|
|
 |
The 2008 Dig:
As the buzz about the upcoming 2008 season at Ramat
Rahel spread throughout five continents,
registration for the dig filled quickly with 138
team members from 17 countries. This time
around I played “big mama” facilitator to
troubleshoot or resolve issues for participants
ranging from locating lost luggage to briefing area
supervisors; from replacing broken eyeglasses to
motivating a guy who found it extraordinarily
difficult to rise before the crack of dawn.
Twice a week I hosted an afternoon rap session where
we awarded chocolate “Kinder Eggs” for the “find of
the day.” The judges of the contest were
Professor Oded Lipschits, co-director of the dig,
and Liora Freud, pottery registrar. The "find
of the day" included jar handles with stamped
impressions inscribed with l’melech, meaning
belonging to the king, a hoard of 15 silver Tyrian
shekels, possibly intended for purchase of an animal
for sacrifice in the Second Temple, hole-mouthed
Iron Age (biblical period) storage jars, pieces of a
fertility figurine and a rider and horse, a cup for
ritual purity found in a mikve (ritual bath) and
dozens of burnished plates where the potter would
have taken a shell or stone to draw concentric lines
while the clay was still spinning on the wheel. |
| |
|
 |
|
Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
|
Director Oded Lipschits reading a
stamped inscription on a jar handle |
| |
| What was unusual
this season is that we had four dads who were
digging with their teen-age and twenty-something
kids and one granddad with his granddaughter.
In some cases it was the kids who pulled the parents
into the dig. We also had siblings from the
U.S. and Germany and cousins from Columbia and the
U.S. who bonded while pick-axing through
2,700-year-old debris, manning the bucket line, and
scrubbing Iron Age to Byzantine pottery. |
| |
|
 |
|
Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
|
About to unearth a treasure cache
of 380 Byzantine coins |
| |
“Archaeological
excavation is not like something we have seen in an
Indiana Jones movie or some glamorous National
Geographic shot; it is hard work. I remember
getting goose bumps all over me when I first came
into contact with walls and artifacts that were as
old as the 7th century B.C. And I remember the
joyous shouts and sounds from volunteers and staff
members when they found something amazing.
In addition to gaining archaeological knowledge
about Israel and experiencing firsthand places
mentioned in the Bible, I have befriended people
from Israel, Germany, Spain, England, Canada,
Australia, France, the Czech Republic, and the
United States. We laughed together all the
time whether we were digging in the hot sun or
floating in the waters of the Dead Sea. We
were well fed, we learned, and we had fun. For
those who have an itch to experience an
archaeological dig I would say to you: just roll up
your sleeves, pick up a pickaxe, and join the Ramat
Rachel dig." |
|
Cheukwa Jones, graduate student in
Cultural Studies,
Claremont Graduate University, California |
| |
|
 |
|
Photo:
Courtesy of Cheukwa Jones |
|
Pickaxe partners: Cheukwa
(right) from L.A. and Verena from Heidelberg |
| |
"When I was younger
and had young kids, adventures to far off places
were beyond my financial and time-off constraints.
Now, with our Grandkids, a totally different
opportunity presents itself. I have been
extremely fortunate to have the time and energy to
take our Grandkids on special "adventure" trips to
any destination and on any venue they desire.
For the second time, Ramat Rachel was chosen by one
of the Grandkids.
My Grand daughter, Shelby, a bright and adventurous
15-year-old, elected to attend a dig session at
Ramat Rachel. She was duplicating and
enhancing the experiences of her brother, Taylor,
who worked the dig with me two years ago. I
readily admit, it must be difficult to put up with
your cranky old Grandfather for almost three weeks,
but she toughed it out. |
|
|
|
 |
|
Photo:
Courtesy of Oded Lipschits |
|
15-year-old Shelby hauling out
dirt from area D1 |
| |
| It is almost beyond
my ability to put in words the experiences we
enjoyed together. Watching her bond with the other
students, marveling at her ability to dig holes and
sift artifacts, and chuckling at the amount of dirt
her skin accumulated over the days was an absolute
joy.
On weekends and evenings, our side trips allowed
us to gain insights on history and the Bible.
She had the energy to visit Old Jerusalem almost
every night, and the insight to cajole Grandfather
to tag along. There is no substitute to
visiting the locations where history was written,
and viewing the sites with your own eyes.
Fortunately, Ramat Rahel has an abundance of these
locations all within easy taxi or driving distance.
As an added bonus, we enjoyed the opportunity to
live, laugh, and learn with the students from around
the world. You have to spend time with these
"kids" to realize how brilliant, inquisitive, and
hard working the current generation can be. It
makes you realize that when these students join the
work force and begin making their mark, they will be
a force to behold. They have the will and
ability to make the world a far better place.
So, attention all Grandparents...Put Ramat Rachel on
your "A" list, create a legacy memory, and come on
out with the Grandkids! You won't be
disappointed. Oh, did I mention that, God
willing, Shelby, Taylor, and I plan on returning
next year?" |
|
Jim Bochniarz
San Clemente, California |
| |
|
 |
|
Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
|
D6 Area Supervisor Nirit Kedem
showing plans of the Iron Age Citadel |
| |
“At 17 years old, I
never thought I would be spending my summer with my
dad digging and touring in Israel. I lead a Bible
Study at my school, and they sponsored me to come on
this excavation to increase my knowledge about the
Bible and Israel.
My dad came with me and I really felt like we became
buddies at 4:30 am on the first wake up for the dig.
It does something to a father and son when they are
spending seven hours digging in a hole together. |
| |
|
 |
|
Photo:
Courtesy of Sean Perron |
|
17-year-old Sean brought his
father Steve (left) to dig at Ramat Rahel |
|
|
| While at the dig
site, we found many interesting artifacts as far
back as the Iron Age. It was incredible to take a
small glimpse back into the lives of the people that
lived at Ramat Rahel. I was able see amazing
sites [in Israel] and ancient pottery, but the most
important was spending time with my dad. A
trip like this to Israel not only affects a person’s
knowledge, experience, and faith, but it can draw
you closer to the people you love. I thank my
God, school, and parents, for letting me take this
adventure to Israel.” |
|
Sean Perron, 17
Tennessee |
| |
|
"Participating in the Ramat Rachel
Archaeological Project made this summer one
of the most amazing ever. I have never done
anything archaeological before, but the dig
was set up so that people of any experience
level could do it without any problems! Six
months before the dig, my dad told my
brother about this opportunity and invited
him to come. I wasn't invited!
|
 |
As soon as I heard about it, I begged my dad
to let me go. At first he said the
work would be too hard for someone as small
as me (5'3 and 105 lbs). I told him I
could handle it. Next he told me I
would have to share a room with someone I
didn't know. I told him I was okay with
that. Finally, he agreed that I could
come.
When we got there, it was apparent that
neither of those potential issues were real
problems. I was definitely not the
smallest, the youngest, nor the only one
without a roommate. There were all
kinds of people from many different
countries, old and young, experienced and
inexperienced and most importantly, they
were all infinitely friendly!I made so
many great friends at the dig and had so
much fun. The project was organized to
include all of us as team |
|
Photo:
Courtesy of Rick Berendt |
members, not just volunteers. |
|
17-year-old excavator
Stephanie Berendt |
|
|
|
Experiencing all of this with my dad and my
younger brother was great. I
will remember the time I spent pick-axing in
Jerusalem for a long time. I would
love to go back and dig again, perhaps even
next summer!!" |
|
Stephanie Anne Berendt, 17
Alberta, Canada |
|
"I don’t usually see a lot of my Dad.
He works full time at the hospital, plus his
ministerial work, and his free time is
usually spent out of the house. When
he comes home, he’s usually too exhausted to
do much other than eat supper and go to bed.
He’s out all day providing for the family,
so I hardly ever get to spend time with him,
which is why I think he decided we should go
to Israel together, on an archaeological dig
at the kibbutz he stayed at in 1981.
We arrived at Ben Gurion airport in Tel
Aviv, my Dad, my sister, and I (the latter
two almost too jet-lagged to walk), with my
Dad having flashbacks of when he went to
Israel thirty years ago. “Don’t expect
anything too fancy- Israel isn’t like
Canada, you know” he would say. He was
blown away as we entered the beautiful,
modern rotunda of futuristic terminal three
-- not exactly what he remembered from 1981.
The taxi drove past
cities, forests, and roads that were only
desert back then, while my Dad, with his
nose pressed up against the window,
practically squealed in excitement at
everything he saw.
|
|
 |
|
Photo:
Gila Yudkin |
|
Karl Berendt (left) with
team members in Area D4 |
|
All throughout the dig he continued that
way. Throughout our travels
in Israel -- from Haifa to Eilat, we were
amazed at how familiar, yet foreign this
country was. In Canada, something is
considered ancient if it’s two hundred years
old. In Israel, and throughout our
excavations, we regularly encountered
buildings, objects, and cultures that were
thousands of years old, everywhere we
looked.
My trip to Israel was great because of the
dig, the activities organized by the staff,
and especially Gila’s and Omer’s tours, but
what really made it excellent was sharing it
with my father. Talking to him about
the historical, political, and spiritual
significance of the Holy Land made the trip
twice as interesting, educational, and fun
as it would have been without him.
I hope to return to Israel many
times -- maybe for archaeology, maybe for
vacation, maybe for education, or maybe even
with my own son one day!" |
|
Karl Berendt, 15
Alberta, Canada |
|
"As an impressionable student in 1981, I
spent an incredible summer in the City of
David excavations with Yigal Shiloh.
The experience left me with a life-long
interest and connection with biblical
archaeology, theology and the people of
Israel. During the dig, I actually
stayed at the Ramat Rahel hostel, unaware of
the potential of a future dig site just
beneath my feet!
Today in 2008, as a father, I was privileged
to be able to repeat such a summer
experience with two of my teen-aged
children, knowing that this would in turn
also last them a lifetime. This summer
was an absolutely unique combined
educational experience in culture, history,
geography, archeology, and theology for us
to share together and treasure forever." |
|
Rick Berendt
Alberta, Canada |
|
|
"What an incredible experience to be a
part of something that is so much greater
then one's everyday life. To think that what we were doing
was digging up or rather exploring the lives
and events of the people who lived at and
around Ramat Rahel thousands of years ago.
So much History, so many generations
represented all the way through time.
It has sparked a fire to learn more about
the History of Israel not only in myself but
in my father and brother alike. I
thank the Lord that we were able to go on
this trip." |
|
Adam Yadlowsky
Canada |
|
|
 |
|
Photo:
Courtesy of Ed Zielinski |
|
Texan Katrina Zielinski at
Pottery Wash |
|
"Last year during a tour of Israel, we
decided we wanted to experience first hand
the important biblical archeology work
ongoing in Israel. We enjoyed
everything about the time at Ramat Rahel:
the physical work (my daughter's a teacher,
I'm an engineer), the lectures, tours, and
most of all uncovering the past - 6th/7th
century BC. We were assigned to
different areas of the dig and each evening
discussed what we had seen and done,
augmenting our own experiences with each
other's. Everyone on the dig, from the
expert leadership to the other volunteer
workers were a joy to work with and get to
know.
As a parent, I am hard pressed to think of
another experience I could have given to and
shared with my daughter. We worked,
learned, laughed and prayed together during
our trip. It's a common bond we will
always share. This may be the last trip we
share together as next year she will be
getting married and I couldn't be happier
for her. This experience at Ramat
Rahel and in Israel will always have a
special significance for us." |
|
Ed Zielinski
Fort Worth,
Texas |
|
|
The latest commentary and photos on the dig at
Ramat Rahel can seen at: “Let's
probe a Biblical Mystery at Ramat Rahel.” Read
what team members say about the
2005 dig or the
2006 dig. |
|
|
