Israeli Soldier Discovers Rare 1,800-Year-Old Coin
A rare coin bearing the head of the Roman emperor Antonius Pius and dating from 158-159 C.E. was found during a training exercise by an Israel Defense Forces soldier on the southern end of Mount Carmel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said. The coin, found by Ido Gardi, is one of very few such objects that have been discovered in Israel, according to the IAA.
The coin is one of the municipal coins minted in the city of Geva Philippi, also known as Geva Parashim. In the Roman period, cities were granted the right to mint their own coins.
Unearthed Purple Fabric Dates To Days Of David And Solomon
The color purple appears several times in the Bible, usually in a robe draping one of the kings of ancient Israel. But the search for an authentic artifact dyed the royal color from the time of King David has always proved elusive. No longer. Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority, Bar Ilan University, and Tel Aviv University said they had identified pieces of fabric dyed “true purple,” dating to the 10th century BCE, when David and Solomon ruled in Jerusalem. The scraps were discovered by archaeologists working in the Timna Valley.
The majority of ancient textiles excavated around the world were dyed with colors derived from plants. But the purple dyes in the Timna Valley find were made from the secretions of mollusks, regarded as more prestigious, equal to the wearer’s high economic and social status.
To determine which mollusk species produced the dyes found on the Timna textiles and how the various hues were created, researchers identified dry molecules belonging to specific sea mollusk species, and extracted tiny amounts of dyestuff from thousands of mollusks.
Auction House Suspends Sale of Jewish Burial Records
In 1944, the Nazis deported 18,000 or so Jews from the city of Cluj-Napoca in what is now Romania to the death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Nearly all perished, books and records disappeared, and scant trace of a once-vibrant community remained.
But in February, a rare relic of Cluj’s Jewish past surfaced. Kestenbaum & Company, a Brooklyn auction house that specializes in Judaica offered for sale a bound memorial register of Jewish burials in the city between 1836 and 1899.
At the request of the Jewish Community in Cluj and the World Jewish Restitution Organization, the auction house withdrew the register. The register is handwritten in Hebrew and Yiddish. It was spotted online by a genealogy researcher who alerted Robert Schwartz, president of the Jewish Community of Cluj. “Very little belonging to the community survived WWII,” Schwartz told The New York Times. “It’s surprising that the book surfaced at auction, because no one knew anything about its existence.”
The community is attempting to rebuild. The Neolog Synagogue, the only one of the three synagogues there that is still used as a Jewish place of worship, is undergoing renovation and will house a small museum, Schwartz said. “This document could be valuable as a key exhibit,” he said, noting its importance for the history of the community.
Daniel Kestenbaum, founding chairman of the auction house, said that the consignor is “a scholarly businessman,” who has agreed to discuss the matter with the restitution organization.
United Arab Emirates Swears In The First Ambassador To Israel
In an official ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 15, in the presence of Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, Mohammad Mahmoud Al Khajah was installed as the first ambassador to Israel.
Al Maktoum wished Al Khajah “much success,” and urged him “to work to achieve friendly and cooperative relations with Israel.” Al Khajah pledged to carry out his job “with integrity and sincerity
On Sept. 15, Israel and the UAE signed the normalization agreement known as the Abraham Accords. Normalization agreements were signed also between Israel and Sudan and Israel and Morocco.
On Jan. 24, Israel’s foreign ministry announced the opening of an official diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi. Israel’s ambassador to Turkey, Eitan Na’eh, was appointed to head the temporary mission until a permanent ambassador is appointed.
One Of The World’s Oldest Esther Scrolls Comes Home
Just in time for Purim, one of the world’s oldest known Esther scrolls has been gifted to the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, home to the world’s largest collection of textual Judaica.
Scholars have determined that the newly received Esther scroll was written by a scribe on the Iberian Peninsula around 1465, prior to the Spanish and Portuguese Expulsions at the end of the 15th century.
The megillah is written in brown ink on leather, in an elegant Sephardic script, which resembles that of a Torah scroll. The first panel, before the text of the Book of Esther, includes the traditional blessings recited before and after the reading of the megillah, and attests to the ritual use of this scroll in a pre-Expulsion Iberian Jewish community.
Come Schmooze With Us
After nine months, we can say without a scintilla of modesty that we have birthed a success. Folks tell us all the time how much they enjoy The Schmooze that arrives weekly in each reader’s inbox. The videos — from the ridiculous to the sublime — and the contributions of members and friends make our schmooze your schmooze, our success your success.
We invite all members and friends to keep up the good work. Let us hear from you — your thoughts, your poems, your photos, whatever you would like to share with other Schmoozers. What have you got to say? Schmoozers want to know…
Please send your contributions to jkweiner@icloud.com or sbblazer@hotmail.com.
Danish Court Rules Against Jewish Heirs For Kandinsky Work
In a decision watched closely by restitution experts, a court in Amsterdam has ruled that the Stedelijk Museum can retain a Wassily Kandinsky painting that it acquired during WWII from a Jewish collection.
The 1909 work, “Painting With Houses,” has been the focus of a restitution battle that has been viewed as a litmus test for Dutch restitutions policy. Critics of the Netherlands’ approach say the case represents an attempt by the Dutch to weigh the interests of its museums over justice for the victims of Nazi looting and their heirs.
The pre-war owners of the Kandinsky were a Jewish couple, Robert Lowenstein and Irma Klein. Alex Hagedorn, the Dutch lawyer representing the claimants, said he would appeal the decision.
Get Social