Peki'in

Not to be confused with Pekin.

Peki'in
Hebrew transcription(s)
• Hebrew	פְּקִיעִין
• ISO 259	Pqiˁin
• Also spelled	Peqi'in (official)
Arabic transcription(s)
• Arabic	البقيعة
Peki'in
Coordinates: 32°58′27″N 35°19′53″E
District	North
Founded	1952
Government
• Type	Local council
Area
• Total	3,565 dunams (3.565 km2 or 1.376 sq mi)
Population (2007)
• Total	5,200

Peki'in (alternatively Peqi'in) (Hebrew: פְּקִיעִין‎‎) or Buqei'a (Arabic: البقيعة‎), is a locality, local council in the Northern District of Israel located eight kilometres east of Ma'alot-Tarshiha in the Upper Galilee. The local council in the predominantly Druze village was established in 1958 and has a population of over 5,200 people (2008 estimate).

History

Classic antiquity

Stone tablet from the Peki'in synagogue

There is a tradition that Peki'in is the location that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai used to hide from the Romans. According to the Talmud, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son, Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon, hid in a cave from the Romans for 13 years after the collapse of the Bar Kochba rebellion against Roman rule. According to story, Rabbi Shimon and his son lived off spring water and the fruit of a miraculous carob tree during their years of hiding, and passed the time by studying torah. There is a tradition that during this time Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai wrote the Zohar, an important book in the Jewish mysticism.

Middle ages

Peki'in is notable in Jewish history because it is where Druze and Jews lived peacefully together for hundreds of years. Peki'in is frequently mentioned in historical sources, specifically in reference to its small Jewish community that has existed there almost continuously since the Second Temple period. Near the village, there are significant sites for Druze and Jews, including a restored Jewish synagogue dating back to the Roman Period. The oldest Druze school in the region was established in Peki'in by the Russian church at the end of the 19th century.

British Mandate

Jews of Peki'in, c. 1930

In 1936, Arab riots forced the Jews of Peki'in to leave their homes for safer parts of the country; only a few of them later returned.

State of Israel

Peki'in HaHadasha was established as a Jewish community in 1955, very close to Old Peki'in.

Peki'in was one of settlements hit by Katyusha rockets sent by Hezbollah on July 14, 2006 during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. On July 28, 2006 five Katyushas struck Peki'in and one directly hit a home next the yard where a family was preparing for an afternoon wedding. Ten people were lightly wounded and treated for shock.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

Today, Peki'in has a Druze majority. Nine Jews who lived near the ancient Peki'in Synagogue suffered harassment from Arab gangs, including theft and destruction of property and vehicles, and three grenade attacks. Following riots in October 2007 in which their homes were burned down, most of the families left. On December 3, 2007 the last Jews left after their car was torched.

Tourism

According to Galib Kheir, head of the town's tourism department, about 60,000 tourists visit Peki'in each year. The tourist trade supports local restaurants and specialty shops. The town also has a hotel and youth hostel.^{[citation needed]}