REGARDING THE RUBBLE HEAP ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT, Menachem Brody e-mails:

Zachi Zweig is an archaeologist. Danny Rubinstein is a political columnist- with a political agenda.

Rubinstein states that there are no ruins of value on the Temple Mount, since the ground level before the Roman destruction was higher than the present day, and that damage was done to the underground parts as well.

1- Even if this was true [which is not clear, concerning all the areas of the mount]- large amounts of destroyed portions of buildings and their materials from the Second Temple Period are still on the mount, some in fill near the surface, and much in the underground hollows. This is exactly what the Wakf has been doing- excavating and removing these debris in order to reopen access to "Solomon's Stables" and other underground areas.

2- The information that can be gained from remains of buildings, even though they are not standing, is one of the foundations of modern archaeological investigation. This in addition to the smaller finds of coins, pottery shards, personal items, etc.

3- The question at hand is if these materials will be investigated by trained archaeologists, or clandestinely hidden at various garbage dumps, as has been done by the Wakf during the last three years.

4- The present level of the Temple Mount is built on massive subterranean arches from the time of Herod, some of which were admittedly damaged by the Romans. But most of them are still standing, built of massive hand hewn stones and capable of providing a wealth of information of the period. A casual reading of the Mishna and Talmud of Tractates Midot, Tamid, Yoma and others provides much information concerning underground gates, tunnels Mikvas and other installations.

5- Even if given that the present surface level is below that of the Second Temple- are we willing to give up on the opportunity to find remnants of the First Temple, which was built on a lower level, and whose remnants also provided fill for Herod's constructions?

6- And even given all the above, that all the remnants of the First and Second Temples miraculously evaporated from the Mount- from where is this arrogance to state that we are not interested in research to reconstruct Byzantine, Arabic and Crusader structures on the Mount? Does Danny Rubinstein suggest that since he feels that our past is not important to us- the remains of other civilizations should not be either?