HP’s Kornfeld Brothers Part of Major Archeological Dig in Israel

In mid-July, the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University announced the discovery of charred wooden beams within a collapsed building in Jerusalem Walls National Park, Ir David. These beams, dated to 586 BCE, are evidence of the First Temple's destruction. The discovery gained local significance in Central New Jersey as brothers Rafi and Gavi Kornfeld from Highland Park participated in the dig. They spent five days collecting pottery and bones, finding ash, charcoal, and plaster from the destruction era. Rafi found a bula and a circular tile, while a colleague found a bronze coin. Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu stated, "The wooden beams burned in the destruction of the First Temple are a silent yet powerful testimony to the presence of the Jewish people in Jerusalem some 2,600 years ago."