Shiloh, The Resurrection of a Biblical City

My blog friend Leora tagged me on facebook when she posted a link to her post about Notes on Newark and Declining Cities.  When she was at the lecture about declining cities, she thought of Shiloh, where I live.  Shiloh was a great city during Biblical times.  It was the administrative and religious capital of the Jewish People/Nation for 369 years until Eli the High Priest's sons took out the Holy Ark from the Mishkan, Tabernacle and brought it as a "good luck charm" during a battle with the Philistines. The immediate result was its capture and a military loss for the Jewish army.  That caused Eli to die from shock, and after that Shiloh loses its stature.  There are references to Shiloh throughout the Bible after that event but not as the Capital.

The ruins of a synagogue built on a Second Temple synagogue in Shiloh.

In post Biblical times, Moslems and Christians both, in their quest for "identity theft" of Jewish history and geography, built houses of worship in Shiloh.

an old mosque built in Shiloh on a Jewish structure

an old church built on a synagogue

As you can see, Shiloh is a magnet for archeologists and has been ever since the profession began.

Today, the Israeli authorities are in charge, and the chief archeologist is a young woman who has been in Shiloh her entire life.  Her parents were among the very first Jewish families to move to Shiloh just over thirty-five years ago.

Unlike other ancient historical locations, Shiloh is not a dead city.  Shiloh is back with the living!  We have a vibrant growing Jewish community here right next to, a very short walk, or across the road for some, the site of Biblical Shiloh.

look at how close the homes are to the ancient site of Shiloh

Hundreds of Jewish families now live here in Shiloh, where there are stores, clinics and schools.

 

 

Tourists and pilgrims come from all over the world.

For the past few years, I've been organizing women's prayer at Tel Shiloh on Rosh Chodesh.  Next month is Sivan, Friday, May 10, 2013.  If you'd like more information or would like to be added to my mailing list, please email shilohmuse at gmail dot com with "women's prayers Tel Shiloh" as the subject, thanks.

Women's Prayers at Tel Shiloh
Rosh Chodesh Sivan

Friday, May 10, 2013

1 Sivan 5773, 8:30am

Tour of Tel & Dvar Torah, Short Torah Lesson

Please come and invite family, friends and neighbors

תפילת נשים
ראש חודש סיון בתל שילה
יום ו' 10-5 א' סיון תשע"ג 8:30
יהיה דבר תורה קצר וסיור בתל
נא לבוא, לפרסם ולהזמין חברות, משפחה ושכנות

 

For information about Shiloh HaKeduma, Tel Shiloh, contact visit@telshilo.org.il or call 02-994-4019.  They cater to both groups and individual visitors besides running large public events during Jewish Holidays.