First Person: A “Do-er” Dies

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Mendel Kaplan, who died on November 19 of a massive stroke at age 73, was a “do-er”; he would get things done—pronto. He was a do-er long before he became interested in archaeology. He described his family’s journey from Lithuania to South Africa in a book called From Shtetl to Steelmaking. A shtetl is a small Jewish village in eastern Europe. In South Africa the family became wealthy manufacturing steel wire. One of the more popular products of the Cape Gate Fence & Wire Works was gabions, steel netting that could be shaped and filled with readily available stones in underdeveloped countries where they could be used inexpensively to create walls, prevent erosion of slopes and control water flow. Mendel also became active in Zionist affairs, long before he became interested and active in archaeology.

I was unaware of Mendel’s initial involvement in my life, although flattered when I learned of it. Mendel used my book City of David—A Guide to Biblical Jerusalem when he would take prospective benefactors to show them Jerusalem’s secret treasures. My book described in detail the dusty little hillock south of the Temple Mount known then, as now, as ‘Ir David, the City of David, the oldest part of ancient Jerusalem. People then were, and often now are, surprised that the Jerusalem of David and Solomon’s time is outside (and south) of the walls of the Old City. At that time, in the 1970s, ‘Ir David was not marked by a single sign. The only sign—in the Kidron Valley at the base of the hillock—directed the visitor to the grave of Ovadiah of Bartenura, a 15th-century rabbi who wrote an important commentary on the Mishnah.

In a footnote of my book, I decried the failure of the authorities to protect the site. In the text I noted that “with modern equipment it would not be difficult to open” many of the archaeological features of the site.

Mendel did not think small. He decided that the site should be excavated. He gathered a minyan^a of South African family and friends who would support the excavation. He then took the idea to Jerusalem’s legendary mayor, Teddy Kollek, who was, like Mendel, a do-er. Teddy, as he was universally called, assembled a meeting of leading archaeological scholars to meet with Mendel. Many years later, in a festschrift for Teddy, Mendel described this meeting:

Teddy arranged for a meeting of all the interested parties … and asked me for a proposal. I suggested that we commence an archaeological excavation that our family would sponsor to uncover the remains of the City of David. There followed a heated discussion about the feasibility of such a project and whether it might not be best to focus attention on a particular area. Teddy lost his patience, pounded the table and in Hebrew, thinking that I did not understand, said: “Listen—we have a South African willing to spend a large amount of money and all you are doing is putting him off.” To me he turned in English and said: “It is February and before Pesach [Passover] in April, you will receive a positive response.” He was true to his word.¹

Thus was born the largest excavation in the City of David up to that time. Headed 076by Yigal Shiloh of the Hebrew University and funded by Mendel, it lasted for eight years, from 1978 through 1985, until Shiloh tragically became ill and died in 1987 of stomach cancer at 50 years old.

Mendel graciously noted in his account that he had conceived of the excavation project as he walked the site in 1977 with my little book. (Mendel wrote the story in English. It also appeared in a Hebrew translation. There, however, Mendel’s tribute to me was mysteriously omitted. Mendel did not know about it until I mentioned it to him.)

Over the years Mendel and I became friends. He and his lovely wife, Jill, visited Washington, and when I was in South Africa for a Bible conference many years ago, Mendel invited me and BAR’s managing editor Suzanne Singer to Londolozi, a private game reserve, where he had a compound. He grilled a kosher meal for us.

Mendel wanted to write a popular book about the Shiloh expedition. But this became more difficult after Shiloh died and the excavation ended. Mendel later arranged for two different scholars to attempt to write the book, but the task proved more difficult than they had imagined. The project foundered and never came to fruition.

But Mendel never forgot the idea. Years later, Mendel supported a semipopular book by Ronny Reich, who currently codirects the major excavations at the site. The book is about to be published in Hebrew and will appear soon thereafter in English. Of course it will be dedicated to Mendel and include a description of his contributions to Jerusalem archaeology.

My last contact with Mendel involved Ketef Hinnom, “the Shoulder of Hinnom” (Valley), a site in Jerusalem where archaeologist Gaby Barkay had excavated a tomb complex that included an extremely rare undisturbed tomb containing large quantities of jewelry and—mirabile visu et mirabile dictu—two tiny silver amulets inscribed with the oldest Biblical quotations ever found, four centuries older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. The quotations are slight variations of the priestly blessing from Numbers 6:24–26, which is still recited in churches and synagogues all over the world.^b

The site of the discovery, however, was sitting unmarked behind the recently built Menachem Begin Heritage Center. The archaeological site behind the center needed conservation and proper access and information for visitors. Replicas of the amulets could be displayed. If properly presented, the site could teach marvelous lessons about archaeology and the Bible, as well as the later history of Jerusalem down to the Ottoman period.

I called Mendel to involve him in the project. He was enthusiastic. He immediately called a meeting in the office of the then-director of the Begin Center, 078Harry (Zvi) Hurwitz, a former South African and longtime friend of Mendel’s. Harry and his chief assistant, Herzl Makov, were there, as well as Renée Sivan, a leading Jerusalem museum designer, and me. By the end of the meeting everyone had an assignment.

Alas, not long after, Mendel suffered the first of his medical events that finally culminated in his death last November. (Harry, too, has passed away.) The project foundered. Recently, however, a sign has been erected on the site. In time, I predict, the site will be properly presented to the public. It will be a fitting tribute to Mendel’s lasting enthusiasms. Zichrono livracha. May his memory be for a blessing.

Mendel Kaplan, who died on November 19 of a massive stroke at age 73, was a “do-er”; he would get things done—pronto. He was a do-er long before he became interested in archaeology. He described his family’s journey from Lithuania to South Africa in a book called From Shtetl to Steelmaking. A shtetl is a small Jewish village in eastern Europe. In South Africa the family became wealthy manufacturing steel wire. One of the more popular products of the Cape Gate Fence & Wire Works was gabions, steel netting that could be shaped and filled with readily available stones […]