Israel Active

Israeli archaeologists have found a bronze coin from the Hasmonean era, during conservation work on the Tower of David in Jerusalem after recent storms. The coin bears the head of Antiochus 1V Epiphanes – the Syrian-Greek ruler of Judah who was defeated by the Maccabees in 168 BCE.

Hikers exploring a water cistern in the Judean hills discovered a rare engraving of a seven-branch menorah in the chalk bedrock walls.  It has a base with three feet, portraying the menorah that stood in the Jerusalem Temple during the Second Temple period.  

A 2,100-year-old stone bowl engraved with a rare Hebrew inscription – “Hyrcanus” - dating to the Hasmonean period was discovered during excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Givʽati Parking Lot at Jerusalem’s City of David.  Hyrcanus was a common name of the time.

Yehuda Kaplan, the curator of the Bible Lands Museum, explained to Arutz Sheva the significance of an ancient city which was unearthed in the Elah Valley near Beit Shemesh.  The city is over 3,000 years old, and is one of the oldest known urban centers to use sophisticated Judean architecture.

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a unique clay figure, mounted atop a ceramic vessel, in the central Israel town of Yehud. The head of the figure rests on its hand as if in a state of reflection, similar to the pose of the famous 19th century sculpture “The Thinker” by Rodin.

International pro-Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs has an Israel Education Center in the heart of Jerusalem.  The center features up-to-date information and resources for visitors, sessions and tours to counter misinformation about Israel.

Gilbert Luzon, owner of the King Solomon Hotels in Jerusalem and Tiberias, passed away in 2016.  In his will, he left his ex-employees $1,000 for each year of service.  Even staff washing dishes received $20,000.  In a TV interview, one man replied. “What can I say? It is a blessing.”

David Fischman lost his entire family in the Holocaust but overcame his nightmares to help establish future Israeli economists, lawyers and political scientists. His estate has funded 71 scholarships with several beneficiaries presenting at Jerusalem’s E. David Fischman Scholarship Conference.

Israel’s Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev unveiled a coin discovered during a recent excavation of a road in Jerusalem. The coin was one of a series minted during the Jewish revolt against the Romans in 67 CE. Regev noted that Israel re-unified Jerusalem in 1967 and its 50th Jubilee is next year.

A new version of the favorite board game Monopoly is being launched.  Jerusalem Monopoly will be in the shops in time for the 50th anniversary of the re-unification of Jerusalem.  It may even be available in time for Hanukkah.