Stamp with Temple menorah uncovered near Akko

The tiny stamp was used in the 6th century to identify baked products and it probably belonged to a bakery that supplied kosher bread to the Jews of Akko in the Byzantine period.

A 1,500 year old stamp bearing an image of the seven-branched Temple Menorah was discovered near the city of Akko. The tiny stamp was used in the 6th century to identify baked products and it probably belonged to a bakery that supplied kosher bread to the Jews of Akko in the Byzantine period.

The excavations are being conducted at Horbat Uza east of Akko on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

This find belongs to a group of stamps referred to as "bread stamps" because they were usually used to stamp baked goods. According to Gilad Jaffe and Dr. Danny Syon, the directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "A number of stamps bearing an image of a menorah are known from different collections. The Temple Menorah, being a Jewish symbol par excellence, indicates the stamps belonged to Jews, unlike Christian bread stamps with the cross pattern which were much more common in the Byzantine period."

According to Syon, "This is the first time such a stamp is discovered in a controlled archaeological excavation, thus making it possible to determine its provenance and date of manufacture. The stamp is important because it proves that a Jewish community existed in the settlement of Uza in the Christian-Byzantine period. The presence of a Jewish settlement so close to Akko - a region that was definitely Christian at this time - constitutes an innovation in archaeological research". The excavators add, "Due to the geographical proximity of Horbat Uza to Akko, we can speculate that the settlement supplied kosher baked goods to the Jews of Akko in the Byzantine period."

The stamp is engraved with a seven-branched menorah atop a narrow base, and the top of the branches forms a horizontal line. A number of Greek letters are engraved around a circle and dot on the end of the handle. Dr. Leah Di Segni, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem suggested this is probably the name Launtius. This name was common among Jews of the period and also appears on another Jewish bread stamp of unknown provenance. According to Dr. Syon and Gilad Jaffe, "This is probably the name of the baker from Horbat Uza."

Horbat Uza is a small rural settlement where clues were previously found that allude to it being a Jewish settlement: a clay coffin, a Shabbat lamp and jars with menorah patterns painted on them were discovered there.

Dr. David Amit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who has made a study of bread stamps, adds, "A potter engraved the menorah image in the surface of the stamp prior to firing it in a kiln, whereas the owner's name was engraved in the stamp's handle after firing. Hence we can assume that a series of stamps bearing the menorah symbol were produced for Jewish bakers, and each of these bakers carved his name on the handle, which also served as a stamp. In this way the dough could be stamped twice before baking: once with the menorah - the general symbol of the Jewish identity of Jewish bakeries, and the private name of the baker in each of these bakeries, which also guaranteed the bakery's kashrut.

(Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

_________________________

January 4, 2012

2011 CAPITAL INVESTMENT IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY:

INITIATIVES FOR HOTEL CONSTRUCTION IN ISRAEL CONTINUE TO RISE

OVER THE LAST YEAR, THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM APPROVED 210.5 MILLION NIS IN GRANTS OUT OF A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF 1.1 BILLION NIS; 1340 ADDITIONAL HOTEL ROOMS WERE BUILT IN 2011

Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov: "The Ministry of Tourism will continue in the coming year to increase and vary the hotel market with incentives for entrepreneurs. These initiatives are intended to increase thousands of new hotel rooms throughout the country that will encourage competition and reduce prices, thus making Israel a more attractive tourism destination for Israelis and incoming tourists."  

Throughout 2011, 1340 new hotel rooms were constructed in Israel. End of the year statistics for capital investment in tourism suggest that the Ministry of Tourism granted 210 million NIS for various tourism projects, out of a total investment of over one billion NIS in 2011.

Most of the grants provided by the Ministry of Tourism went toward the establishment, expansion and renovation of 40 hotels throughout Israel (204.5 million NIS), including 22 new hotels in Jerusalem, Haifa, Tiberias, Acre, Safed and more. Today, the total number of hotel rooms in Israel is 48,340.

In addition, at the end of the year, 6.2 million NIS were granted toward new tourism attractions, out of a total investment of 62.6 million NIS. Over the last few months, the Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov, agreed with the Ministry of Finance to provide grants for new attractions; this is following eight years in which these grants were frozen. In the coming year, the budget for tourism attractions will amount to 10 million NIS.

The aid granted by the Ministry of Tourism to entrepreneurs and investors is part of the Law to Encourage Capital Investment. Grants for each project can be up to 20% of the total investment, according to specified criteria and the National Tourism Preference Map which was recently expanded in an agreement with the Ministry of Finance and includes Eilat, Jerusalem, Netanya, Haifa, greater Nazareth, Beit She'an Valley, the Golan and Galilee. Grants given toward tourism attractions amount to 10% of the total investment. Due to the high demand for accommodation in Jerusalem over the last few years alongside the lack of supply, grants given toward hotels in Jerusalem amount up to 28% of the total investment.

In 2012, the Ministry of Tourism's investment budget will amount to 200 million NIS, which is expected to help establish 2,000 new hotel rooms by the year 2013.

(Courtesy of Israel Ministry of Tourism)