2025 Day of Learning, CONNECTION & INSPIRATION
Jerusalem Through the Ages
Presented by Dr. Jodi Magness
Kenan Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies and Kol Shalom are honored to welcome esteemed archaeologist Dr. Jodi Magness back to our community to lead a full day of learning on her most recent publication. Join us to dig into the history of Jerusalem and uncover the foundations of this most sacred city!
THIS meaningful Day of Learning will feature
Session #1: What Makes Jerusalem Special?
Jodi Magness’ new book, Jerusalem Through the Ages: From Its Beginnings to the Crusades (New York: Oxford University Press, 2024), presents a broad yet detailed account of one of the world’s oldest, holiest, and most contested cities. In the first talk , we will journey back thousands of years to understand how this remote and relatively poor mountain town came to be sacred to followers of the three Abrahamic faiths.
Time: 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
*Registration: $65
Location: In-person only
Kol Shalom
9110 Darnestown Road Rockville, MD 20850
Registration includes:
A light breakfast, buffet lunch, and three engaging classes!
*All interested students are encouraged to join us! Should the registration rate become a barrier to enrollment, please contact our Executive Director.
Session #2: Herodian Jerusalem
In this slide-illustrated lecture, we will survey the history and archaeology of Jerusalem from the reign of Herod the Great (beginning in 40 BCE) until its destruction by the Romans in 70 CE. We will focus especially on Herod’s reconstruction of the Second Temple and Temple Mount, as well as sites associated with Jesus’s final hours in Jerusalem.
Session #3: Ossuaries and the Burials of Jesus and James
In 2002, an ossuary inscribed "James son of Joseph brother of Jesus" surfaced in the hands of a private collector. A few years later, a Discovery Channel documentary and related book claimed that the tomb of Jesus and his family has been found in Jerusalem.
We will conclude our day together with this slide-illustrated lecture, examining the validity of these sensational claims in light of archaeological and historical evidence for ancient Jewish tombs and burial customs in Jerusalem, including the burials of Jesus and his brother James.
While your ticket covers part of the costs, we need your help to ensure this event is a success. Thanks to a generous matching grant, every dollar you donate above the ticket price will be doubled — up to a total of $3,600! Your extra support will make twice the difference, directly benefiting our program and community!
Plus... All donors who give $65 or more will be recognized as a Program Sponsor. Thank you for helping make this event—and our mission—possible!
Dr. Jodi Magness is the Kenan Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A Classical and Biblical archaeologist, Dr. Magness specializes in ancient Palestine (modern Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories) from the time of Jesus up to the tenth century. Her research interests include Jerusalem, Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient synagogues, Masada, the Roman army in the East, ancient pottery, the Byzantine-early Islamic transition, and Diaspora Judaism in the Roman world.
She has participated on over 20 excavations in Israel and Greece, including co-directing the 1995 excavations in the Roman siege works at Masada. Since 2011,she has directed excavations at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee, which are bringing to light a monumental Late Roman (fifth century) synagogue paved with stunning mosaics.
Magness' most recent books are Jerusalem Through the Ages: From Its Beginnings to the Crusades (2024) and Ancient Synagogues in Palestine: A Reevaluation Nearly a Century After Sukenik’s Schweich Lectures. The Schweich Lectures of the British Academy 2022 (2024). Dr. Magness is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Past President of the Archaeological Institute of America.
Thank you to our partner, Kol Shalom, for helping bring this Day of Learning to the community!
The Haberman Institute extends a special thank you to Andrew R. Ammerman for sponsoring our Spring 2025 program lineup. He dedicates the semester’s learning in loving memory of Josephine and H. Max Ammerman and Stephen C.