Vandals cause 'irreparable damage' to 1,600-year-old mosaics in Tiberias synagogue

Times of Israel ^ | Tuesday, May 29, 2012 | Michal Shmulovich

[SunkenCiv]

An ancient Tiberias synagogue was extensively vandalized overnight Tuesday, causing irreversible damage and potentially necessitating millions of dollars in rehabilitation costs.

Police opened an investigation, and officials said they suspected ultra-Orthodox Jewish extremists who oppose archaeological excavations of ancient tombs were to blame.

"The damage is widespread… Some of the damage is irreversible," said Shaul Goldstein, executive director of the Nature and Parks Authority.

The Hammat Tiberias site, which also serves as an archaeological park, boasts 1,600-year-old mosaics. The site's two synagogues date from 286 and 337 CE, when Tiberias was the seat of the Sanhedrin rabbinical court.

Among the mosaics damaged was a panel showing an ark holding Torah scrolls with two seven-branched menorahs and other Jewish ritual objects at either side...

Among other damage, the vandals smashed mosaics and sprayed graffiti that stated "on each grave -- a site" and "a response over the years" -- slogans apparently reflecting intolerance for archaeological work atop ancient graves.

If opposition to archaeological work was the motivation, however, the vandals irrevocably damaged and desecrated the very site whose sanctity they purportedly want to uphold...

Hammat was discovered accidentally in 1920 during the construction of the Tiberias-Zemach road by the Jewish Labor Battalion. It was a breakthrough find not only because it contained a centuries-old mosaic floor but also because it was one of the first digs conducted under Jewish auspices.

Hammat comprises two synagogues; one is named for Severus, after a Greek inscription -- "Severus, the pupil of the most illustrious patriarchs" -- was found there.

[SunkenCiv]

	Zodiac mosaic floor at the Hammat Tiberias Synagogue (photo credit: CC-BY-Bukvoed, Wikimedia Commons)	One of the mosaics damaged by vandals at Hammat. (File photo credit: CC-BB-SA/Bukvoed, Wikipedia Commons)
	Ancient Greek inscription on the mosaic floor of the Hammat Tiberias Synagogue (photo credit: Itai, Wikimedia Commons)

[ari-freedom]

Police opened an investigation, and officials said they suspected ultra-Orthodox Jewish extremists who oppose archaeological excavations of ancient tombs were to blame.

Too afraid to blame islamists? Sounds just like the French.

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
The suspected perps are not who one might think. Related topics: Under the Influence: Hellenism in ancient Jewish life Ancient Prison Cells Unearthed In Tiberias Dig Rare Seal Bearing Jesus Image Found In Tiberias Historical Tiberias Tiberias Dig Unearths Very Rare Marble Floor Roman Stadium Found In Tiberias To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[Doc91678]

Of course if someone in Holland, or Norway made a remark or posted a carton regarding Mohamad there’d be rioting in the streets and reprisal's against anyone who was not a Muslim. What justification do they use to desecrate someone else’s religious sites?

[Doc91678]

Of course if someone in Holland, or Norway made a remark or posted a carton regarding Mohamad there’d be rioting in the streets and reprisal's against anyone who was not a Muslim. What justification do they use to desecrate someone else’s religious sites?

[Jonty30]

If it was Muslims, the police would likely just say it was youth or something.

The Ultra-Orthodox Jews don’t like tombs being opened.

[heartwood]

Were there tombs in synagogues?

Even if there are tombs in ancient synagogues, it is still possible to excavate without opening any tomb.

[Jonty30]

I don’t know, but synagogues are considered holy sanctuaries and digging them up or digging around them would likely meet the same level of disapproval.

[Slings and Arrows]

fficials said they suspected ultra-Orthodox Jewish extremists who oppose archaeological excavations of ancient tombs were to blame.

Neturei Karta. *spit*

[Steve Van Doorn]

oh those guys Jews for the support of Palestine and the dismantling of Israel. They are just nuts

[Slings and Arrows]

I think of them as the Jewish equivalent of the Westboro Baptist Church.