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PLACES IN ISRAEL THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND

Gael Grunewald Michael Even-Esh

Ein Keshatot

Mother of All Symbols

pile of rocks! That’s all you Ben-David, Dray, archaeologist Ilana Mikdash Me’at, our mini-Temple. We
could see here for years; just a Gonen and the Golan Regional Council don’t just pray towards Yerushalayim,
A pile of rocks. Except for a few all came together to make the project but we invoke the Beit HaMikdash itself
archaeologists, guides and hikers, this happen. It began in 2003 with a survey; in our synagogue architecture. If walls
site was way off the beaten path in the afterwards, a huge crane was placed could talk…
Golan Heights. over the rubble. From atop the crane, Compared to others in the area, this
3-D digital photos were made of the
As of now, we don’t know the ancient ancient debris, which allowed an analy- Beit Knesset is large and fancy. How did
name of this site, but today it goes by the sis and interpretation of the ruins. Every the Jewish citizens of this backwater
modern name of Ein Keshatot (“Spring stone had a number and an installed village manage to pay for the construc-
of the Arches”). This name derives from microchip with its “profile.” For two tion and decoration of this magnificent
the site’s Arabic name: Um el-Kanatir seasons, the crane removed more monument? The answer might be found
(literally: “The Mother of Arches”). And than 1,500 stones from the collapsed near the village spring. Two of the
indeed, the village spring still lies under structure. arches stand today over the water that
impressive arches to this day. was used for drinking, home use, and
Then it was time to rebuild! Yehoshua other purposes. But on the western side
Since the 19 century, explorers and “scanned” each stone, and a computer of the spring was an “industrial zone.”
th
scholars have agreed that an ancient program “told” him where it should be The pool here was used, apparently, for
synagogue had been located here, but placed and in which position. In 2018, preparing flax for use in luxury linen
for most visitors, Um el-Kanatir could the site was finally opened to the public. clothes. This wasn’t just any shmatteh
just as well have been called “The It is an absolute masterpiece! enterprise; it was big business!
Mother of all Rubble.” (We know today Today, visitors to Ein Keshatot can enter
that “Ra’ash Shvi’it”, a fierce earthquake the sixth century synagogue, pray the This is only a small part of the fasci-
during the Shmittah year of 749 CE, very words that our ancestors prayed, nating story of Ein Keshatot – its rise
destroyed the village.) and be surrounded by the very same and fall, its discovery, its rebirth, and
its inspiring archaeological finds. But
But then… somebody dared to think stones. But the jewel in the crown of one question remains: why visit here
out of the box! this site is on top of the bima. A mag- davka on Yom HaAtzmaut?
nificent ark complex (“heichalit”) stands
The premier archaeologist in the Golan, in all its glory. Although the wooden Golan resident Effie Eitam (Brigadier
Chaim Ben-David from Moshav Keshet, cabinet that held the Torah scrolls General, res.), said it best: “This entire
came to visit the site with ancient didn’t survive, the stone structure that site is symbolic of the rebirth of the
technology expert Yehoshua Dray. To surrounded it did. And it is a sight to Jewish people and the State of Israel.
paraphrase and condense their con- behold! Look at the heichalit’s pillars For centuries, it was just a pile of stones.
versation, Chaim said: “So what do you and you’ll see the engraved symbols of Nobody believed it could be rebuilt.
think?” And Yehoshua said: “We can a menorah, lulav, etrog and shofar. Nevertheless, a few energetic visionary
do it!” pioneers came and put it back together
But what about that strange-looking
And so for the first time, somebody dustpan-like thing? What’s that? It’s again, stone-by-stone.”
took the very rocks of a destroyed an incense shovel, akin to that in the
synagogue, and built the original Beit Temple in Yerushalayim. This artefact
Knesset, ancient-rock-by-ancient- tells us, without a doubt, that the build- Michael Even-Esh is an outdoor educator,
rock (technically, this process is not ers and decorators of this synagogue cave explorer and snake catcher. He and
called “reconstruction,” but rather were invoking the image of the Beit his family live in Moshav Nov in the Golan
“anastylosis”). HaMikdash. As if to say, this is our Heights. evenesh@gmail.com.

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