Rare archaeological stone seal uncovered in Jerusalem

STEVE LINDE

Seal discovery with Paleo-Hebrew script uncovered from the First Temple period during a recent excavation in Jerusalem.
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The stone seal found in Jerusalem. /  (photo credit: ELIYAHU YANAI/CITY OF DAVID)

A rare stone seal from the First Temple period bearing a winged figure and a name in paleo-Hebrew script – Yehoezer ben Hoshayahu – was discovered recently near the Southern Wall of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount in the Davidson Archaeological Garden during an excavation by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the City of David. The find was announced in a joint press release by the IAA and City of David ahead of the 25th annual City of David Research Conference in Jerusalem on September 4.

“The seal, made of black stone, is one of the most beautiful ever discovered in excavations in ancient Jerusalem and is executed at the highest artistic level,” said excavation directors Yuval Baruch and Navot Rom in the press release. They said the seal had served as an amulet and for signing documents and certificates.

“It has a convex cut on either side, and a hole drilled through its length so that it could be strung onto a chain and worn around the neck. In its center a figure is depicted in profile… with wings, wearing a long striped shirt and striding toward the right.”

The rare seal found in Jerusalem near the West Wall depicting a winged figure. (credit: Israel Antiquities Authority)

According to IAA archaeologist Filip Vukosavovic, “This is an extremely rare and unusual discovery. This is the first time that a winged ‘genie’ – a protective magical figure – has been found in Israeli and regional archaeology.” The seal was probably worn as a symbol of authority around the neck of Hoshayahu, who held a senior position in the Kingdom of Judah’s administration, the researchers said. “It seems that the object was made by a local craftsman – a Judahite who produced the amulet at the owner’s request,” Vukosavovic conjectured.

The hypothesis is that upon Hoshayahu’s passing, his son Yehoezer added his and his father’s names on either side of the figure. The name Yehoezer is mentioned in Chronicles I 12:7 in its abbreviated form – Yoezer, one of King David’s fighters – and in Jeremiah (43:2), which says that a man with a parallel name – Azariah ben Hoshayahu – challenged Jeremiah’s message from God that the survivors of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem should not relocate to Egypt.

Yehoezer could’ve engraved the coin

According to Prof. Ronny Reich from the University of Haifa, “Comparing the shape of the letters and the writing to those of other Hebrew seals and bullae [clay seal impressions] from Jerusalem shows that in contrast to the careful engraving of the genie, inscribing the names on the seal was done in a sloppy manner. It is not impossible that perhaps it was Yehoezer himself who engraved the names on the object.”

Dr. Baruch said the seal is clear evidence of the reading and writing abilities that existed among the populace at the time. “Judah in general, and Jerusalem in particular at that time, was subject to the hegemony of the Assyrian Empire and was influenced by it – a reality also reflected in cultural and artistic aspects,” he said. “That the seal’s owner chose a genie to be the insignia of his personal seal may attest to his feeling that he belonged to the broader cultural context – just like people today in Israel who see themselves as part of Western culture. Yet within that feeling, this Yehoezer also held firmly onto his local identity, and thus his name is written in Hebrew script, and his name is a Hebrew name belonging to Judah’s culture.”

As Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu noted, such proof of Jewish presence in the Holy Land 2,700 years ago, “when the First Temple stood in all its glory,” is awesome. In addition, this rare seal of authority from the distant past should strengthen our faith in the future during these troubled times for Israel, the Jewish people, and the Western world.

Israeli Singer Eden Golan to Perform at UN ‘October Rain’ Song About Hamas Attack Rejected by Eurovision

Shiryn Ghermezian

Eden Golan performing “Hurricane” for Israel at the second semi-final for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest at Malmo Arena on May 9, 2024. Photo: Corinne Cumming/EBU

Eden Golan, Israel’s representative in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, will perform her original song “October Rain” at the United Nations to mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel.

Golan will perform the track at a ceremony on Oct. 7 that will be hosted by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, according to ILTV News. Families of hostages currently being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are expected to attend the event along with Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and diplomats from other countries, the news outlet reported.

The lyrics of “October Rain” reference the Oct. 7 massacre, and in the chorus, Golan sings: “Dancing in the storm/We got nothing to hide/Take me home/And leave the world behind/And I promise you that never again/I’m still wet from this October rain.”

Golan had originally planned to perform “October Rain” at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the contest, rejected the song, deeming it too political. Golan instead competed in the Eurovision with a reworded version of the song that was retitled “Hurricane.”

Golan finished in fifth place in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. She made it to the top five after being booed on stage by anti-Israel protesters, experiencing death threats, and having one of the competition’s jury members refuse to give her points because of his personal opposition to Israel. Golan later revealed that she was forced to wear a disguise outside her hotel during the song competition in Malmo, Sweden, because of the threats she faced by those who opposed Israel’s involvement in the contest.

Shortly after the conclusion of the competition, Golan performed “October Rain” at a rally in Tel Aviv in support of the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Israeli Cyber Expert: Explosives Planted in Hezbollah Pagers in Op Planned Months Before War

Debbie Weiss

An ambulance arrives at a hospital as thousands of people, mainly Hezbollah fighters, were wounded on Sept. 17, 2024 when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Police release bodycam footage of Noa Goldenberg’s arrest amid legal controversy

JERUSALEM POST STAFF

The footage showed Goldenberg fleeing into the water, ignoring an officer and a lifeguard telling her to exit the water for over ten minutes.
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Noa Goldenberg, suspected of throwing sand at Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir on the beach in Tel Aviv seen after a police investigation in Tel Aviv, September 8, 2024. / (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

Police have released body camera footage of the arrest of Noa Goldenberg, who was arrested for throwing sand at sand at National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Walla reported on Tuesday.

Goldenberg was initially arrested following the incident last week, but was granted house arrest following protests calling for her release. 

The court also served her with a restraining order prohibiting her from contacting Ben-Gvir for 30 days.

A police statement revealed that the reason for the footage’s release was to dispel rumors being spread through the media that Goldenberg had been mistreated by police and was questioned in her bikini.

The footage showed Goldenberg fleeing into the water, ignoring an officer and a lifeguard telling her to exit the water for over ten minutes.

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National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at the scene of a stabbing attack in Holon, Israel, August 4, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/RICARDO MORAES)

Additionally, the defendant can be seen in the video wearing clothes, and not a bikini.

“Contrary to her claims, all her rights were meticulously preserved during the arrest,” the statement added.

According to Ynet, Goldenberg is considering legal action following the release of the footage before her trial.

“We are shocked to discover that the Israel Police spokesperson, openly and blatantly, has exposed evidence in a criminal case that only began yesterday, even before it was submitted to the defense.” Nir Elpasa, Goldenberg’s attorney, said.

“We are considering our legal options, including filing a complaint with the Internal Affairs Unit. The Israel Police would do well to ask itself why it is trampling on Noa’s right to a fair trial.”

Israel ‘Very Focused’ on Fighting Hezbollah, Preparing for ‘Offensive Moves’ in Lebanon, IDF Chief Says

Algemeiner Staff

An explosion takes place as Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Zibqin, Lebanon, Aug. 25, 2024, in this still image obtained from a video. Photo: Reuters TV via REUTERS

Israel is “very focused” on waging combat with Hezbollah and preparing for offensive actions against the powerful Iran-backed terrorist group in neighboring Lebanon, the Israeli military chief said on Friday.

“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] is very focused on combat with Hezbollah. I think that the number of strikes in the past month, operatives eliminated, rockets, and infrastructure destroyed is very high,” Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the IDF, announced during a situational assessment and tour at the 210th Division on the border of the Golan Heights.

“The Northern Command, with all of the IDF’s capabilities, is striking a lot of Hezbollah’s capabilities in Lebanon before they can attack us, and at the same time, we are preparing for offensive moves within the arena,” Halevi added. “I think that this combination of very significant strikes on Hezbollah to reduce the threats to the residents in the north, including in the Golan Heights, is very, very significant together with readiness for an offensive going forward that we are very engaged in.”

Hezbollah has pummeled northern Israeli communities almost daily with barrages of drones, rockets, and missiles from southern Lebanon, where it wields significant political and military influence, since the start of the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas in October.

About 80,000 Israelis have been forced to evacuate Israel’s north during that time due to the unrelenting attacks. Most of them have spent the past 11 months living displaced in hotels in other areas of he country.

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said on Thursday that August was the most intense month in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah so far, with more than 1,300 attacks on the Jewish state recorded.

One of the biggest clashes occurred nearly two weeks ago, when Israeli fighter jets destroyed thousands of drones and rocket launchers belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, after detecting an imminent attack on the Jewish state.

Hezbollah, which is Iran’s chief proxy force in the Middle East, subsequently fired some 300 projectiles into Israel.

Several reports have confirmed Israeli claims that Hezbollah was preparing to target Israel with a major barrage. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah stated that the terrorist group carried out its strikes in retaliation for the killing of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, in an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon late last month. Israel claimed responsibility for Shukr’s death.

Israel has been increasingly directing its military focus northward to Hezbollah in Lebanon as it has decimated the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s operational capabilities from Gaza to the south. Like Hezbollah, Hamas also receives significant military and financial support from Iran.

Israeli leaders have said they seek a diplomatic resolution to the conflict with Hezbollah along the border with Lebanon but are prepared to use large-scale military force if needed to ensure all displaced citizens can safely return to their homes.