Eliezer Sukenik
Encyclopedia
Eleazar Lipa Sukenik was an Israeli archaeologist and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Having arrived in Palestine
in 1911 he worked as a school teacher and tour guide. He participated in the "War of the Languages
" that erupted among Zionist activists in Palestine in 1913.
He served in the British army in World War I in the 40th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers which became known as the Jewish Legion
. Sukenik was an atheist.
In addition to his important excavations in Jerusalem (including the "Third Wall" and numerous ossuary tombs) he played a central role in the establishment of the Department of Archaeology of the Hebrew University. He recognized the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls
to Israel and worked for the Israeli state to buy them. In 1948, he published an article tentatively linking the scrolls and their content to a community of Essenes, which became the standard interpretation of the origin of the scrolls, a theory that is still probably the consensus among scholars, but has also been widely questioned.
He was the father of soldier, politician and archeologist Yigael Yadin
, the actor Yossi Yadin, and Mati Yadin, who was killed in action during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
.
Having arrived in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in 1911 he worked as a school teacher and tour guide. He participated in the "War of the Languages
War of the Languages
The war of languages was a debate in Ottoman Palestine revolving around the language of instruction in the country's new Jewish schools...
" that erupted among Zionist activists in Palestine in 1913.
He served in the British army in World War I in the 40th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers which became known as the Jewish Legion
Jewish Legion
The Jewish Legion was the name for five battalions of Jewish volunteers established as the British Army's 38th through 42nd Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers...
. Sukenik was an atheist.
In addition to his important excavations in Jerusalem (including the "Third Wall" and numerous ossuary tombs) he played a central role in the establishment of the Department of Archaeology of the Hebrew University. He recognized the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
to Israel and worked for the Israeli state to buy them. In 1948, he published an article tentatively linking the scrolls and their content to a community of Essenes, which became the standard interpretation of the origin of the scrolls, a theory that is still probably the consensus among scholars, but has also been widely questioned.
He was the father of soldier, politician and archeologist Yigael Yadin
Yigael Yadin
Yigael Yadin on 21 March 1917, died 28 June 1984) was an Israeli archeologist, politician, and the second Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.-Early life and military career:...
, the actor Yossi Yadin, and Mati Yadin, who was killed in action during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
.
Further reading
- Goldman, Bernard, The Sacred Portal: a primary symbol in ancient Judaic art, Detroit : Wayne State University Press, 1966. A book on an important synagogue mosaic discovered by Sukenik in 1928.