Oren Gutfeld

Dr. Oren Gutfeld, the director of archaeology for the Beit Lehi project, has been the backbone of the project, along with his team of archaeologists and officials from the Israel Antiquity Authority. Dr. Gutfeld’s more than 30 years of experience in conducting excavations throughout Israel has labeled him among the foremost authorities in archaeology in Israel. A search of the web will produce an abundance of accolades for Dr. Gutfeld.

Dr. Gutfeld has several degrees in archaeology from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem including a Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology. The Gutfeld’s spent three years in Ann Arbor Michigan where Oren taught at the University of Michigan. It was while at the University of Michigan at the The Frankel Center for Judaic Studies that Dr. Gutfeld spent a considerable amount of time researching libraries of documents on ancient Israel. From these years of research, Dr. Gutfeld arrived at the conclusion that Beit Lehi was known as Beit Zedek more than 2000 years earlier.

Oren’s discoveries in northern Israel resulted in an invitation to Rome for an audience with the Pope to detail his discoveries. In addition to his position of Director of Archaeology for the Beit Lehi project, Dr. Gutfeld serves as the Director of Salvage Operation at Hebrew University. As required by law, he leads a team of archaeologists in excavating proposed sites for new modern construction. This includes a scientific study of ancient structures and artifacts found. Only then is new construction permitted. He has conducted numerous excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem and is well-respected as the foremost authority on the Christian Period in the Old City.

In 2017, Expedition Unknown, a regular feature on the Discovery Channel with Josh Gates, asked Oren Gutfeld to lead a film crew to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls where found and then to Beit Lehi. Dr. Gutfeld is the latest archaeologist to find scrolls in one of the unexplored caves of Qumran. For three days the crew filmed Oren and Josh Gates crawling though unexplored areas of Qumran and Beit Lehi. After a 3-part television series, Dr. Gutfeld was invited to California for a televised discussion on Beit Lehi and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

When the Foundation brings guests to Israel to tour the Holy Land and visit Beit Lehi, Dr. Gutfeld is a licensed guide and personally escorts the groups throughout Israel and Jordan. With his background as both a guide and renowned archaeologist he is able to open doors that most visitors are denied entrance. In a visit to Israel by Utah Valley University students and faculty, Dr. Gutfeld secured the rare opportunity for the group to enter the sealed vaults under the Israel Museum in Jerusalem to view the original Dead Sea Scrolls. His knowledge of ancient sites of Israel is remarkable.