Leading archaeologist to discuss ‘Uncovering the Holy Land’ at Temple Emanu-El

Sacred writings have always been central to Judaism, giving us a rich and powerful tradition that has sustained us over many centuries. But as historical records, they often leave us with a narrow impression of the past. Scribes and rabbis weren’t concerned with history as we know it.

This is especially a problem for ancient times, when the paper trail is exceedingly thin. Archeologists fill that gap. They’ve worked painstakingly with the long-buried remains at ancient sites and have come up with some remarkable findings.

One of the leading archaeologists of the ancient Jewish world is Jodi Magness, a professor at the University of North Carolina. She’s coming to Temple Emanu-El, in Providence, for its annual educational weekend, April 15-17. Her series of talks, all on Zoom, will center on “Uncovering the Holy Land: Archaeology of Israel’s Ancient Synagogues, Mosaics and More.” Her scheduled visit last year had to be postponed due to the pandemic.

Her first talk, April 15, is the evening of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, when she’ll survey the synagogues in the land before the Muslim conquest in 637 CE. With slides on Masada, Capernaum, Hammath Tiberias and Beth Alpha, she’ll discuss the origins and development of these gathering places. This talk is part of the community-wide celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut and is co-sponsored by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island.

On Friday, April 16 at 6 p.m., just before Shabbat begins, she’ll speak on the mosaic panels at the synagogue in Huqoq in northern Israel near Tiberias. She’ll discuss the depiction of Samson, which is the focus of her current research. This talk is part of Temple Emanu-El’s Shabbat Chai Kabbalat Shabbat service, which includes an optional take-home dinner that can be picked up at the temple for a small fee. For her third and final talk, on Saturday, April 17 after Havdalah at 8:20 p.m., she’ll speak in-depth on the findings at Huqoq.

All of the presentations are free and open to the community. To order dinner, please register on the Temple’s website at teprov.org. You can find the links to the talks on that website as well, or call the temple at 401-331-1616.

JOHN LANDRY lives in Providence and serves on Temple Emanu-El’s adult education committee.