About Yonatan Adler

Yonatan Adler

Prof. Yonatan Adler is an Associate Professor at the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Ariel University, where he also heads the Institute of Archaeology. Adler was appointed in 2018 by the Minister of Culture to serve as a member of the Israeli Council for Archaeology. He has written extensively on the subject of archaeological evidence relating to the observance of Torah law, covering topics such as ancient ritual immersion pools ("mikva'ot"), dietary laws, ancient tefillin found in the Judean Desert, and chalk vessels (used by Jews who observed the purity laws). Adler has directed excavations at several sites throughout Israel, most recently at ‘Einot Amitai and at Reina, two sites in Galilee where Roman-era chalk vessel workshops have been unearthed.


Presenter at

Bible & Archaeology Fest XXVI, November 17 – 19, 2023
The Origins of Judaism: When Did Jews Begin to Keep the Torah?

When did ancient Jews first begin to observe the laws of the Torah? What do archaeology and ancient texts have to teach us about the earliest emergence of Judaism? Prof. Yonatan Adler will present his exciting and revolutionary answers to these questions from his new book, The Origins of Judaism: An Archaeological-Historical Reappraisal, published with Yale University Press in 2022.