Saving Jewish History: Volunteers in Action

A quiet spring day in Jericho. The camera captures Shlomo Aviad Neiman, of blessed memory, a resident of Mitzpe Jericho, speaking with distress in front of an unbearable sight: next to a new pomegranate orchard planted by an Arab, who leveled the ground with a tractor for this purpose, a new container was placed. Behind the container, a burial cave from the Hasmonean period was discovered, with human bones scattered disrespectfully on the ground. The boxes containing the remains of deceased Jews for over 2,000 years had already been looted and disappeared.

Northern Samaria: An Arab offender decided to build a parking lot over burial caves. Only the cave entrance and an ossuary are left (Credit: Guardians of Eternity)

Fighting for Heritage

The acts of looting and destruction, mentioned by Aviad Neiman in Jericho, recur in many heritage sites in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. Arabs arrive with tractors and bulldozers, excavate and pave roads, and construct buildings and houses right within monumental historical sites of the Jewish people—among them ancient Samaria, near Herodium, and the aqueducts from the Second Temple period in Gush Etzion, as well as the Hasmonean palace sites where remnants of luxurious palaces, water facilities, ritual baths, and burial caves were discovered. Arabs also loot ancient scrolls and coins from the Second Temple period and the Bar Kokhba revolt, whose historical value is immeasurable, and destroy ancient synagogues.

In 2016, to combat the Palestinian Authority's years-long attempts to erase the history of the Jewish people and its connection to the land, a coalition of organizations to protect Israeli antiquities, 'Guardians of Eternity', was established, initiated by the current chairman, Moshe Gutman. In addition to volunteering with 'Guardians of Eternity', Gutman (46), who resides with his family in the settlement of Kochav Hashachar in Binyamin, works as a research fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security, founded by Meir Ben Shabbat, former head of the National Security Council and senior advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a previous term.

Gutman describes the beginning: "Until 2016, no one, neither the government nor law enforcement authorities, was safeguarding the most important heritage sites in Judea and Samaria from the terrible damage we encountered everywhere. Within the Green Line, the Antiquities Authority protects our heritage sites from looting and destruction. The Civil Administration was supposed to enforce the law against the deliberate devastation of heritage sites in Judea and Samaria, but its people did not do so and acted weakly. Our historical assets belong, first and foremost, to us, but they are also humanity's. Therefore, our preservation and other activities serve a Jewish-Zionist purpose as well as a universal one."

A Second Temple period Hasmonean mikveh uncovered during looting near Jericho (Credit: Guardians of Eternity)

With Hands, Feet, and Hearts

Gutman continues with sorrow about Aviad Neiman, of blessed memory, who fell in battle in southern Lebanon and was one of the first volunteers of 'Guardians of Eternity': "Above all, Aviad was a good friend on a personal level. He was devoted, with every fiber of his being, to holiness and the Land of Israel. Thanks to his courage and dedication, after discovering the wrecked burial cave in Jericho, we immediately informed the Civil Administration. As a result, the Ministry of Religious Affairs took responsibility for the dignified Jewish burial of the sacred remains Aviad discovered: Rabbi Yaakov Reouge, a world expert in the field of identifying fallen soldiers, was appointed to perform a burial ceremony in Kfar Adumim, together with Aviad, for the sacred remains of the Hasmonean priests."

"Aviad and I kept night watches together at the Hasmonean palace site, the last time being two weeks before he was taken from us in heroic battle in Lebanon. During our watches, he brought his children to learn and feel the immense historical significance of the place. Beyond that, he always made sure to bring us all hot soup from his home in Mitzpe Jericho. We will always remember him, and with Hashem's help, we will continue to walk in his light."

Going back to the beginning — what made you say 'no more' and organize to stop the destruction of Jewish history at heritage sites?

"In 2016, seven Arab antiquity looters were caught 'red-handed' in the Cave of Horror in Nahal Tze'elim, a famous cave where many important discoveries, such as coins and papyri from the Second Temple period and the Bar Kokhba revolt, were found. We realized that if we didn't start guarding these important sites, more than 3,000 years of Jewish history could be lost, and future generations of the Jewish people would lose the tangible connection to our land and heritage. That's why it is crucial to win this battle as well."

What do you do on the ground to prevent the destruction of our heritage sites in Judea and Samaria?

"Beyond guarding the sites, we report to the relevant authorities – namely, local councils and law enforcement authorities – about the destruction and looting we discover in the Jewish historical and archaeological sites in Judea and Samaria. We also reached out to the Minister of Heritage, Minister Amichai Eliyahu, as well as the Settlements Directorate in the Ministry of Defense, under the responsibility of Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Led by these two ministers, who wholeheartedly support our activities, we pushed forward a national plan in which even Prime Minister Netanyahu is personally involved. According to this plan, the state will begin conducting large-scale archaeological excavations at heritage sites. Similar to the idea in the phrase 'where the plow passes, there shall be our border', it should be established that where the archaeologist digs, a national park will be set up, where it is legally forbidden to harm."

"Currently, we have rangers in every jurisdiction, along with enforcement units from the Civil Administration. We are setting the wheel in motion; it is up to law enforcement authorities to deal decisively with the criminals, who are exactly like ISIS, and to punish them severely. We are a coalition of civilian organizations assisting the authorities, discovering and publicizing what is happening on the ground, but we do not replace the state, which must take serious responsibility for preserving our history. Currently, the police are not 'inside' satisfactorily, but we demand that they act firmly against the criminals, and that the courts penalize the destroyers harshly."

Aside from the ongoing protection by 'Guardians of Eternity', the volunteers work to bring about the restoration and development of archaeological sites. Their activity at Hyrcania Fortress in the Judean Desert is one example. Even before formal excavations began there in 2023, 'Guardians of Eternity' members found destruction and neglect, with many important findings having been looted. "Arabs dug everywhere, dismantled everything that was there, and scattered bones across the area," Gutman recounts. "We managed to stop the criminal destruction. We arrived in time and enabled archaeologists to uncover a vast historical treasure."