A 6-ton stone from the Western Wall was placed in a huge archaeological garden established in the Kirya in Tel Aviv.

September 12, 2016   

 The largest archaeological park in the country, established as a joint initiative of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, and the Israel Defense Forces, was inaugurated this evening (Monday) at the Kirya base in Tel Aviv.

The display in the garden shows dozens of details from major cities in the ancient world, one of which is a stone from the Western Wall that weighs about 6 tons. It is not clear who authorized the transfer of the stone from the remains of the Temple to the base in Tel Aviv.

The garden's inauguration ceremony was attended by Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority Israel Hasson, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Defense Brigadier General (res.) Roni Moreno, and senior officials in the IDF and the Antiquities Authority. The Authority's Director, Israel Hasson, said: "The Antiquities Authority seeks to bring the soldiers - our future generation - closer to their past. The display, which we established at the epicenter of the military's activities, brings to the daily lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and visitors to the site a reminder that spans thousands of years of history, that we are part of a magnificent chain of life." "The establishment of the display is being done within the framework of the Authority's policy of bringing the public closer to heritage, whether by establishing displays in public spaces, or by involving soldiers, students of pre-military preparatory schools, and youth in archaeological excavations." Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, Ze'ev Elkin: "The importance of our heritage being present at the heart of the Kirya base in Tel Aviv, where all the senior officers of the IDF pass through, constitutes another layer of national resilience, which stems from the knowledge of our heritage and the deep understanding of every soldier and officer that our future is based on our past and heritage here in the Land of Israel." Ayelet Gruber, curator of the exhibition on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority: "In a bustling place like the Kirya base, which is located in the heart of the city without interruption - the center of the economy, culture and art in Israel, we were asked to establish an archaeological exhibition that would deal with the place of the city in human culture - and the development of the urban space." According to her, "The exhibition presents the story of the ancient cities in the Land of Israel, the oldest of which were founded about 5,000 years ago - and some of which still exist today. "A display of stones that came from the earth, and hold the content of memory, history and culture, precisely in a place where contemporary architecture exists in its full strength, creates - in my opinion - a thought-provoking dialogue between the past, the present and the future.".