More anthropology

[theyellowhobbit]

My letter to Janet Monge:

Dear Professor Monge,

I don't know if you remember me, but I was in your intro to Human Evolution
class last year. I've been thinking of either taking on Anthropology as a
double major [in addition to my now major of Jewish studies that I'm more than
half done with] or switching into it completely and dropping Jewish studies.

I also want to move to Israel when I graduate [or soon after] so I was wondering
if you knew if the digs such as in Skhul and Qafzeh are still ongoing, and if it
would be realistic to think of being an anthropologist/archaeologist in Israel.
Does Penn have any digs there?

Are back on campus yet, and if so, would you have any time that I could stop by
and talk to you?

Thanks,

~Rachel

Her letter back:

Hello Rachel. Of course I remember you! I would be happy to help in any way in talking about your major.........
Israel......so interesting.......
The problem is that Israel is having a bit of a problem much like the US; that is, there is a real ultra conservative movement that is trying to stop archaeology and physical anthropology from happening. There are some who want even the very ancient materials - 100,000 to over 200,000 years old - reburied as ancestors. I am not sure at the moment of the state of excavations there but I will try to find out some info for you. Give me a little time. Perhaps we can meet when you are back on campus. All my best, Janet

Yay! She remembers me! [I guess all those fire drills we had in class were a bonding experience. Evene when I visited her for her office hours there were fire drills!]

Somehow I'm not surprised that there are Haredi Jews against excavations in Israel. Though I'm guessing the evolutionary ones are the more problematic ones. Ones that uncover things like the tunnels near the kotel and stuff would be proving Jewish history and the Tanach and stuff, so they might be more for that. Or not. But my guess is they'd never shut down all excavations in Israel. And if they did I could always be a teacher. I wonder if I have to get malaria and eat a bunny in order to be an anthropology professor...

I think we should have a big "We love Janet Monge" party. I'll invite Gwen and batshua and jtersesk and we can take Monge out to dinner at a kosher restaurant [so I can eat...] and it would be a blast.

Doesn't Bryn Mawr have the program where you can take a class at Penn?

Comments

[mike72486.livejournal.com]

I read about this in the Haredi press and the main issue to them are the graves. They don't want to see bodies uprooted and 'studied'.

[desh]

Yeah, Bryn Mawr people can take Penn classes (and vice versa), though I don't know how one actually goes about doing it.

And yes, things like this are why I always used to sit in the front of classes and go to office hours a lot. Comes in handy later.

[sen-ichi-rei.livejournal.com]

I sat in the 3rd row next to gwen, and would always knit in class. though there weren't that many people in the class considering how huge the room was.

I also had a whole thing where I had to make up the final at the beginning of 2nd semester, and I missed class some other time and came to ask her questions before the midterm. But yes, I've definitely stopped by a bunch of times.

[jtersesk.livejournal.com]

Whee! Monge! I wonder if she remembers me. I had two classes with her, but I don't know that I stood out at all. Hehe.

[sen-ichi-rei.livejournal.com]

well she'll be reintroduced to you at the monge party. :)

[sen-ichi-rei.livejournal.com]

makes sense, kinda...but what about bodies from 100,000 years ago that in no way could be jewish? what about non-humans? [australopithecines and all that] what are the problems there?

[kressel.livejournal.com]

The professor is right that there is resistance to archaeological digs in Israel. There are halachic reasons for that. I think it's because of uncovering of graves, but you should double-check with a Rov with expertise. Some digs may be permissible, and you ought to check on that as well.

[batshua]

Bryn Mawr students can only take a class at Penn if the class is not offered at Bryn Mawr, Haverford, or Swarthmore and it's a huge, huge, pain in the butt to do.

[batshua]

We should totally have a Janet Monge party and heavens knows I could use some good kosher food. Eating sketchy vegetarian sucks.

[mike72486.livejournal.com]

Honestly I'm not sure what the think about that. I just know that anytime a road or highway is built in Israel and at least some human remains are found, that the protest and freak out.

I think they are assuming that any bones found=Jewish ones, as odd as that seems.

[sen-ichi-rei.livejournal.com]

but then they'd be going against the torah! Abraham lived around 1800 BC. These bones are like 200,000 BC. So there were no Jews around then!

Maybe they're worried we'd dig up Adam haRishon or Noach or someone like that?