For the first time, the Israel Antiquities Authority is publicly showcasing the devastating story of the Hamas October 7 massacre through the eyes of its archaeologists in the Alejandro Weinstein Crenovich Exhibition, “Rising from the Ashes: Archaeology in a National Crisis.”
The exhibit, which opened this week at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem, displays the extraordinary and unprecedented involvement of the IAA in documenting the modern destruction caused by the Israel-Hamas War.
Archaeologists, typically engaged in interpreting ancient sites, found themselves operating under unique and tragic circumstances: sifting through the rubble of ravaged kibbutzim, burnt homes, charred vehicles, and the Nova music festival complex.
“This exhibition relates the story from the point of view of the Israel Antiquities Authority,” explained project director Leora Berry.
“Professionals who developed their skills and tools to engage in interpreting ancient archaeology found themselves digging amongst the rubble of just-destroyed houses. Through their unique expertise, they were able to see and identify the scant human remains, thus restoring these people’s faces, names, and memory.”
The archaeologists’ meticulous work, in cooperation with the IDF, brought closure to bereaved families by locating 16 missing persons whose whereabouts were unknown.
Valuable personal objects were also recovered, providing crucial evidence of their owners’ fate. For instance, Stav Miles received jewelry made by her late mother, Yona Fricker, which she plans to wear on her wedding day. The family of the deceased Shani Gabay also received definitive proof of her fate after her necklace with a pendant was discovered at the very spot where she was believed to have been murdered.
Beyond locating missing individuals, the IAA, in collaboration with the Heritage Ministry and the Tekuma Directorate initiative, established a national documentation project.
This initiative involves creating “digital twins” – 3D models of the destruction sites in the Gaza border communities – using advanced technologies initially developed for documenting large ancient archaeological sites.
The documentation project aims to ensure that the horrors of the October 7 massacre remain etched in the nation’s collective memory. Its mission is to see to it that the evidence is never lost, even when the Gaza border community region recovers and rebuilds.
Featuring advanced sensory and technological displays, the exhibition includes a wall with photographs of recovered items that respond to visitor movement, displays of the original tools used on site, and screens allowing for a detailed exploration of the 3D models of destruction.
Multi-layered audio-visual media, narration, and live visual presentations provide visitors with an immersive experience, making the story a personal and collective journey of documentation and memory.
Opening the exhibition on Tisha B'Av
Eli Escusido, the director of the IAA, discussed the timing of the exhibition’s opening.
“We deliberately chose to open the ‘Rising from the Ashes’ exhibition precisely around this period, when the nation of Israel marks the fast of Tisha B’Av on the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, the day of the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, which corresponds to and reflects the savage destruction suffered by the Gaza border communities in our own time,” Escusido said.
“It is our duty as the Israel Antiquities Authority to preserve, document, and ensure the survival of the memory of the most difficult episodes in our history, from which we must grow and learn,” he added. “The Jewish people has always known how to rise from pain, even after the most severe destruction.”
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu praised the initiative as “an act of deep preservation, not only of stones, but of spirit.”
He noted that in this challenging time, the IAA, working with the Heritage Ministry and the Tekuma Directorate, “chose to realize and actualize its mission in new ways: to document the destruction, collect the fragments, and then transform them into the building blocks of our national memory.”
Eliyahu continued, “As a people who returned to their country after years of exile, we know that the powers of the spirit and memory are truly the cornerstones of revival.”
The exhibit was produced by the AVS Creative Visual Solutions company. Designed as an emotional and reflective journey, the exhibition is not intended for children. Tours are open only to groups and are accompanied by professional and sensitive guidance. Public tours at the center will begin on August 6.