Clues from the Past
By Bukvoed – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15055637
The ruins of ancient synagogues reveal secrets that explain our traditions
The story of archaeology in Eretz Yisrael began in 1920-21 when Nahum Slouschz (1872-1966), under the auspices of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, undertook the excavation of one of the two ancient synagogues at Hamat Teveryah, just south of the city of Tiberias. This was a watershed event, as it was the first archaeological dig conducted under Jewish auspices. Yes, the first Jewish dig was a shul! This synagogue stood at the southern end of the city on the shore of the Kineret. It may have been built as early as 250 CE but was expanded in the fourth to fifth centuries and seems to have been in use up until the 11th century. Today, the remains of this synagogue are under a hotel.
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And this?
“The Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) was founded under the royal patronage of Queen Victoria in 1865 by a group of distinguished academics and clergymen, most notably the Dean of Westminster Abbey, Arthur Stanley, and Sir George Grove.
The original mission statement of the PEF was to promote research into the archaeology and history, manners and customs and culture, topography, geology and natural sciences of biblical Palestine and the Levant.”