While archaeological discoveries in the Jerusalem soil are hardly an unusual occurrence, most often they are from antiquity. But one recent and significant find by a group of volunteers isn’t a Bronze Age artifact, but a mid-20th-century bullet. JNS reports:
The 9mm bullet was manufactured at the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot, which was disguised as a kibbutz laundry service in the years leading up to the War of Independence in British Mandate Palestine. The factory played a pivotal role in the 1948 victory that created the modern state of Israel. It was run by the Haganah, the precursor to the Israel Defense Force.
The bullet was found in a part of Ammunition Hill called the Governor’s Palace complex, which houses the historic study farm. . . . “From our vantage point, this is an event of historic magnitude,” said Rani Oren, Ayalon Institute Museum director.
“The 9mm bullets, exclusively manufactured at the Ayalon Institute for the Sten-type submachine gun, significantly fortified the country’s defense and development. Notably, these bullets were the sole ammunition never in short supply during the War of Independence,” said Oren.
Read more on JNS: https://www.jns.org/israel-news/1948-war-of-independence/23/8/23/312521/