Temple Mount Sifting Project Uncovers Rare Coins in Discarded Rubble

 

The two coins were rescued from rubble discarded by Islamic Wakf officials from their illegal excavations on the Temple Mount. The rubble is carefully sifted by two archeologists and a team of volunteers at a Jerusalem national park.

One coin, a silver half-shekel, was apparently minted on the Temple Mount itself by Temple authorities in the first year of the Great Revolt against the Romans in 66-67 CE, said Bar-Ilan University Professor Gabriel Barkay, who is leading the sifting operation.

One side of the coin, which was found by a 14-year-old volunteer, shows a branch with three pomegranates, and the inscription "Holy Jerusalem"; the other side bears a chalice from the First Temple and says "Half-Shekel."

The second coin was minted during the Jewish rebellion against the Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes IV of the Chanukah story. 

More details in articles from the Jerusalem Post (http://tinyurl.com/4eur9b), Arutz Sheva (http://tinyurl.com/95hqdq) and the web site of The Temple Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation (http://tinyurl.com/a7g2ev). The salvage operation site also provides information about how you can support its efforts to recover antiquities from the Temple Mount.

Tourism to Israel continues at record pace

Despite the economic downturn tourism to Israel continued in November at a record pace. 260,000 tourists visited Israel ,a 25% increase compared to November 2007. From January to November, 2.8 million tourists visited Israel, an increase of 35% over the same period last year, and 10% more than the corresponding period in 2000. Visit http://tinyurl.com/3rcqxr for the complete story.

Pace of Rocket Fire from Gaza Increases with new hit on Sderot

 

Three people were wounded on the afternoon of December 17th when a Kassam rocket fired by Gaza terrorists landed next to a Sderot shopping area (http://tinyurl.com/4ghp6r). The ongoing rocket fire has been increasing (http://tinyurl.com/6bm4nl and http://tinyurl.com/6236hl).

You can learn more about what’s happening in Sderot and the people who live there at the Sderot Media Center (www.sderotmedia.com). You can help support the people of Sderot and its surrounding area by shopping at the online Sderot Mall (http://sderotmall.com/). 

The UN and Israel

The UN is at it again. This time (in late November) the President of the UN General Assembly denounced the policies of a certain Middle Eastern nation. He said, “the world must unite against them”, demanding an “end to this massive abuse of human rights” with a punishing “campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions.” Of which country was he speaking? The General Assembly president, who served as Nicaragua's foreign minister during the Sandinista regime in the 1980s, was not referring to any of the Middle East's Muslim autocracies and dictatorships, virtually all of which discriminate against ethnic and religious minorities. He was speaking of the Jewish state of Israel, the region's lone democracy, and the only one that guarantees the legal equality of all its citizens - one-fifth of whom are Muslim and Christian Arabs. Read the Boston Globe editorial titled “The UN's obsession with demonizing Israel” at http://tinyurl.com/5cx2c8. Also see http://tinyurl.com/5g79wz and  http://tinyurl.com/5gk6au.

Rare Hebrew Seal from the First Temple Period Discovered in Western Wall Plaza Excavations

In the northwestern part of the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem, a rare and impressive Hebrew seal was discovered that dates to the latter part of the First Temple period. The seal was found in a building that is currently being uncovered, which dates to the seventh century BCE – to the time when the kings Manasseh and Josiah reigned. Visit the web site of the Israel Antiquities Authority at http://tinyurl.com/5nb4hr for the complete article.

Israel takes part in NATO intelligence discussions

Israel's military cooperation with NATO is deepening: Israel took part in the formation of two intelligence reports prepared by NATO on missile development and the nuclear arms race in the Middle East. It is also extending its ties with NATO in order to prevent the smuggling of weapons in the Middle East (http://tinyurl.com/6fg7nk).

US Court Verdict Against Terror

A federal appeals court upheld a $156 million judgment Wednesday against three U.S.-based Islamic groups accused of bankrolling terrorism in a landmark civil case (http://tinyurl.com/5v4wgv).

Rocket Fire from Gaza Continues

Qassam rockets and mortar shells continue to hit the south of Israel around Sderot, Ashkelon and other Israeli towns in the Negev (http://tinyurl.com/6bm4nl and http://tinyurl.com/6236hl).

What is a Reform Zionist?

Is it simply a Zionist who happens to be a Reform Jew but who otherwise is kind of like any other Zionist? Or is there something uniquely Reform about our Zionism? And while we're at it, what's a Zionist? This thoughtful article at http://tinyurl.com/6ppae7 from ARZA (the Association of Reform Zionists of America) discusses what makes a Reform Zionist unique, and contains an invitation to join the conversation about Reform Zionism going on at http://www.reformzionism.net.