Although it excluded the Patriarchs’ Cave and Rachel’s Tomb from its list of national heritage sites, the Israeli government has decided to recognize Tel Shiloh, an archeological site in the Samaria region, as a national heritage site and provide it with approximately 15 million shekels for upkeep.
Tel Shiloh is the site of the ancient Biblical Tabernacle, the Cave of Abraham, the Synagogue of the Dome of the Divine Presence, the burial site of Eli the High Priest and the synagogue of Hannah's prayer.
Arutz Sheva met and spoke with Tel Shiloh’s manager and PR director, Tzofia Dorot, at the 18th International Mediterranean Tourism Market show in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
“We already know that ancient Shiloh is a very important site for the history of the Jewish nation and also for the history of the world,” Dorot said, “and we’re very happy that the government decided that it’s going to work with us and develop the site.”
Dorot said that the first item on the agenda is an archaeological dig to expose the whole ancient city of Shiloh and the construction of a visitors’ center for people who will come to see the site.
“We’re very proud of the Israeli government for making this very important decision,” she said.
Dorot’s booth at the tourism show displayed the Binyamin region, and she said that she was telling people “that they should come see the Bible land and they should come and understand that the roots of the Jewish nation are deep in the ground.”