Ginosar
Ginosar | |
---|---|
Country | Israel |
Council | Emek HaYarden |
Region | Jordan Valley |
Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
Founded | 25 February 1937 |
Founded by | Young socialists |
Website | www.ginosar.org.il |
Ginosar (Template:Lang-he-n) is a kibbutz on the western banks of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Located north of Tiberias on Highway 90, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 472.
History
Roman era
In the First Century AD there was a flourishing town known by Greek and Latin speakers as Gennesaret, with the version "Ginosar" appearing in the New Testament. The modern kibbutz takes its name from this ancient town, though it is not certain it is located on precisely the same site.
British Mandate
Ginosar was founded on the eve of Purim in March 1937 by a group of young Socialist Zionists, on Palestine Jewish Colonization Association (PICA) land that had been leased to the settlement of Migdal.
The reason given for "squatting" was that the leased area needed close protection during the "disturbances" (1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine]).[1] The original was built as a tower and stockade settlement.
The kibbutz was closely aligned with the Mapai party[2] and was the home of Yigal Allon, commander of the "Syrian Department" of the Palmach, and later a senior minister in the Government of Israel.
State of Israel
Ginosar was originally an agricultural community; now its primary source of income is from tourism. During a severe drought in 1986 the level of lake dropped to reveal the frame of a fishing boat that has since been carbon dated to 100 BCE to 70 CE, and is now known as the Sea of Galilee Boat. Using innovative techniques the boat frame was rescued, the boat was placed in a special tank, and it is displayed in the Beit Yigal Allon Museum.[3]
Notable residents
- Yigal Allon (1918–80), politician, commander of the Palmach, and general in the IDF
References
- ^ Anita Shapira (2007) Yigal Allon, Native Son: A Biography, Translated by Evelyn Abel University of Pennsylvania Press, ISBN 0-8122-4028-6 pp 53-54
- ^ Heaven on Earth: the Rise and Fall of Socialism
- ^ Israel Handbook: With the Palestinian Authority Areas, by Dave Winter