Israeli Law, Jewish Law and the Archaeological Excavation of Tombs

Abstract

SummaryThe author discusses the conflict in Israel between the public interest in archaeological research and the religious convictions that human remains, once buried, should not be touched. The conflict is exacerbated by urban development, which, in this ancient land, necessitates rescue excavations of tombs, thus bringing the problem to a head. The article examines, first, the rules of Jewish law, which, the author contends, have made it possible to accommodate the interests of the living, and, secondly, the scientific value of the archaeological excavation of tombs, using recent examples as illustrations. The author concludes that Jewish law could be interpreted and applied more flexibly and could then be reconciled with Israeli law. However, even if such a development were not to take place, then, in keeping with democratic values, government officials and the courts would be required to follow the policies established by the legislator, a balance between the conflicting interests having already been embodied in the law.

Archaeology and Professional Ethical Codes in Israel in the mid 80s: The Case of the Association of Archaeologists in Israel and Its Code of Ethics

“…There were many conflicts with religious groups over these matters. To some extent, the archaeologists lost the struggle when the Government Legal Attorney decided in 1994 that human bones are not an antiquity (Weingrod 1995;; Einhorn 1997;; Nagar 2002). The authors of the code stood in the frontline of the public campaign against religious coercion.…”

La gestión de los cementerios históricos en el marco del planeamiento contemporáneo: la necrópolis judía de Toledo

“…Desde hace poco más de diez años nos hemos visto inmersos en la polémica que acompaña cualquier exhumación de individuos pertenecientes a la comunidad judía en Europa, en el marco de un debate generado hace años en Israel sobre la idoneidad o no de excavar restos humanos afectados por la expansión natural de las ciudades (Einhorn, 1997;Colomer, 2014). Más allá de cualquier polémica, no debemos olvidar que el objeto de toda intervención arqueológica es conocer las sociedades históricas gracias al estudio de su registro funerario, sin distinción de credo o religión.…”

Jerusalem: Archaeologists Versus Residents?

“…Clashes of interests emerged within Israeli society, represented on one side by professional archaeologists and their scientific efforts to explore the history of the site and on the other by the ultra-Orthodox community vested in protecting the Jewish heritage by preventing the potential disturbance of ancient burials (Reich 2011, 9, 138–140). Despite the resulting legal reform of excavation procedures regarding the exposure and study of human remains (Einhorn 1997, 48, 65–74), the scholarly quest persisted in the mostly fruitless effort to uncover the physical stage for the biblical stories.…”