Prof. Elazar Lipa Soknik
Eliezer Lipa Suknik (August 12 1889, Bialystok – February 28 1953, Jerusalem) was Archaeologist, professor and the head of the department for Archaeology Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Was the first to insist on the importance of The Dead Sea Scrolls and engaged in their investigation. founded (together with Moshe David Kasuto) the The Biblical Encyclopedia.
His life story
Elazar Lipa Sukenik, born in Bialystok (1889-1953). His wife was Hasya Sukenik, and the couple had three sons:
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· Yigal Yadin (1917–1984), later the second Chief of staff of IDF, archaeologist and politician;
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· Yossi Yadin (1920–2001), later a theater actor;
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· Matthew Sukenik (1929 – 1948), An Air Force Pilot that was killed in The War of Independence. Sukenik along with the pilot Aharon David Shprinzak (son of Yosef Shprinzak, The first Speaker of the Knesset) tried to stop an Egyptian ship that bombarded Tel Aviv, and their plane was shot down by the Egyptians.
Elazar Lipa Sukenik was known as an archeology professor and one of the founders of the archeological research in Palestine at the Hebrew University since 1912. He began his teaching career in 1914 and was devoted to teaching and served in the Hebrew Regiments who fought in the World War I. After the war, he completed advanced archeology studies in Berlin. Many sites in Israel were excavated under his guidance and management. Among those excavations are the remains of Beit Alfa Synagogue, the third wall in Jerusalem and more.
In 1935, he was promoted to be a lecturer in Archaeology, in 1938 a Professor and became a Director at the University of Jerusalem Museum of Jewish Antiquities. He was involved in excavations of number of synagogues and Jewish tombs near Jerusalem, the latter containing remains that he claimed were evidence of early Christianity, as well as Chalcolithic remains in Ḥaderah, including a tomb, and a Bronze Age site at Tell Jarisha. In November 1947 Sukenik was instrumental in acquiring three of the *Dead Sea Scrolls” found in the Judean Dessert from an antiques dealer in Bethlehem – whose importance he immediately recognized. The other four were purchased by his son Yigal Yadin.
From the time the scrolls were discovered until the day of his death, Sukenik was extensively engaged in researching them and devoted the rest of his life to their study.