Photographs of the aftermath of the 1929 Arab pogrom of Jews on Hevron have been discovered in the Library of Congress archives. In an orgy of sadistic violence on August 24, 1929, 67 of Hevron’s Jews were murdered by neighbors they had lived with in peace for many years.

Scene of house destruction after the Arab massacre of Jews in Hebron

Hevron is the city where the Jewish Patriarchs and Matriarchs are buried and where King David ruled for seven years before going to Jerusalem, so that it is one of the four holy cities in Israel for Jews.

Synagogue desecrated

There was no reason for the massacre other than the encouragement of the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin El-Husseini, who later joined Hitler. The Arabs murdered children in front of their parents, severed limbs, raped and burned people alive.

A student of the Hebron Yeshiva, Elhana Zelig Roch, lost a hand during the attack

A student of the Hebron Yeshiva, Zvi Hirsh Heller, dies from his wounds in hospital

The massacre preceded any Jewish military acts as it took place in 1929. The Jews of Hevron predated the new Jewish pioneers returning to their homeland of Israel.

Massacre of Jewish women, children at Hebron

The British High Commissioner in the Land of Israel, Sir John Chancellor, published a statement following the massacre, saying, “I have learned with horror of the atrocious acts committed by bodies of ruthless and bloodthirsty evil-doers, of savage murders perpetrated upon defenseless members of the Jewish population regardless of age or sex, accompanied as at Hebron, by acts of unspeakable savagery, of the burning of farms and houses in town and country and of the looting and destruction of property. These crimes have brought upon their authors the execration of all civilized peoples throughout the world.”

A Jewish survivor mourning in the aftermath of the massacre in Hebron.

An ongoing archaeological excavation in Tel Tzafit unearthed the ruins of the city of Gat described in the Bible as the hometown of Goliath. Professor Aren Maeir, who is directing the dig, stated the finds from the Tel Tzafit excavation are “fascinating.” The site, inhabited at times by Canaanites and at other times by Philistines, has remnants from many periods of history.

The archaeologists are focusing on the Canaanite period, the Philistine period, and the Israelite period, and for now primarily in the Philistine period. One of the most interesting finds was a piece of writing containing, among other things, Philistine names, some of which were similar to the name “Goliath.” They’ve found a rich variety of artifacts” showing that Gat was a major city at that time.

They have discovered remnants from metal craft and bronze, and items from the destruction of the city at the hands of King Chazel of Aram as described in the second books of Kings.” Findings show that Chazel and his army laid siege to the city until its residents had exhausted their food supply, then attacked. Dozens of buildings were found that were demolished by the invading army. Other buildings appear to have collapsed in an earthquake, possibly the one mentioned at the beginning of the book of Amos, he said.

The relationship between the nation of Israel and the Philistines was more complex than people tend to assume, Maeir revealed. “The Philistines, were often more than just enemies. As described in the Bible, the fact that Samson married a Philistine woman, there appears to have been crossover between the two cultures. For example, findings show that elements of Philistine cooking became common among the Israelites as well.

David and Goliath

The story of David and Goliath is known the world over. A recent archaeological dig by Prof. Yosef Garfinkel of Hebrew University in Israel’s Elah Valley is yielding scientific evidence of the Kingdom of David, and giving credence to the Biblical story of David and Goliath that took place in this valley.

Yishai Fleisher, host of the Israel National Radio’s Yishai and Friends, toured the Elah Fortress, an archaeological excavation site in the Elah Valley. Yishai was invited by Foundation Stone, a Jewish education group that focuses on archaeology as a link between the Bible and Israel. They are eager to showcase the recent findings and highlight the historical and spiritual significance of the fortress where they are using science, once considered the antithesis of religion, to confirm Biblical accounts.

The Elah Fortress has been an archaeological mystery for over 150 years. However, recent findings indicate archaeologists have found the 10th century biblical city of Sha’arayim, Hebrew for “Two Gates.” Archaeologists believe this discovery of a fortress city provides evidence that King David ruled a kingdom from his capital of Jerusalem.

The Bible says that Sha’arayim was located near the clash between David and Goliath. Discovery of a second gate to the Fortress confirms archaeologists’ beliefs that the site mentioned in the David and Goliath story has been discovered. Archaeologists hope the findings at the fortress will draw scientific and historical links to the story of David and Goliath.Many artifacts continue to be dug-up.

Pieces of burnt material can be carbon-dated. Yehud coins, small silver coins from the brief period of Persian rule, bearing the Aramaic inscription ‘Yehud’, the Persian province of Judaea, have been found at the site. The coins date back 2300 years to before Alexander the Great and indicate a long-term presence of Jews in the fortress city. Such findings are expected to point to further evidence of the Kingdom of David and the presence of Jews as described in the Bible.

David Willner of Foundation Stone notes how “it became very popular to diss the Bible” during the 1960s. He explained many archaeologists felt that it “could not be relied up as a guide to understanding the time and place described in the Bible” and “that it was not accurate. These attitudes carried over to a whole generation of archaeologists. Willner hopes the Elah Fortress will show such attitudes to have been out of line. “Now what we are finding in contemporary, modern archaeology is that the context of the Bible is becoming clearer and clearer.”

Archaeological projects like the Elah Fortress are inherently expensive, but invaluable information regarding Biblical stories is worth the investment, according to Barnea Selavan, project director of Foundation Stone. It costs “tens of thousands of dollars for every piece of this project, and it’s worth it”. “We have to support the science here and this project is “supporting understanding of Israel, the Bible, and history.”

The project director expressed his continued excitement at the recent finding. “Anybody who comes here and opens up the Bible and thinks, ‘I’m standing where this happened’… it’s electrifying.” Archaeologist Michael Hassle conveyed similar sentiments. “You cannot visit Israel without thinking about connections to the Bible. As you look down this valley, you imagine stories in the Biblical tradition, and it’s an amazing thing.”

Ancient Biblical beehives have been discovered in the northern Israeli site of Tel Rehov, in the Jordan Valley. This spectacular industrial apiary is the only ancient beehives ever discovered in archaeological excavations. Archaeologists found the 3,000-year-old remains of honeybees, including workers, drones, pupae and larvae, inside 30 clay cylinders. Three rows of hives were discovered in a courtyard that was part of a large 10th to 9th century (BCE) architectural complex. The clay pots each had a small hole on one side for the bees to use to access the hives, and on the other was a lid with which the bee keeper accessed the honey and honeycomb wax.

A high-resolution microscope was used to study the bodies of the small insects. The scientists found that their legs and wings appeared to indicate they closely resemble the bees found in modern-day Turkey than those of present-day Israel. The bee body remains appear to belong to a different subspecies altogether than those that exist today in Israel. The find suggests that ancient bee keepers might have imported the species for its special characteristics, such as better honey production or a milder temper.

The research team, led by Guy Bloch of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, used carbon dating on grains that spilled from a broken storage jar to determine the age of the items. The exceptional preservation of these remains provides unequivocal identification of the clay cylinders as the most ancient beehives yet found.

Tel Rehov is the location of the largest ancient Canaanite and Israelite site in the Beth-Shean Valley and one of the largest tells in the Holy Land. Nine seasons of excavations at Tel Rehov, from 1997-2008, revealed successive occupational layers from the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age I (12th – 11th centuries BCE).

Large and well-preserved buildings from three occupation layers were dated to the 10th – 9th centuries BCE (the time of the United Israelite Monarchy of King David and King Solomon and the Divided Israelite Monarchy under King Omri and King Ahab). Two of these cities suffered a destruction. Remains of the 8th century BCE city that was violently destroyed by the Assyrians in 732 BCE include an 8 m-wide mudbrick wall around the acropolis. Evidence of Assyrian slaughter was found in the destroyed 8th century BCE houses.

Abundant finds revealed unique pottery cult objects, clay figurines, seals, ivories and many others. Tel Rehov has became a major site for studying the Iron Age II in Israel, set squarely in the forefront of the debate over the chronology and nature of this period.