, and then put inside a second envelope, with more identifying information.



Talk about hanging chads!

News in general gets to us slowly, and news of the election results was no different. Days have turned into weeks as the candidates attempt to form a coalition. No winner as yet. Ultimately the Prime Minister makes the decision – stay tuned, and appreciate American style democracy!

Sar – El Revisited. Part 2

A correction: The operation in Gaza was called Solid Lead (not iron) because it started during Chanukah and dreidels are made of lead (didn’t know that). I think I read in an American publication that it was Cast Iron, which may have been a loose translation.

Our workweek started with a Tu’bishvat celebration. We were joined at flag raising by some “important people” and a group of hearing impaired children.


Watching them sign the words of Hatikva brought tears to my eyes –literally. The base rabbi said two prayers: one for rain and one for the safe return of Giliad Shalitt’s (the soldier captured in Gaza) Tree planting was next. A fellow volunteer, Doris shared the activity with a new fb.



With the trees in the ground and a bag of nuts and dried fruits in our hands, we went off to meet our manager, Shuki and begin to work in earnest.Shuki himself is a volunteer. A retired sergeant with 28 years in the military, he returned to oversee the warehouse. We would be sorting and repacking the duffel bags for the infantry troops. Before this could be done, the uniforms needed to be sorted for wear and tear and by size.



In just 2 days, the girls, 6 of us, sorted a palette’s worth of uniforms and sent 420 pairs of pants, 390 shirts, and 235 jackets to the warehouse in Beer Sheva for repair or replacement. Please don’t think that I personally counted them. We bundled them in 10’s and they were counted as we loaded them onto the truck.

While we sorted clothing outside the warehouse, the boys were doing “man’s work” inside!




Not bad for a bunch of mid-aged men! We decided this would be the centerfold for the next Sar-El newsletter.

We had a few “welcome” meetings. The Chief Operations Officer, a major explained the workings of the base. Sde Treiman is a static logistic center whose main function is to resupply the troops in the south. The Territorial Logistic Brigade provides a wide range of recovery efforts. There is no ammunition stored on the base due to its proximity to Gaza.

I met the Brigade Commander outside the dining room and was invited to have lunch with him (with Doris and Patsy, too).


He was the most gracious, hospitable man, who was interested in who we were and most appreciative of our volunteer service. Lunch with the officers was a treat; aside from being served, there were napkins! The Commander spent last year in Washington DC at an officer training college. That is important information in as much we were able to converse in English!

We did have the regularly scheduled "receiving our wings"/epaulettes ceremony:



And the next day, the rabbi’s prayer was answered…in a very BIG way. Windstorms, starting at noon translated into major thunderstorms by late afternoon. Torrential rains, huge lightening strikes and very loud thunder boomers resulted in a 15-hour power outage! No hot water and limited facilities in the kitchen. Almost like being back in Girl Scout Camp! Evening activities were cancelled; too bad!

Stay tuned for the National Elections –
And, of course, the adventure continues…

Sar- El Revisited – Part 1

When I first thought about the second half of my sabbatical, Israel was still on my short list of travel destinations. I knew it would afford me an opportunity to give a little bit more to the “motherland”. My previous tour of duty was so much fun, I wanted to enlist again!

When I signed up with Sar-El for this volunteer program, the country was relatively quiet. The missiles continued to hit some of the smaller communities near Gaza on a regular basis, but it was a one-sided assault. Soon after purchasing my tickets, Operation Cast Iron, as the “event” in Gaza was called, was in full swing. (It has never been called a war.) I never thought twice about changing my plans. I knew that the army bases would welcome volunteers with open arms, as the need was more critical. I convinced my friend Patsy, whom I met at Matzrap last year, to sign up with me.

Volunteers-for-Israel (the American organization supporting Sar-El) sent out an urgent email in search of volunteers. And volunteers they got! During the winter months of January and February, Sar-El usually has 4-5 bases where volunteers are working; currently the 12 bases where volunteers are assigned.

We were to meet at the Arrivals Hall at Tel Aviv Airport for our assignments. The meeting times were staggered depending on the base to which you were assigned. After checking in and getting a little tag identifying the assigned base, we waited for the bus. We would be heading south to the Negev – to Sde Teiman, a base that is just outside of Beer Sheva.



The bus ride was delayed, but uneventful. I’m not sure that I was prepared for what I saw! I had been told that Matzrap, the medical supply base where I was last year, was considered the Hilton of army bases. I now know that it was really the Four Seasons. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite meet all the standards of a Motel 6.



It did have a view, looking southeast to Beer Sheva. However, the facilities are a work in progress!



The barracks across from ours remind me of an entire block of row houses in utter disrepair; if you focus of the view to Beer Sheva, it is easier on the eye.
Three of us are sharing a room. The toilet and shower are about 2 “city” blocks away. There is however, a fire hose faucet that is just outside the barracks (brushing teeth under the stars comes to mind). Ah yes, let me get back to the room: the cot that I slept on the first night reminded me of a snowboarding “half-pipe”, and I was virtually crippled in the morning! We tied twine across the room so we would have a place to hang our towels and hammered a few nails in the walls for a variety of other items. Our clothes remain in our suitcases as there is nowhere else to keep them.

Let me digress a moment to the bathrooms. The initial tour left us speechless, and a bit outraged. The female soldiers (think teenage daughter) had not cleaned the toilets in quite some time!


Yes, there are two showers, but look closely, only one shower head. We didn’t know, at the time, that this would be a foreshadowing of sharing facilities on the base. They have since been nicknamed the “Mean Girls”.





We received our uniforms. The process has not changed. The Madrichot, our fearless leader, hold up a pair pants and if it reaches around your neck, it should fit! The uniforms themselves have not changed – still quite fashionable. A little more “warehouse shopping” (absolutely NOT Costco) included large packs of toilet paper (24’s), a bucket, soap, broom and mogave (long handled squeegee), which is my favorite!


Sde Teiman is a logistics base that supports the troops in the south. There are 2 others: one for the north and one for the east. Since the increase in the activity in Gaza, the population on the base was swelled 10 fold. Usually there are 120 soldiers assigned and currently there are 1500. You get the feel that the base is an active one. Training goes on 24/7 with night maneuvers most evenings. There are trucks of all shapes and sizes.


Our jobs entail sorting and repacking supplies for the soldiers in combat. This is just a snapshot of the base, more to come!

And the adventure continues…

Same Time Next Year – What I Should Have Said Last Year / Back to the Motherland

It felt vaguely familiar landing Tel Aviv. I had a better opportunity to soak in the surroundings as I gathered my bags, stopped to pick up maps from the Bureau of Tourism and made my way to great fountain in the arrival hall.

I said quick verse of the Jewish Prayer, Shehechiyanu and was officially in Israel. It was 5:30 am and I had time for a more leisurely trek to the hotel. I decided to be adventurous on public transportation: the train to the city and the bus to the hotel.It worked like clockwork.

The Hotel Adiv is certainly feeling like the home away from home. My friend Patsy was up bright and early, warmly greeting me in the lobby with hugs and kisses. There were many other Sar-El niks staying at the hotel: some arriving to begin their tours of duty and others leaving having finished their volunteer army stints. The Adiv has evolved to be the first choice of locations to stay.

The Mediterranean Sea is always a draw and it was a beautiful day for a walk on the promenade. There were sights along the way!



The beach signs along the way remind you that there are rules of orthodoxy that preclude a family from enjoying the beach together.

We walked to the Tel Aviv Port, at the northern end of the city. Once abandoned, as the activities of the seaport shifted to Ashdod, the Port was developed by the city in the early 2000’s. The area was overhauled, creating a wide boardwalk and rehabbing the rundown warehouses into commercial space. It’s a “happening” place with a long strip of restaurants, retail stores, bars and nightclubs. Although a beautiful day will attract throngs of people, I’ve been told that the Port is the busiest on weekends and after dark when hordes of young clubbers descend on the strip of discotheques.

A new farmer’s market opened on Fridays and it was standing room only! The farmers from the North bring their produce to the city for this weekly event.The vegetables were beautiful and sampling of breads, cheeses and nuts was quite tasty.
The throngs of people were a bit overwhelming and we headed back to the hotel.







The best “people watching” on Saturday was folk dancing on the beach at the Renaissance Hotel. It’s a weekly event and the regular dancers put on quite a show.













Patsy and I were great observers - looking our touristy best!





I had a great reunion with my former warehouse manager from Matzrap. We ventured back to the Port as it felt like a summer day. Alfred, his wife Keren, his 3-year daughter Efrat and 8-month-old daughter, Mayah.


Although it had been difficult staying in touch with Alfred this past year (my emails often failed), it felt like we had been together yesterday. The big difference, of course, was baby Mayah. You might remember that Keren had been quite pregnant when I first met her last spring.

The following day, I opted for an early morning power walk (with Mr Bill) on the promenade. It was my good bye to the Mediterranean as my “deployment” was just hours away.




And the adventure continues…..

My Misadventures Continue: Part 2 - February 2009

Who in their right mind wouldn't take the opportunity of an educational sabbatical and another 6 months of living simply (that is the effect of the 1/3 pay)? I don't know if the planning was off or if it was just a challenge, but this sabbatical got off to an unauspicious start.

Planning to leave the country 5 days after I stopped work falls into the category of"what was I thinking"? I was very stressed trying to finish up work at school and prepare my office for the ideal "seamless transition". And I managed. Sleep deprived with worry, I hope the new nurse can navigate the computer and flow of students. It is no longer my problem, as I am on sabbatical!

A predicted 1 - 3" snowfall on the night before my departure was actually a 6" dump that required my shoveling the driveway. It was an omen. An email from British Airways told me online check-in was ready; it really wasn't. The email should have read - your flight has been canceled. :( More time on the phone with a not so delightful agent and I was on a flight later in the day. Unfortunately this included a 12 hour "layover" at Heathrow and a 5:30am arrival in Tel Aviv on Friday.

So here I am in London. There is still snow on the ground; they handle the white stuff less efficiently than Philadelphia. It's very gray and very rainy today. The new Terminal 5 that British Airways opened sometime this past year has all the glitz and glam of a high end mall. Harrod's has a department store and the Duty Free shop goes on forever.








I'm beginning to believe that British Airways plans their flights so that passengers will be required to roam the terminal for hours. The variety of seating is amazing and it allows comfortable sleeping!








I've walked all the levels more than once, snapping pictures along the way. I was asked to leave a store that was no happy that I was photographing Liberty of London hankies(for women and men), which are a family favorite. I did manage to click this other photo, which is more telling - Is Britain Great?













The question will remain unanswered!










So, there are lots of places to shop; lots of electronics (Mr Bill is dwarfed by the sony screens)!"OH Nooooooooo - Will they be able to see me?"




This is what I've learned today. It is virtually impossible to talk your way into the British Airway lounges. No is No. I was very willing to pay for internet access today, knowing I would be here for 12 hours; however, when I was turned away from the lounge, I meandered down the escalator and found a comfy seat to log onto the computer. BINGO, I was still in range of the British Airway free WI-FI. I know my friend Wayne is so very proud!

The rest of the day will be deciding where to eat dinner - there are a plethora of restaruants: Zagat rated and not; sushi and a raw fish bar or perhaps some world food tasting.















So, as the techno problems start (I can't upload the any more pictures), I bid a fond farewell for the night. Cheerio from Heathrow!

And the adventure continues....