City Notes: New mosaics uncovered in ancient Galilee village

Archeologists discovered what they described as “stunning” mosaics while excavating the Late Roman synagogue in Hukok – an ancient Jewish village in the Lower Galilee.

By TAMARA ZIEVE
New mosaics discovered in synagogue excavations in Galilee (photo credit: Jim Haberman)
New mosaics discovered in synagogue excavations in Galilee
(photo credit: Jim Haberman)
NORTHArcheologists discovered what they described as “stunning” mosaics while excavating the Late Roman synagogue in Hukok – an ancient Jewish village in the Lower Galilee – the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) announced last week.
UNC professor Jodi Magness is directing the excavations together with Shua Kisilevitz of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and UNC staff and students are participating in the work. The university is sponsoring the dig, as are Brigham Young University in Utah, Trinity University in Texas, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Toronto in Canada and the University of Wyoming.
Last summer, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced that an archeological dig had found a mosaic floor describing the biblical story of Samson and a Hebrew inscription in the synagogue. A year later, archeologists found another mosaic depicting Samson carrying the gate of Gaza on his shoulders, alongside riders on horses, seemingly representing Philistines, according to the announcement.
“The discovery of two Samson scenes in the Hukok synagogue suggests that it was decorated with a Samson cycle – the first such cycle known in Israel,” said Magness, Kenan distinguished professor in the religious studies department at UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences.
“A cycle is a series of scenes about Samson, in which different episodes relating to Samson are depicted,” she explained. “It might depict a triumphal parade or perhaps a martyrdom story based on Maccabees 1-4, in which case it would be the first example of an apocryphal story decorating an ancient synagogue.”
Apocryphal books are those not included in the canon of the Hebrew Bible, she explained.
Excavations are expected to continue in the synagogue next summer.
Workers find handgun, ammunition in kindergarten
Construction workers doing renovation work at a kindergarten in Akbara on Monday discovered a handgun and ammunition on the premises.
The workers alerted the police, who launched an investigation into the incident. Akbara is a small village near Safed.
Taxi driver, Safed man arrested due to wife’s hoax
A taxi driver and a Safed resident were arrested over the weekend after the latter’s wife complained that the former had threatened and assaulted her.
The 19-year-old woman told her husband that on her way home from a friend’s house the driver had threatened her with a knife, assaulted her and threatened to rob her. Her husband then went to the local taxi station, where he allegedly threatened the dispatcher with a knife, and threatened to stab the taxi driver in question.
Police then arrested both the husband and the accused taxi driver. Following the woman’s testimony and an investigation, however, it was revealed that the woman had made a bet with her friend over who could trick her husband better. After this story emerged, police conditionally released the husband and the taxi driver, and opened a criminal file on the woman, on suspicion of giving a false confession.
CENTER
Nighttime buses start running nationwide
Transportation Minister Israel Katz launched nighttime bus lines connecting some 65 cities across the country last week, following their success in recent years. Fifty-six lines that will run until 4 a.m. throughout the week went into operation as highschool students finished the school year and summer vacation began. The service provides young people with a safe and cost-effective method for traveling to and from events, without the expense of fuel, parking and taxis, and without the dangers of drunk driving and hitchhiking.
This year, four lines were eliminated in areas where there was no demand, and 11 new ones were added in areas including Dimona, Arad, Nahariya, Tiberias, Kochav Yair and Efrat.
“This is a national project of the utmost importance,” Katz said. “The contribution that the nighttime lines make in decreasing traffic accidents proves their effectiveness. Every accident avoided is a sign of success. We will continue to expand and improve the nighttime lines all over the country to ensure that the young people of Israel will go out and return home safely, at an affordable price.”
The Transportation Ministry’s deputy director for public transportation, Dror Ganon, added that “last year, some 650,000 youngsters used the nighttime lines, and they are still going strong this year. The main purpose of the service is to save lives, and data from previous years have shown that the nighttime lines are doing a good this job.”
There is also expected to be a mobile phone app that will allow customers to locate the nocturnal line closest to them and view their route of travel, a list of stops and expected times of arrival. The app will track the travel-time changes in real time.
TA -Jaffa fighting bike theft with new docking stations
The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality, in cooperation with municipal company Ahuzot Hahof, has begun installing bicycle docking facilities in parking lots around the city in an effort to deter bike thieves. The facilities will enable cyclists to lock their bikes in organized areas with illuminated entrances and exits, and that usually have security guards on duty or security cameras filming.
In addition to helping prevent bike theft, a gradual shift toward leaving bikes in parking lots will free up the sidewalks for pedestrians.
There are due to be bike stations in parking lots by the Sheraton, Hatahana compound, the Irgun Museum, the Carmel Market and Ganei Yehoshua, among other places.
The initiative is the latest step in implementing alternative transportation solutions to private vehicles, so as to reduce clutter, noise and air pollution on the roads and to contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
“The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality has not stopped seeking ways to optimize transportation and parking in the city and to provide alternative and healthy solutions,” said Mayor Ron Huldai. “Tel Aviv-Jaffa has become a city of bicycles, and people increasingly view them as legitimate, convenient and efficient methods of transportation.”
SOUTH
Eilat holds ‘Safe Summer’ program for youth
Eilat launched a program of activities this week to entertain the southern city’s youth and young visitors over the long summer vacation. Among the activities will be nightly sporting events on municipal grounds, including swimming, and a tent complex on the promenade offering alternative activities. The program, dubbed “Safe Summer,” will continue for six weeks, until mid-August.
Throughout July, sports activities will take place at the Collier Community Center on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on those days, the ice rink will be open for use, free of charge. Additionally the climbing wall will be open to children between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., and to youth and adults between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., for a nominal fee of NIS 15.
Meanwhile, the tent complex – open from July 21 to August 13 – will offer support and advice under the slogan “Have a cold drink and talk about what’s hot.” The tents will be on the Queen of Sheba promenade and will be open every day from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Youth workers and professionals will offer youngsters a variety of activities, and will lend an ear to listen to their problems. Visitors will be able to enjoy refreshments, board games and art activities.
Leaflets will be distributed in major cities offering information about the range of activities being run, as well as crucial information for emergencies, including important phone numbers and instructions.
The “Safe Summer” program is running for its seventh year, as part of an anti-violence program the Eilat Municipality is running in cooperation with the youth wing of the local community centers’ network, the social services department, the Israel Anti-Drug Authority and the Jewish Agency. The Welfare and Social Services Ministry’s national program for atrisk youth and children is also supporting the program, which aims to fill youngsters’ leisure hours with positive, quality activities and minimize the temptation to get into trouble. Supervisors, parent patrols, social workers and non-formal educators will also be working through the summer for the welfare and safety of the youth.