Scienceיורם צפריר

Yoram Tsafrir

Yoram Tsafrir was an Israeli archaeologist and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, known for his work on Palestine in the Roman and Byzantine periods and his excavations at Beit She'an.

1938 to 2015Excavations at Beit She'anByzantine-period Palestine researchUpdating the Holyland Model

Born: 30 January 1938, Kfar Azar
Died: 23 November 2015, Jerusalem
Occupation: anthropologist, archaeologist, historian
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Yoram Tsafrir was born in 1938 in Kfar Azar

Yoram Tsafrir was born in 1938 in Kfar Azar to Tzipora and Nehemia Feigin. He studied in Kfar Azar and at a high school in Tel Aviv. After army service he helped found Kibbutz Or HaNer, and from 1963 to 1965 he helped found the field school at Midreshet Sde Boker.

He earned a bachelor's degree in archaeology and Jewish history at the Hebrew University in 1964 and a master's degree in 1968. His doctorate, on Mount Zion in Byzantine Jerusalem, began under Michael Avi-Yonah and was awarded in 1976.

He served in the Nahal and was badly wounded in both legs in the Six-Day War. He wrote a book about his injury and recovery, which won the Yitzhak Sadeh Prize in 1976.

He joined the teaching staff of the Institute of Archaeology in 1969 and became a full professor in 1987. He headed the institute from 1989 to 1992 and directed the Jewish National and University Library from 2001 to 2007. He excavated at Beit She'an, Rehovot in the Negev, Sartaba and Horvat Berachot, and updated the Holyland Model of Jerusalem.

He retired in 2006 but kept researching and guiding students. He won the EMET Prize in 2014 and died in November 2015.

Milestones in Yoram Tsafrir's life

1938
Born in Kfar Azar.
1964
Earned a bachelor's degree at the Hebrew University.
1976
Received his doctorate and the Yitzhak Sadeh Prize.
1986
Began the main excavation seasons at Beit She'an.
1987
Became a full professor.
2001
Became director of the national library.
2014
Won the EMET Prize.
2015
Died.

Yoram Tsafrir served in the military

He served in the Nahal from 1955 to 1958 and in Southern Command intelligence in the Six-Day War, where he was badly wounded. In reserves he served as an education officer in the Yom Kippur War and the Lebanon War, ending as a major.