US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee's family tour in the Benjamin region became an extraordinary event after his grandchildren found five ancient coins in a cave hideout near the Na'ale settlement. The artifacts were discovered during an archaeological survey being conducted at the site, and their age has been estimated at thousands of years.
The Benjamin Regional Council regularly hosts senior officials from around the world as part of official tours and ceremonies, but this time the Huckabee family chose a completely different format. Ambassador Huckabee, his wife, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, her husband, and their children chose to spend their Christmas holiday on a direct field tour in the Benjamin region.
The tour was initiated by political consultant and Y-Israel project founder Ruti Lieberman, together with Sarah Faley. The family members gave up formal suits, put on hiking shoes, and arrived in the morning hours to the Na'ale area, where they met Dr. Dvir Raviv, a senior lecturer in the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, who manages an archaeological survey in two karst caves in the area.
"In the first cave, which is known to area residents, we found a fragment of a jar from the second century CE," Dr. Raviv recounted. "This is proof that the cave served refugees during the Bar Kokhba Revolt."
The highlight of the tour took place in another cave, which is not known to the general public. Dr. Raviv provided the family's children with a metal detector, and they began scanning the cave floor. "Unfortunately, there were looting excavations in the cave, and therefore, there are findings right on the surface," he explained. "The children scanned the cave and found five coins, possibly from the Bar Kokhba Revolt period, the Great Revolt, or the late Roman period. What they enjoyed most was digging in the ground, crawling through cracks, and finding coins."
"It was very much not self-evident that the ambassador took his grandchildren, who came to Israel for the first time, to an archaeological activity. It was amazing to see a senior official for whom it's so important to connect to the land together with his family."
Later in the day, Ambassador Huckabee, his daughter, and family members went to the ancient Shiloh site. There they were accompanied by Benjamin Regional Council foreign desk manager Eliana Feinstein. The family members, who are familiar with biblical stories firsthand, expressed excitement at the opportunity to visit the historical sites.
"There's a warm corner in my heart for ancient Shiloh," Huckabee said as he walked toward the Tabernacle site. The US ambassador made history upon assuming his position by making a first-of-its-kind visit to Judea and Samaria at ancient Shiloh, and later returned to the site with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. This week, he returned to Shiloh for the third time, this time with his family members.
At the tour's peak, the family members gathered for a joint prayer facing the Tabernacle site. "It's amazing to arrive at this place, which proves that miracles can happen, 3,000 years ago and also today," the ambassador said.
Head of Benjamin Regional Council and Yesha Council Chairman Israel Gantz blessed the visit: "We were happy to host Ambassador Huckabee and his family members once again at Benjamin's archaeological sites, the place where heritage comes to life." According to him, "The caves where the Huckabee family members toured and the findings they discovered in them are the best evidence of all for our historical right to all parts of the Land of Israel."
Ruti Lieberman added: "When Ambassador Huckabee's grandchildren asked to participate in an archaeological dig, they didn't know they would discover rare and moving findings. This tour is one in a long series of tours whose purpose is to bring political figures from the US and connect them to Judea and Samaria and all parts of Israel."
