Of Stamps and Seals and Purity

Act 1:   Bringing the Mishna to life 

The announcement from the Israel Antiquities Authority came just before Chanukah.  The timing was a tour guide’s dream.  Every guide in Jerusalem would be talking about how over 2,000 years ago on that first Chanukah the Maccabees found just one flask of oil in the Temple with the seal of the High Priest certifying its purity.  Now we had a real seal from the Temple!

A small piece of fired clay the size of a button had been discovered in the soil under the Herodian street near the south west corner of the Temple Mount.  It was inscribed with two lines of Hebrew letters and dated to the late Second Temple period.  It was, said the announcement, “probably used as a voucher certifying the ritual purity of an object of food in the Temple”.  The inscription read “"דכא ל'ה.  The excavators, Ronny Reich and Eli Shukrun explained that this meant “Pure for G-d”.  This inscribed piece of clay was direct archaeological evidence of the workings of the Temple.  It may not actually have been the High Priest’s seal on a flask of oil but it was almost as good.

An inscribed piece of clay from the Second Temple.  Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority

Within a few days Professor Shlomo Naeh from Hebrew University had helped us keep our feet firmly on the ground.  The object could not have been used as a stamp to impress on a container – because the inscription was positive not negative.  It couldn’t have been used to seal a container and ensure the ritual purity of the contents - it had no way of being attached.  His careful reading of the Mishna (Shekalim, 5, 1-5) showed that this was a voucher or token used in the purchase of sacrifices in the Temple.

A person bringing a sacrifice would pay for it at the Temple “office” and receive a voucher inscribed in Aramaic.  He would then exchange the voucher for the appropriate sacrifice.  The inscription on the clay object, Professor Naeh explained, was exactly as described in the Mishna and the Jerusalem Talmud.  It specified the type of sacrifice (in this case a ram), the day of the week (Sunday) and the family of priests who were serving in the Temple that week (Yehoyariv).  These tokens never left the Temple precincts so it’s no wonder that they are rarely found now. 

This inscribed piece of clay is tiny, 2 centimetres in diameter, and yet it helps to bring the workings of the Temple and the pages of the Mishna to life.  Sometimes it’s the little things that count.

Here are links to the press releases from the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University.

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Act 2:   Early Competition for the OU

In the 6^th century CE, when the land was under Roman Byzantine rule, Acco and its surrounding area was predominantly Christian.  A Jewish housewife living in that setting would have had to take extra care that the food she bought was kosher.  She could of course go directly to the source and see the food being prepared with her own eyes.  But if that wasn’t possible she might do what many of us do today and rely on a hechsher – a stamp or seal or label that told her that the food was prepared in accordance with Jewish law.  

Earlier this month the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a tiny ceramic stamp during excavations at Horbat Uza east of Acco in the north of the country.  It was found during a rescue dig there prior to the building of a new railway line.  The stamp is about 1,500 years old and it was used to stamp a hechsher onto bread.

A 1,500 Year Old Bread Stamp.  Photo: Dr Danny Syon courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority

The potter had engraved the image of the Temple Menorah, the symbol of a Jewish bakery, on the face of the stamp before firing it in a kiln.  Afterwards the word “Launtius” had been scratched in Greek letters on its handle.  The excavators concluded that a batch of stamps was made each engraved with the menorah.  The baker then scratched his name, Launtius, on the handle of his own stamp.  Each loaf he baked would have been stamped with the image of the menorah and with his name.  This combination would assure the buyer that the bread was kosher.

Christian bread stamps inscribed with a cross were much more common in this period.  Bread stamps like this one with a menorah have come to light before but never in a controlled excavation.  This find testifies that there was a Jewish community in Uza in Byzantine times and suggests that the baker in Uza was producing baked goods for the nearby town of Acco.  It shows us that the hechsher has a history that goes back at least 1,500 years.  It’s another small discovery with a big story to tell.

Here’s a link to the Israel Antiquities Authority press release.

Sahhteen!

Sahhteen is best translated from Arabic as “bon appétit” but its literal meaning is “two healths”. This is a tale of two healths – two bathhouses each called “the Health Bathhouse. The “Hammam Al-Shefa” and “Beit Hamerchatz Beri’ut” were built in different eras and represent different worlds: a 14th century Muslim building in the Old City of Jerusalem and a 20th century Jewish building in the newly developing city.


One of the most impressive places to visit in the Old City is the Souq al-Qattanin or Cotton Merchants Market that runs eastwards from El Wad Street in the Muslim Quarter to a magnificent entrance onto the Temple Mount. This covered street of shops was built by the Mameluk emir Tankiz in the early 14th century. On the south side of the market Tankiz built a khan or traveller’s inn with two bathhouses; the Hammam al-Ein or Bathhouse of the Spring and the Hammam al-Shefa, the Health Bathhouse. The bathhouses functioned for 600 years. Now Khan Tankiz is home to the Centre for Jerusalem Studies of Al Quds University.

Souq al-Qattanin

A hammam is a cross between a Roman bathhouse and a sauna. In the Roman Empire a bathhouse was much more than a place to bathe. It was a community centre, a place to socialise and to conduct commercial and political negotiations. In the Arab world a hammam was often located near to a mosque and served the needs of ritual washing before prayer as well as social and hygienic purposes. The hammam became known to Europeans through the spread of the Ottoman Empire. That’s how they came to call it the “Turkish bath”. 

 Hammam al-Ein Entrance

The Hammam al-Shefa got its name “the Health bathhouse” because of the excellent quality of the water that was pumped up to it from a very deep well. As a result people with all sorts of aches and pains used to come here. It was said that the well was connected by an underground channel to the Gihon Spring by the side of Ir David. Locals said that not only did the waters from both sources have the same taste, just a little salty, but that they would rise and fall at the same time.

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Walk along Bezalel Street and, on a building at the corner of Nissim Behar Street in the Nahalat Zion neighbourhood, you will see a rusting and faded sign directing you to “the Health Bathhouse”. Turn the corner and you will see a newer sign with the name “Pargod Theatre”. The bathhouse is long gone but the building and one of the heroes of its story remain. Stand outside for long enough and Arye Mark, founder of the Pargod Theatre, will bounce down the stairs, introduce himself and tell you the story of his life and of the building in which he still lives.

Pargod Theater 2006 Photo by Esther Inbar

The Health Bathhouse was built in the 1930’s by Yohanan Ezra, a plumbing contractor whose image is engraved in the memory of all those who grew up in the neighbourhood at that time. He would ride around the area on a white donkey with bells on its saddle. This donkey instinctively knew where Ezra had to go and would take him on his route without any instruction – to the grocery store, to the pickle shop, wherever he needed. It was said that it would even take him up the stairs to his living room on the second floor of the bathhouse.


In 1901, when Nahalat Zion was first established at the edge of built-up Jerusalem a filthy cesspool sat at this corner. There was no piped water and no proper sewage system in the city. It was only in 1925 under British rule that the first piped water arrived. So when Ezra built his bathhouse it offered many people in the nearby neighbourhoods their only possibility of a proper wash - apart from the mikvaot. Here, in separate suites for men and women, people could relax after a hard day’s work and wash or bathe in hot water. 


When the State of Israel was established most houses were provided with running water. The bathhouse was no longer needed. The building was abandoned and remained empty for 25 years until 1973. Then Arye Mark arrived, cleaned out the cistern in the basement and turned it into a small auditorium. The Pargod Theatre, “the theatre behind the screen”, was always outside the establishment. It staged theatrical and musical performances until it closed its doors in 2005 while the building’s owners went to court to apply for permission to redevelop the site.

From Cochin in Southern India to Nevatim in Southern Israel

One of the best things about Israel is the diversity that exists in such small country.  People from five continents have come to settle here and the country is home to communities from many different cultures and religions.  I love to show people aspects of Israel that they haven’t seen before.

There are many cultural gems here.  One of these is Moshav Nevatim  Just to the east of Beer Sheva, Nevatim was originally founded as a kibbutz, together with ten others, one Saturday night in October 1946.  It was part of a determined attempt to establish a Jewish presence in the Negev in anticipation of the partition of Palestine.  During the War of Independence in 1948 the kibbutz was besieged by the Egyptian army.  It was kept supplied with food and other essentials by air-drops.  Nevatim survived the war but was abandoned soon afterwards.

In 1954 Nevatim was re-established as a moshav by Jews from Cochin on the Malabar Coast in Southern India.  Cochin was the oldest of the Jewish communities in India.  The tradition is that Jewish traders called here during the time of King Solomon.  Exiles from the Kingdom of Judah settled here soon after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE and were joined by refugees fleeing after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.  They settled first in the ancient port of Cranganore near to Cochin.  Here they received protection from the Hindu rulers and were granted special privileges that were recorded on copper plates (known as the “Sasanam”) that were given to the community.  The Hindu king gave the Jews permission to live freely, build synagogues, and own property "without conditions attached" for "as long as the world and moon exist". The area where they lived in came to be known as ‘Jew Town’.

The Sasanam

In the 14^th century the port of Cranganore silted up and trade moved to the smaller port of Cochin.  In the 16^th century the established community was joined by Sephardic Jews fleeing from the Iberian Peninsula.  It’s perhaps not surprising that in India, the home of the caste system, the two communities did not mix.  The older established Malabar community, who became known as the Black Jews, were seen as inferior by the newcomers, the Pardesi or White Jews.  They maintained separate synagogues.  The Pardesi Jews did not even allow the Malabar Jews into their synagogue.  Needless to say they did not intermarry.  By the early 20^th century most of these divisions had disappeared thanks largely to the efforts of Abraham Barak Salem.

An Indian Jewish Family in Cochin

There were eight synagogues in Cochin.  The Black Jews had seven and the White Jews one, the Pardesi synagogue.  Only the Pardesi synagogue is still open.  The interior of the 16^th century Kadavumbagam synagogue was brought to Jerusalem in 1991 and reconstructed in the Israel Museum where you can see it today.

Most of the Jews have left Cochin and have settled in moshavim and in cities in Israel.  At Nevatim they have built a heritage centre for Cochin Jewry with a museum, a film presentation of their history and a beautiful synagogue.  Arrange your visit in advance and you can enjoy a delicious meal of kosher Cochini food.

Welcome to the Tour With Jack Blog

Dear Friends,


Welcome to the Tour With Jack blog. The blog is a way for you to be more involved with the Tour With Jack experience. I'm hoping that you will let me know what you like about the tours we run, what else you would like to see and also share your thoughts and experiences about touring in Israel with us at Tour With Jack.

For my part, I want to share with you the fun of being a guide: the funny things that happen along the way, the ideas behind the tours, the excitement of new discoveries and interesting stories and ideas I come across from the world of tour-guiding in Israel.

Here's a story from one of my tours. Archaeologists Ronny Reich and Eli Shukrun have been exploring the water systems in Ir David. They have challenged cherished views about the dating of a couple of well known features of Jerusalem’s history. They published evidence to suggest that “Hezekiah’s Tunnel” was built well before the reign of King Hezekiah and maybe 100 years before the Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem. More recently, they have shown that while Herod may have started the building of the Western Wall it was not finished in his reign. Here’s the Israel Antiquities Authority press release with photos.

                                              

Reich and Shukrun came to this conclusion whilst preparing a path for visitors through a water channel that runs under the Second Temple Period street alongside the Temple Mount. Two thousand years ago Jews used it to try to escape from the Romans who were destroying the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.  Now tourists can walk through this channel all the way from Ir David to the corner of the Western Wall. They come out just by Robinson’s Arch where the paving stones were smashed by falling masonry when the Romans destroyed the Temple.

My story took place in June last year – before this water channel was open to the public and before most of us even really thought of such a possibility.  I was with my tourists by Robinson’s Arch explaining about the arch itself, the great staircase it supported and about the 4^th Century inscription on the wall there.  Suddenly, to our surprise, up popped two guys from a hole in the 2^nd Temple pavement and asked if they could borrow a pen!  It was a classic moment.

You never know what will happen next on a tour in Jerusalem. Every day, something new is discovered about the past. Come on a tour and learn more about the amazing history of Israel. Or, let me know what you want to see and we will try to make it happen!