Today the group ventured to three main sites; Umm el Kanatir Synagogue, Nimrod Fortress, and Tel Dan National Park. After a yummy buffet breakfast at our hotel, Nof Ginosar Kibbutz, we made the drive to our first site, venturing around the Sea of Galilee and further into Golan. The Umm el Kanatir Synagogue is dated between the sixth and eighth centuries. Ongoing excavations have revealed a Roman-era Jewish synagogue. The excavation has been overseen by Yehoshua Dray and Haim Ben-David. At this site the group had the unique opportunity to meet with Professor Haim Ben-David, Director of Excavations at Umm El-Kanatir. We heard first hand the process his team went through to excavate the site using newly innovated technologies including a rail based crane system, 3D laser scanning, and a chip encoding system used to identify site artifacts. This site is unique in that the synagogue appears to have been destroyed as the result of an earthquake, leaving behind nearly all relevant pieces of the structure itself. The team’s task was to identify each piece and rebuild the synagogue. As Dr. 
Haim Ben-David described it, this site was “one massive real life puzzle.” This massive puzzle was phenomenal to not only see but to experience through the eyes of the site expert archaeologist. As we continued throughout our day, I personally kept coming back to this puzzle of a site. As we drove throughout the Golan Heights and were reminded of ongoing political conflict between Israel and their neighboring nations of Lebanon and Syria, I couldn’t help but draw a comparison. Just as this archaeology team was seeking to rebuild an ancient synagogue to serve as evidence of Jewish inhabitants in the region dating back centuries, other groups are working to lay claim to this region in other ways. This region is a puzzle with many different pieces of varied cultures, religions, and histories. I’m left with the question of how does one begin to assemble this puzzle?
While at this site we also had the opportunity to hear from a neighbor and friend of Dr. Haim Ben-David, a woman by the name of Efrat. Efrat spoke to the group about her experiences living in an Israeli agricultural community settlement in the Golan Heights, established in 1967. In hearing her perspective, we heard her voice share why this land is important to not only her family but how it represents her religious expression as well. In speaking with her, I heard a 
struggle in her voice as she described the challenges children within her community face in finding employment, leaving home with plans to return someday. Upon leaving this site we stopped at a local Artist Village of a different settlement and were able to see stores and wares from this community. I was left with a sense of sorrow as I gazed across these beautiful hillsides and mountains. Dr. Haim Ben-David has worked with his team to rebuild this synagogue piece by piece locating each individual stone’s exact spot. I couldn’t help but reflect on how many individuals have been displaced as a result of conflict in this region since the time this synagogue was built and how continual conflict in the region has pushed and pulled individuals from their homes just like the stones of this synagogue. How does one rebuild it all?
Following this site visit, we ventured further north nearing the Lebanese and Syrian borders to see the Nimrod Fortress. This is a medieval Muslim castle located on a neighboring slope of Mount Hermon. It sits on a ridge that is nearly 800 m above sea level, overlooking the valleys surrounding it. Nimrod Fortress sits at this strategic location and was used by numerous groups to protect the road to Damascus for hundreds of years. We were able to climb around these ruins and see the inter workings of this secure bastion. From this high point we could look around and see Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, viewing the physical landscape that many different groups have struggled to control over the centuries.
Continuing on, we headed to our last site of the day, Tel Dan National Park. This park houses a beautiful nature reserve and several significant archaeological sites. We were able to see one of the oldest preserved arches ever uncovered, suggesting arch usage dates far earlier than many previously thought. We also were able to see an altar piece referenced in the Hebrew Bible. Towards the end of our walk we were able to see the rushing white waters of the Dan River, providing quite a contrast of environments throughout the day, from mountain tops to river beds.
For those keeping track, we climbed over 64 flights of stairs and completed around 12,000 steps, a terrifically active day! If you are interested in reading about our visit with Dr. Haim Ben-David, the latest issue of Archaeology Digest has an article on the site. You can also visit the excavation website at www.yeshuat.com
Off to Jerusalem tomorrow where we will continue thinking about questions that arose today and so far on this trip.
– Christy Knable