When the Stones Speak: The Remarkable Discovery of the City of David and What Israel’s Enemies Don’t Want You to Know

Archaeological discoveries made in Jerusalem over the past several decades constitute “physical, tangible, proof that the Jewish people have been indigenous to the land for over thirty‑eight hundred years,” according to this ardent if one-sided debut treatise from Spielman, vice president of the City of David Foundation. Aiming to rebut claims by those seeking to “erase Jewish ancestry in Israel,” the author highlights such finds as a staircase and ritual pool used in Second Temple times, and an inscription that matched the Torah’s description of an event during the eighth century BCE reign of King Hezekiah. The significance of such finds, according to the author, has been undermined by Palestinian leaders looking to erase “all Jewish claims to the land.” He also cites other evidence that Israel was the Jewish homeland, including references in the Koran and that the word Jew derives from the ancient Kingdom of Judah. The architectural discoveries fascinate, but Spielman’s biases can sometimes distract, as when he ignores evidence that Arabs in Palestine were expelled by Israeli forces during the 1948 War of Independence. This is sure to stir debate. (May)