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Foto Friday – In search of the yakhmur

The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, also known as The Biblical Zoo, features animals from the Land of Israel with special emphasis on those species mentioned in the Bible. Many of those Biblical mentions, it should be noted, relate to their consumption. Specifically, defining which animals are considered kosher and listing ten native ungulate (hoofed) species permitted for consumption: “These are the beasts which ye may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat; the ayal, the zvi, and the yakhmur; and the aqqo, the dishon, the teo and the zemer.”(Deuteronomy 14:4-5)

But what are the aqqo, dishon and zemer? A new archaeozoological study conducted jointly by researchers at the University of Haifa and Bar-Ilan University, has examined zoological findings at 133 sites around Israel dating back to the beginning of the biblical period, the late Bronze Age (12th century BCE) and up to the Persian Era (7th century BCE) and is exploring the possible answers to these questions.

According to the researchers, “The first three species have been easily identified, but the rest have been disputed over the years. Besides the fact that there is no species today as the zemer, the names of other species have been translated over time between different languages and only hundreds of years later returned to the Hebrew language, so that the biblical yakhmur and teo were not necessarily the species as we know them today.

“Our archaeozoological findings reinforce the assumption that there is some significance in the order of appearance of each species in the Bible’s list of animals deemed clean for consumption. By arriving at a more precise identification of the animals, we can more confidently confirm that at first domesticated animals are named and following that the verse mentions the animals in order of their importance for human consumption in the biblical Land of Israel,” the researchers stated.

The study was based on the hypothesis that animals described in the Bible existed at the time and place of its writing. “Based on the animal remains that were examined, the zvi mentioned in Deuteronomy includes the mountain gazelle and Dorcas gazelle. The ayal includes the red deer and Mesopotamian fallow deer, which is also a member of the deer family.”

The archaeozoological remains indicate that the aqqo can be identified with the ibex or what is still known as the wild goat.

The biblical dishon has been given various identities over the years, including affiliation with the rhinoceros.

Archaeological remains from the time of the Bible, however, do not show any hint of rhinoceros; the researchers explain that it is most likely to be an Arabian oryx.

The teo mentioned in Deuteronomy is a species that over the years and due to the various translations of the name, has been identified as bison, even though such an animal has also not been found amongst the archaeological remains. The current study suggests that the teo be identified with buffalo, which was a commonly hunted animal in biblical times.

And what was the yakhmur? According to the researchers, an analysis of the biblical text and the animal remains that they examined indicates that the Bible’s yakhmur was in fact an antelope of the hartebeest species, a large African antelope that became extinct in Israel but is still found in eastern Africa.

Finally, the zemer has also been given various identities in translation, including the giraffe. This is a highly unlikely identification of the zemer, seeing as here too, there is no hint of archaeological remains of giraffes in the biblical land of Israel. Based on their new analysis, the researchers propose that this species is a member of the ibex family.

Not that anyone’s going to make a meal of him but that’s still probably a relief to the latest addition to the Biblical Zoo, a baby giraffe who was born last week. The tot is only a mere 2 meters tall and both baby and mother are doing well.

Foto Friday – Tel Aviv Water War 2011

Every community has its traditions that stand convention on its head. Crunchy granola hippies have Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. Educated Ivy Leaguers have International Talk Like A Pirate Day. And here in the arid, sun-parched Middle East, on the first July of the year, Tel Aviv holds its annual Water War.

For seven years running, the Water War has turned Rabin Square into a soggy mess o’ fun, as young and old run around in bathing suits, jump in the fountain and drench one another with bottles, buckets, balloons and water guns filled with H2O.

It may seem odd for a country with a ongoing drought to engage in this activity. Indeed, there have been efforts on the part of the Water Authority to cancel the event. But the Water Warriors maintain that the water used in battle is drawn only from the Rabin Square fountain, the logic apparently being that it’s God-given purpose is to moisten the corpus Tel Avivorum.

And apparently that is so. The TLV Water War is reportedly the world’s biggest water fight.

Photographer Guy Prives has been documenting the event and this year was moved to put together a slide show featuring the Women of the Water War. (I am assured there are men there as well).

Channel 2 News also felt the event was clip-worthy and blogger Erin Amsili has posted more great photos of Water War 2011 showing Rabin Square in all its watery glory — definitely worth a look.

This clip is from last year but the theme remains the same: there’s no end to the summer fun in “The City That Never Stops”.

An eternal home in Israel

I’ve been spending a lot of time recently in the Holon civilian cemetery, a huge monstrosity on the Bat Yam-Holon border, not to be confused with the Holon military cemetery a few miles away.

It’s not due to any affinity for cemeteries, but due to the deaths – three months apart of my aunt and uncle, both well into their 90s. Though they resided in the US, their hearts were always in Israel, and over two decades ago, while in their 70s, they bought twin plots in the Holon cemetery, close to relatives of my uncle, who was born in Lithuania and spent many years in pre-state Palestine before leaving for the US where he met my aunt.

Since they never had children, it was up to their closest family members – myself and my uncle’s cousins – to oversee the flights of the bodies to Israel, liaise with the Hevrat Kadisha (the burial authority in Israel) and take care of the funerals. Thankfully, a close family friend living in their hometown of Brookline, Mass. took care of everything on the US side, making everything run much more smoothly than expected.

You need a road map to get around the cemetery, which is more massive than any I have previously been exposed to, including the monolithic Givat Shaul cemetery in Jerusalem.
But, in a country where bureaucracy manages to delay the most mundane tasks, the ordeal of flying deceased family members to Israel for burial was one of the most snag-free endeavors I’ve ever undertaken here. From El Al to the hevrat kadisha, everyone was accommodating and gracious.

While they never realized their dream of returning to Israel to live, my aunt and uncle are here now, lying side by side under the ground they cherished so much. They were inseparable in life, and now they’re inseparable for eternity.

Foto Friday – Up in the air with Ron Gafni

Ron Gafni looks down on Israel. Not in a snobbish way but rather as one of Israel’s leading aerial photographers where he is one of the lucky few who have managed to turn a passion for photography, flying and hot air ballooning into a career.

Through his company, Skypics, Gafni has published a series of books — photo-maps, 3-D images and the perennially popular “Israel From Above” — and recently held an exhibit of large-format photos featuring some of his most popular subjects.

There are historical sites, such as the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth…

Nahalal, Israel’s first moshav (cooperative farming settlement)…

Natural wonders like the Negev Desert’s Makhtesh HaKatan…

And modern miracles…

More information about Ron Gafni’s work is available at the Skypics site.

Life in Israel is a beach

In Israel, there’s a short time period between the winter and the summer – lasting about four or five days. One day it’s cold and windy and before you can say ‘spring,’ everybody’s headed to the beach.

Unfortunately, no sooner do we indulge in our vast expanse of beautiful coastline, then a few elements arrive making a dip in the water somewhat of a perilous endeavor.

First of all, the jellyfish (medusa) season begins, with bigger and spikier species seemingly arriving on the shores of the Mediterranean each year. Evading the giant blobs is only half the battle, as their poison permeates the water, giving sensitive bathers a stingy, swollen feeling even if you don’t come in direct contact with them.

Secondly, the strong summer winds often mean that the black flags come out in force, restricting the official bathing areas to the size of a Jacuzzi at some beaches.

Despite the obstacles, though, Israeli beaches are among the nicest and most inviting anywhere and offer a wide variety of from the pristine North with Achziv, heading down through Tel Aviv which epitomizes beach culture and on down to Ashkelon and Ashdod. When the Mediterranean has too many bathers or jellyfish, there’s also the Red Sea near Eilat and The Dead Sea for the mud and salt crowd.

ISRAEL21c provides a nice overview of the country’s top 10 beaches that provides a guide to watering holes around the country. We’re headed to a pre-Shabbat family barbecue tomorrow at our own favorite beach spot – just north of Cinema City on the Ramat Hasharon-Herzliya border. But don’t tell anybody.

 

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  Israel is often seen as a place of conflict and strife. In reality there is much more: there's business and research; art and culture; community and family. At ISRAELITY, Israelis blog their daily thoughts, experiences and insights. It's the real Israel, not the media's Israel. It's people living ordinary lives in an extraordinary place.

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