Israeli archaeologists recover artifact from 'The Battle of the 35'

(JNS) - It's easy for archaeologists to detach themselves from ancient finds, but the discovery of a brass compass from a massacre of 35 Israeli soldiers in 1948 left two researchers feeling like they received a "punch in the stomach."

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Monday the discovery of the compass from what Israeli history calls "The Battle of the 35" during the War of Independence, known in Hebrew as the story of the Lamed Heh (35 in Hebrew alphabetic numerals).

The story of the compass begins on January 16, 1948, when a convoy of 38 men from the Haganah, the primary parami...