The Jews of Babylon

Jerusalem exhibit documents exilic community after the First Temple

Those of us fascinated by the ability of archaeology to bring to life ancient Jewish history and to remind of us of our historical continuity are now presented, for the first time, with direct evidence of the Jewish community established in Babylonia right before and after the destruction of the First Temple. While these finds were partly known to scholars for some years now, the first public presentation of these documents took place on Feb. 1 with the opening at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem of a full-scale exhibit and a scholarly conference devoted to these important texts.

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