Israel’s Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu has chosen Esther Schreiber, the head of a nonprofit “instilling Jewish values” and with no background in archaeology, to serve as the next director general of the Israel Antiquities Authority, a move set to replace incumbent Eli Escusido when his term ends in August.
In a letter sent Tuesday to the Archaeology Council, which must approve the nomination, Amichai Eliyahu, a member of Itamar Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party, emphasized that an important part of the director’s role is fostering “national connection and a sense of belonging.”
Eliyahu nominated Esther Schreiber, who heads the nonprofit Israel Next Generation Youth in Israel, which works to “strengthen feelings of Jewish and Israeli identity and belonging among young people and students in Israel.”
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Esther Schreiber, far-right minister Amichai Eliyahu’s pick to direct the antiquities authority. Credit: Use under Section 27A of the Copyright Law
Esther Schreiber, far-right minister Amichai Eliyahu’s pick to direct the antiquities authority. Credit: Use under Section 27A of the Copyright Law
The NGO has an annual budget of about 20 million shekels (approximately $7 million) and receives grants and funding from the Ministry for Settlement Affairs and the Ministry of Religious Services. The nonprofit also has an international branch called INEXTG.
Israeli law grants the director of the antiquities authority extensive powers regarding archaeological sites, salvage excavations ahead of development projects, the issuing of excavation licenses, and more.
Eliyahu and the authority’s current director, Eli Escusido, have been at odds in recent months, and the minister decided not to extend his term, which ends this coming August.
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The minister appointed a search committee to nominate a replacement that included, among others, his ministry’s director-general, chairman of the Israel Antiquities Authority Council, and Dr. Avi Salomon, an archaeologist and resident of the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar.
Among several candidates reviewed by the committee are archaeologists and heritage experts, including archaeologist Shahar Betz, who worked in the archaeology unit of the Civil Administration – Israel’s governing body in the West Bank, and Ilan Rom, a former director-general of the Finance Ministry under Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds a degree in archaeology.
Speaking to Haaretz, sources within the Antiquities Authority said Schreiber’s name was introduced by the search committee’s chairman at the last minute, under pressure from Eliyahu.
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The committee recommended Betz, Rom and Schreiber without ranking them. Eliyahu announced his decision to select Schreiber in his letter to the Archaeology Council.
In a statement, the Heritage Ministry defended the selection process and said it had reviewed all candidates “equally, through an orderly process accompanied by close legal oversight.”
According to the ministry, Schreiber is a “qualified professional woman” who submitted her candidacy “through the same process and received the highest scores in an anonymous ranking conducted by members of the search committee.”
In his letter, the minister wrote he nominated Schreiber due to her expertise in “managing large-scale public and economic systems, and overseeing construction and heritage projects,” as well as her academic background – a bachelor’s degree in Jewish history and cognitive science, and a master’s degree in public administration and policy.
Archaeologists within and outside the authority reacted with shock to the appointment, calling it unprofessional. According to them, Schreiber lacks the qualifications to lead the authority, and her work has no connection to archaeology or managing large organizations such as the authority, whose annual budget exceeds 400 million shekels (about $138 million).
“Throughout the years, the Antiquities Authority has been a professional sanctuary within the civil service,” a senior archaeologist told Haaretz. “It has never operated according to political considerations, and there is now a serious danger that this prestigious institution, recognized worldwide as a state authority, will undergo a process of decline and lose its standing.”
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Outgoing Israel Antiquities Authority Director, Eli Escusido, 2024. Credit: Ilan Assayag
Outgoing Israel Antiquities Authority Director, Eli Escusido, 2024.Credit: Ilan Assayag
Past directors typically had high-level government management experience before their appointment. Escusido previously led the Nahal Sorek Regional Council, while other directors were former Knesset members, senior IDF officers and a deputy head of the Shin Bet security service.
In a statement announcing the nomination, Eliyahu said he envisioned “creating a living, breathing mechanism of heritage storytelling.” According to him, the authority serves to preserve “the physical evidence of our existence as the people of the Bible who returned to their land.”
Eliyahu said Schreiber is the person to “lead this vision and guide the Antiquities Authority into the future, with immense respect for the past.”
On Tuesday, the Knesset advanced a bill that would significantly expand government control over antiquities, heritage sites and archaeology in the West Bank.
Under the proposal, a new independent body called the “Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority” – using the biblical term for the West Bank – would be established under the authority of the heritage minister, with powers to purchase and expropriate land.
In an interview with Haaretz in 2022, Escusido had expressed reservations over expanding the authority’s mandate to the West Bank and said he preferred strengthening the Civil Administration’s archaeology unit.