Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu tapped Esther Shreiber, CEO of the INEXTG Group, to be the next director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which would make her the first woman to ever serve in the position.
Her appointment will soon be submitted for approval by the IAA’s council and the government.
Eliyahu’s decision was made after a thorough selection process by committee that examined dozens of candidates for the role, according to the statement.
The committee was chaired by Itai Granek, Director-General of the Heritage Ministry, and included IAA Council Chair Joshua Shwartz, former Wix Vice President Batsheva Moshe, former Rehovot Municipality Director-General Moshiko Erez, and IAA archaeologist Prof. Avi Solomon.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in the History of the Jewish People from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a master’s degree with honors in Public Administration and Policy from the University of Haifa, and is a Stern Prize recipient for studies of the Second Temple period.
Mixing politics with archaeology could harm Israel's standing
In a Wednesday interview with Ynet, Aharon Meir, an archaeologist and professor with Bar-Ilan University’s Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology Department, noted that while he personally congratulates Shrieber on her appointment, there is concern among those in the archaeological community that she is “not suitable for the position” and was not chosen for “objective, professional and impartial reasons.”
According to him, there were at least three more suitable candidates, each with archaeological background and “proven abilities at the level of managing government ministries,” who were passed over.
It is important to note that, like Shrieber, neither current IAA Director Eli Escozido, nor his predecessor, former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) deputy director Israel Hasson, have backgrounds in archaeology either.
“According to the committee, she ran a Chabad-related organization in the field of bringing hearts closer [to Judaism] and returning to repentance, and nothing more," Meir told Ynet.
He noted that while he is not privy to the protocols and the selection process, he believes that Shrieber was chosen because she is “more suitable for the Minister of Heritage's agenda” and warned that introducing political and ideological considerations into the IAA’s work could harm Israel’s international standing within the field of archaeology.
Further, Meir explained in the interview that the tension between Eliyahu and Escozido is well known within the archaeological community and has been reflected in the IAA not receiving its full state-designated budget.
Addressing the widespread backlash regarding Shreiber's appoitnment, Eliyahu slammed the crirics in a Wednesday post to X/Twitter, explaining that Shreiber is a "professional who knows full well the meaning of every pottery shard that emerges from this soil."
"In addition, Mrs. Shreiber is also a manager who led an organization of 700 employees with a budget of over 100 million shekels per year while proving that she knows how to take a vision and turn it into reality."
He wished Shreiber luck in the new position "despite the mockers. And despite the slanderers. We trust you in your mission to propel the Israel Antiquities Authority from the past, into the future. Your success is the success of the entire Jewish people."