A 25-Ton Clue to Jewish Life in the Time of Jesus
Rev. George Varughese
Jerusalem: A remarkable piece of history has been lifted from the ground in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel—a 2,000-year-old Jewish ritual bath, or *mikveh*, weighing nearly 25 tons.
Discovered during construction work in the Carmei Gat neighborhood, the Second Temple-period bath was carefully removed intact with a 300-ton crane. Archaeologists also found stone vessels linked to Jewish purification practices.
The discovery is significant because it points to a previously unknown Jewish settlement in the area, between the Judean Lowlands and the northern Negev—an important setting during the era of Jesus. Researchers believe the settlement was later abandoned during the Bar Kokhba Revolt in the second century.
The ancient bath was moved temporarily for protection and is expected to return once construction is complete. It will then be displayed in a public space, allowing modern residents to walk past a place where Jewish people practiced their faith nearly two millennia ago.
The stone may be silent, but it preserves a powerful reminder: behind the stories of the ancient world were real communities, real families and people whose faith shaped the history of the land
