Excavation of graves from Talmudic times have been put on
hold for now in Haifa. A large demonstration protesting the
desecration of graves, supposed to have taken place on
Sunday 4 Shevat, was postponed at the last minute when an
agreement was reached stating that excavation would be
postponed until halachic solutions could be found. These
solutions, it was stipulated, would be formulated in
conjunction with the Federation for the Prevention of the
Desecration of Graves.
The protest rally was supposed to take place due to the
refusal by the Yefeh Nof company -- an affiliate of the
Haifa Municipality -- to refrain from excavations near the
old cemetery on Yaffo Street. Tzaddikim and
kedoshim, among them the amora Rav Avrimi
demin Haifa and 300 rishonim from the Baalei
Hatosfos including the Rash of Shantz, are buried on the
site.
In the initial excavations, a number of burial caves were
found that did not disturb the paving of the road. However
on the edges of the old road an underground cave is due to
be excavated, which would result in desecration of ancient
graves.
UTJ representatives on Haifa's Municipal Council, Rabbi
Chaim Williger and Rabbi Aryeh Blitental, together with
Deputy Mayor Moshe Shtetman and Council Member Rabbi Avrohom
Weitzman, prevailed upon Haifa Mayor Amram Mitzna not to
excavate on the site, and to coordinate the work with
members of the Federation for the Prevention of Desecration
to Graves.
At first, Mitzna agreed fully to comply with their requests.
However, on the first of Shevat a meeting with the Yefeh Nof
representatives was inconclusive, and work was slated to
begin Sunday morning.
In large announcements posted in Haifa synagogues, the
Federation issued a call to prevent the desecration, asking
the public to come to the excavation site at 6 a.m. for a
massive shacharis service. The Municipality was
subsequently swamped with calls from the chareidi community
asking that the excavations not take place.
The Federation for the Prevention of the Desecration of
Graves also appealed to Mitzna personally, asking him to
protect the residents of Haifa who lived there from the time
of the Talmud until today, and to find a solution for the
planned pedestrian tunnel that does not involve desecration
of the graves of the ancient kedoshim. They asked him
to respond to the cries of tens of thousands of Haifa
residents who are pained by the desecration of the remains
of our ancients. The announcements said that desecration of
the bones of the ancients also constitutes a terrible danger
to the entire city.
On Friday, representatives of the religious bloc in the
Municipality announced that their request had been accepted,
and that the excavations had been postponed for a week. The
chareidi community is nonetheless continuing to keep an eye
on developments and is prepared to prevent any attempt to
conduct clandestine excavations. "We must be on constant
alert," said one of the devoted activists who is patrolling
the area.
