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General Info Dear Prospective Volunteer, Thank you for your interest in The Zeitah Excavations. This letter will help you decide whether work as a volunteer excavator is for you. The dates of our excavation for 2007 are June 8th to July 14th. Keep in mind that previous excavation experience is not required of volunteers. Description of the Work The actual excavation process involves a variety of tasks, from detailed work with trowels, dental picks, and brushes to heavy work hauling buckets of dirt, using picks, and shaking large sifters. As far as possible and necessary, we make an effort to match the skills and strength of individual volunteers to specific tasks, but you should be prepared to perform whatever jobs are assigned to you. It is important that you be in excellent health and able to work in hot weather in order to be effective in accomplishing these tasks. Drinking plenty of water throughout each day and informing us of any continuing medical conditions and/or required prescription medications are important components in ensuring your good health throughout the duration of your stay. Daily Schedule Because summer afternoons in Israel can get quite hot (upwards of 90 degrees Farenheit), we will be excavating from 5:00am until 1:00pm, with a break at 8:30am for breakfast in the field and a fruit break at 11:00am. After showers, lunch, and free time back at our kibbutz, we will gather for pottery washing and scheduled lectures by members of our own professional staff, by prominent archaeologists, and by other professionals visiting our site. Dinner will follow, with free time until bed. Our normal work week extends from Monday morning through Friday at 1:00pm, with the exception of the last weekend, when volunteers and staff will work through the Friday afternoon hours. Overnight field trips (optional for those not taking field school credit through Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) will take place on two mid-season weekends. Accommodations and Meals Volunteers sleep in bunkbeds in air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms with several other roommates. Accommodations are hostel-style and are comfortable but not plush. It is important that volunteers be flexible, able to get along with others, and considerate. Married couples who wish to join our team should contact the personnel coordinator about housing arrangements. The kitchen staff at our kibbutz prepares our lunch (the most substantial meal of the day) and dinner, and we eat these meals in the kibbutz dining room. Coffee, tea, bread, and jam are provided in the hostel’s common kitchen prior to the beginning of each work day, and excavation staff prepare and bring a more substantial breakfast to the field later in the morning. Length of Stay/Room and Board/Costs We prefer that volunteers join us for the full five weeks of the excavation season, since it takes our field staff about one week to train volunteers. However, it is possible to arrange a three- or four-week stay. The cost for the full five weeks is $1,450; for four weeks, it is $1,240; and for three weeks, $990. Two optional, overnight weekend field trips cost $145 apiece. Round trip transportation to Israel and tuition for academic credit should be figured in to these costs. The $25 non-refundable application fee is applied toward the total cost charged to volunteers accepted for the excavation. Academic Credit Through our field school program, you may earn academic credit for your excavation work. We encourage you to seek undergraduate or graduate credit through your home institution (a course syllabus is available upon your request). Alternately, you may elect to receive graduate credit through Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS). Tuition through PTS costs $500 for three quarter units or $1,000 for six quarter units. Group Flight A group flight departing June 9, 2007 will be available to those departing for Israel at the beginning of the excavation. An excavation staff member will accompany the group. Staff members already in Israel will meet group flight participants at Ben Gurion airport and transport them to our kibbutz. Taking the group flight normally offers the best ticket price. If you travel to Israel on your own, you will be responsible for your transportation to and from the site. For more information on the group flight, contact the project director. Application Deadlines and Payment Schedule All application materials accompanied by the application fee are due by May 1, 2007. Since we accept volunteers on a rolling basis, getting your application in early will give you a better chance of securing a spot on our team. Full payment for room and board, field trips, and PTS tuition fees is due by May 14, 2007. Volunteers should be serious about their commitment to joining our team, since we cannot replace those who back out at the last minute or issue refunds. Safety in Israel The media usually concentrate their news on the “hot spots” in Israel. Although tensions do exist in this part of the world, they are not characteristic of every location in Israel. Most often, potential trouble can be easily avoided by staying away from predictably tense areas. Foreigners in Israel are not the prime targets for acts of violence today. Our kibbutz and Tel Zayit are located in what Israelis themselves consider one of the safest regions of the country and in a serene setting surrounded by nearly 10,000 acres of farmland. Road travel for field trips will bypass potentially dangerous areas, and the staff will advise volunteers about areas to avoid when exploring on their own. With proper attention to these considerations, volunteers and their families should not be unduly concerned about safety issues. I hope the above information helps you make your decision about applying to join our team this summer. If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact me. Otherwise, please fill out and return by mail all application materials accompanied by the application fee. We can consider your application only when all the required materials have been submitted. Upon acceptance, you will receive a volunteer information packet with tips on travel, clothing, what to bring, optional preliminary reading, and more. See you at Zeitah this summer! Ron E. Tappy G. Albert Shoemaker Professor of Bible and Archaeology Pittsburgh Theological Seminary P.S. If you do not have a valid passport, you will want to apply for one as soon as possible, as it may be several weeks before you receive it. Also, be sure not only to fill out your portion of the medical form accurately, but also to schedule a thorough checkup with your physician. Make certain to have him or her provide us with any details of your medical history requested on the form. Back To Top

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Ron E. Tappy, Project Director Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Sponsor 616 North Highland Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15206 E-mail tappy@fyi.net     Phone: 412-441-3304 x2126    Fax: 412-486-0776 The Zeitah Excavations 2000 © All Rights Reserved