Jewish Religious Law Does Not Forbid Archaeological Excavations, Even of Graves, Says Prominent Talmudic Scholar

“For the sake of Zion, I will not be silent,” said Ephraim Urbach, chairman of the Jewish affairs section of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, professor at Hebrew University, and one of Israel’s preeminent talmudists, quoting Isaiah 62:1. Writing in the Hebrew language newspaper Ma’ariv, Professor Urbach delivered a scathing attack on Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Shlomo Goren, for the latter’s spurious use of Jewish religious law to interfere in the excavations at the City of David.

“The archaeologists dug at the City of David for three years and no one opened his mouth,” Professor Urbach began. Professor Urbach also accused Rabbi Goren of continuously making “a string of contradictory accusations, surprising halachic decisions (i.e., Jewish religious-legal decisions), and shocking proclamations.”

“Because some people at first claimed that the City of David contained only the graves of the Davidic kings and the prophetess Hulda [and not a medieval cemetery], Rabbi Goren claimed that [the site of the dig] was not the City of David.¹ However, several days later he changed his mind. Trembling, Rabbi Goren shared a thought which, he said, caused him sleep less nights—’Perhaps they will find the graves of the kings or even David’s tomb.’ When asked by an interviewer, ‘Isn’t it accepted that David’s tomb is on Mt. Zion?’ Rabbi Goren smiled and answered that he has never accepted that view.”