Dozens of Yidden gathered to demonstrate at a building site in Yehud, a city in central Israel, asserting that the land under development may be the location of an ancient bais hakevaros.
Video footage from the scene captured several chareidi men sprawled on the ground within the work zone, symbolically pouring dirt into sections of the site that had already been dug up as a show of opposition.
On Tuesday, Border Police forces responded by forcibly removing the demonstrators from the premises.
The protesters insist that the site is the resting place of hundreds of Jews from the era of the Second Beis Hamikdash. In response to the unrest, the local municipality issued a message to Yehud residents stating that it was “aware of the incident” and described those involved as “a fringe chareidi group that objects to the construction at the site.”
The developers behind the project, Aura Israel, found themselves at the center of the storm as members of the group reportedly threatened a boycott of the company. On Monday morning, protestors appeared outside what was said to be the home of Yaacov Atrakchi, founder and owner of Aura Israel, to intensify their campaign.
Although no definitive proof has been presented yet regarding the presence of a bais hakevaros, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) told The Jerusalem Post that “preliminary inspections indicated the presence of archaeological remains.”
In its official statement, the IAA confirmed that a limited excavation had begun at the request of Aura Israel. “The excavation is revealing tombs dating to the Roman period and the Bronze Age. At this stage, it is not possible to attribute the finds to any specific ethnic group. Such conclusions may emerge in more advanced stages of the research,” the statement noted.
The project in question aims to create 300 residential units spread across six apartment buildings, ranging in height from four to twelve floors.

{Matzav.com}