Community Excavation – Rogem Ganim
The film “Rogem Ganim: The Past on our Doorstep” tells the story of a summer spent at community excavations in Jerusalem’s Ganim neighbourhood.
For years, there was a dump in the heart of the Ganim neighborhood in Jerusalem. It was an eyesore for its residents and a paradise for local junkies. Until one day eight years ago, local greens got together with an archeologist and a few visionaries, and began to clean up the dump. Soon, an area rich in antiquities was exposed, and the cleanup operation developed into community archaeological excavations. The local people themselves wanted to excavate the area and then turn it into a public park that would revive the ancient terraces and wine presses hidden beneath the layers of history and dirt.
The film follows local residents digging up the past of their neighbourhood, which goes back 2,700 years. Two archaeologists help them to understand their finds. Hard work, excited discoveries and interactions between the veteran residents and recent immigrants from Ethiopia create a colourful mosaic of a summer spent at community excavations.