Unearthing History: The Kidron Valley Project

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing. Today, we have a special episode that we pulled from our archives.

Just ahead of this year's observance of Tisha B’Av on Sunday, which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples, we are replaying an episode of our former weekly podcast, Times Will Tell, in which we went onsite in Jerusalem to the Temple Mount Sifting Project.

We speak with archaeologist Zachi Dvira, who is the co-director of the project. He’ll explain its controversial genesis and continuing struggle. At the end of our conversation, you'll hear as we wet-sift a bucket of earth taken from the Temple Mount.

Founded in 2004 near the Mount of Olives, it’s now at a location called Mitzpe Hamasuot, near the Hebrew University. The site is easily accessible and has an auditorium and a shady picnic grove, which was made possible with the help of American Friends of Beit Orot.

Dvira calls for all who have not been to help sift through thousands of years of Temple Mount history to "hurry up!"

IMAGE: Visitors sifting buckets of earth from the Temple Mount at the relaunch of the Temple Mount Sifting Project, June 2, 2019. (Yosef Huri)

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