In some of the houses, there were still people in it when they burned it.

And if there was someone there, the body also get cremated.

So only few remains are staying.

And this is why they brought us there, you know, because we know how to deal with this stuff.

Hey, listeners, it's Mishi.

So, as you know, during these incredibly difficult days, we're trying to bring you voices we're hearing among and around us.

These aren't stories, they're just quick conversations, or postcards really, that try to

capture slivers of life right now. Fifty-three-year-old Chaya Ashkenazi from Tel Aviv is an archaeologist,

but probably never imagined he'd find himself excavating a 21st century kibbutz. Yet in the insane reality

that has become our life since October 7th, archaeologists too are part of the war effort.

Our producers Alexandra Muller and Zev Levi sat down with Chai and heard how the term

destruction layer has accrued a

contemporary and chilling meaning.

Before we begin, a quick warning, while most of our wartime diaries contain references

that might not be suitable for all listeners, this one deals directly with death. So please take that into account.

Okay, here's Chai. So my name is Chai Ashkenazi. I have a PhD in archaeology. I dealt with

a bronze age, especially the early Bronze Age, like around 3,000 BCE.

Now, in the last almost two years, I work in the Israeli Antiquitous Authority.

I'm the Geoinformatics Manager, which deals with documentation of the data and the archaeology

sites and the finds we find in it.

So on October 7th, I woke up at 6.30 from the Siren.

In Tel Aviv, you have minutes and a half to get at a shelter.

...