Israel Antiquities Authority Archaeologist Ari Levy holds a 2,000-year-old measuring table found near the Pilgrimage Road at the City of David in Jerusalem on Jan. 6, 2020. Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

I have always enjoyed history and archaeology. That’s why I bought a new book that was recommended to me: When the Stones Speak: The Remarkable Discovery of the City of David and What Israel’s Enemies Don’t Want You to Know by Doron Spielman.

In the book, Spielman describes his work in the field of archaeology in Jerusalem, trying to discover as much as possible about the history of Jerusalem — and the extent to which archeology confirms the Biblical record of Jerusalem as an Israelite, Jewish city, against those who claim that the Biblical narrative was a modern Zionist fiction.

A small minority of people take everything in the Bible as fact. Others thought that much of the Bible’s history, locations, and narratives could be objectively verified, at least in part. A third group claims that early Biblical narratives were totally unreliable, and there had never been a serious Jewish state in the land of Israel. They said stories about David and Solomon were either fictitious or unverifiable.

Professor Israel Finkelstein and his followers at Tel Aviv University made a career out of denying Biblical reliability, claiming that there was no evidence of a significant Jewish presence in Jerusalem going back thousands of years, just as supporters of Palestinian ideology have always maintained.

Serious archaeology is a relatively recent science, and it wasn’t until the 19th century that Europeans began to seriously excavate in and around the Old City of Jerusalem.

Many of the earlier archeologists were antagonistic towards a Jewish perspective. But excavations did uncover a great deal about what became known as the City of David.

The recovery of this city showed that Israel and Jerusalem were indeed ancient Jewish sites going back more than 3,000 years — a question apart from whether or not all Biblical stories were necessarily facts.

Israel’s opponents continue to deny a connection between ancient Israel and the modern Holy Land, despite clear scientific evidence. That is why this new book by Doron Spielman is so important.

Spielman has worked on the ground in Jerusalem together with major specialists such as the late Eilat Mazar (1956-2021), and he sets the record straight on the extent to which the stones of Jerusalem undeniably support the Jewish narrative of presence over millennia.

Spielman also records the international and even national attempts to prevent progress politically because of the sensitivity of the discoveries, and how the archaeologists had to rely almost entirely on outside financial support to ensure that the excavations could continue and prevent sabotage.

This is a book in three parts. The first part focuses on the actual excavations and revelations that the author personally witnessed. The second describes the political struggles to support the work, to combat opposition, and to fight against political exigencies. The third part is a fascinating story of the author’s life and the delight in the work he has thrown himself into since his arrival in Israel as a young man.

This is not a dry academic book, but an easy and enjoyable read and one I can heartily recommend to understand the history of Jerusalem — and to counter those who want to deny the Jewish connection to the Holy Land.

The author is a writer and rabbi, currently based in New York.