Aharon Wegman – Founder of the Museum

 

Aharon grew up in Haifa, and was a member of both the "Noar HaOved" and "Mahnot Haolim" youth groups. Aharon later joined the Sdot-Yam “kvutza” (pre-settlement group) a year after it was established in the Kiriah area. Many of its members worked in Haifa’s port as stevedores until a settlement site could be arranged.

 

Then, on May 2, 1948, Aharon, together with nine other members, arrived in Caesarea to raise the first tents of the future kibbutz. British Mandate officials tried to prevent the establishment of a more permanent settlement, by citing various antiquity laws. The tents were eventually moved to the southern sand dunes. Paradoxically, this served to awaken Aharon’s appetite for archaeology. His intellectual curiosity and sense for aesthetics helped him realize that they all had to respect the visible remnants of the past while building for the kibbutz’s future.

 

From the very beginning, Aharon collected the artefacts uncovered in the fields or strewn along the shore. He patiently studied each new find by referring to books and by consulting with experts. All this had to be done after work hours.

 

Aharon was known for his unique walking style. His shoes scraped up the ground dust as he tried to uncover yet another coin or ceramic fragment. In addition, Aharon quickly established a norm through personal example that no one should amass antiquities for private use. As valuable assets the finds belonged to everyone.

 

Thus, the kibbutz’s agricultural and construction workers were often responsible for discovering statues and architectural fragments that had hidden below ground. Not to be outdone, Sdot-Yam’s fishermen, after dragging their nets on the sea floor, sometimes brought back more than fish - the museum’s rich collection of ancient vases and amphorae are testimony to this.

 

At times, thanks to an understanding kibbutz treasurer, Aharon was able to purchase artefacts from the local Arab population and thus add to the museum’s collection.

 

Aharon’s ability to raise funds from various organizations, including his own kibbutz, enabled him to build a modest museum. After work and late into the night he then catalogued the thousands of artefacts as well as worked on designing suitable methods for their display. Later, when he was the kibbutz treasurer, he admitted that working at night with ancient coins helped him to relax from the pressures of his day job.

 

The museum has become a valuable educational and cultural centre open to all. It’s birth and continued existence is also testimony to the vision and labor of its founder – Aharon Wegman.