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ERETZ Magazine

STAYPUT HOME

JERUSALEM

TEL AVIV

YOUTH HOSTELS

UPPER GALILEE

GOLAN

SEFAD, ROSH PINA

LOWER GALILEE

WESTERN GALILEE

TIBERIAS

ACRE

HAIFA

CEASAREA

SHARON

ASHKELON

JUDEAN HILLS

BEERSHEVA

EILAT

KIBBUTZ HOTELS

 

Stayput Tiberias

Tiberias was founded by Herod of Galilee and named after the Roman emperor Tiberias. It was founded as a pagan town, but soon took on Jewish aspects, becoming a center of Jewish learning and one of the four holy cities of the Land of Israel.

Tiberias was founded in the year 17 C.E. by Herod of Galilee, the son of Herod the Great, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It was named after the Roman Emperor Tiberias. For the next 700 years, it was one of the most important Jewish centers in the Land of Israel. It was the seat of the Sanhedrin and the home of many Jewish academies. Rabbi Meir the Miracle Maker and Rabbi Akiva lived, taught, and were buried in the city. Rabbi Yehuda Nasi, the redactor of the Mishnah, used to frequent Tiberias’ famous hot springs. The Jerusalem Talmud was written in Tiberias, and the system of vowels still in use in Hebrew today was invented there.
Following the Arab conquest of the Land of Israel, Tiberias and its Jewish community dwindled. In the eleventh century, it became the capital of Crusader Galilee, only to be destroyed by Saladin in 1187. The grave of Saladin’s physician, the great Jewish scholar Maimonides, is in Tiberias. His son is buried next to him.
In 1560, the Turkish sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, entrusted the ruins of Tiberias to his Jewish financier Don Joseph Nasi, who rebuilt the walls and planned to turn the city into a world Jewish center. His plans were thwarted by the local Arabs and Turks at the sultan’s court. In 1740, the Bedouin governor of the Galilee, Dahar el Omar, encouraged Jews to settle in the city and the Jewish community began to expand. In 1777, a wave of Hasidic Jews from Europe settled in Tiberias. The city was devastated by a massive earthquake in 1837, but managed to recover. In 1912, the first Jewish neighborhood outside the walls of the Old City was built. Today Tiberias, with 45,000 inhabitants, is the largest city in the Galilee.

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The Arbel Fortress

Mount Arbel is typical of the series of escarpments that make up the Eastern Lower Galilee. On its northeastern side it is a steep cliff that plunges down into the escarpment underneath – in this case the Valley of Gennesareth, on its other side it is a flat plateau of great farming land. The cliff side of Mount Arbel overlooks the canyon of Nahal Arbel – the main road that led from the coast down to the Sea of Galilee. Once at the shore the route circumvented the sea – from the north and south – and continued to Mesopotamia. This was the main highway of the ancient world connecting the two sides of the Fertile Crescent.
Along this route marched the armies of the Pharaohs on their way north and the armies of the Assyrians and Babylonians on their way south. Roman legions passed through, as did the armies of the Crusaders and Saladin.
Rabbis and sages walked through the canyon, mulling over the issue of when are you allowed to start reciting the morning prayers (it is the minute that you can tell the difference between blue and green clover). Jesus and his disciples walked down this canyon, as did pilgrims and supplicants, Jewish and Christian, making their way to the graves of ancient sages or to the sites of the New Testament.
Overlooking the plateau above the cliff is the double horn-like mountain known as the “Horns of Hattin,” the site of the final showdown between the Crusaders and the Moslems.
In the face of the cliff is the Arbel Fortress – a three-storied castle connecting caverns and caves in the cliff into one fortress. The caves of Arbel were already famous in the times of Herod, when Jewish rebels were flushed out of the  cliff by Herod’s forces – who had to be lowered down to the caves, or the fortress, in boxes.
In the Middle Ages, the fortress was the bastion of rebel leaders, bandits, and local government officials. Today it stands empty on the cliff, reachable by a path that negotiates the cliff face from the lookout point at its top with ropes and metal pegs.
(photo: Doron Horowitz)

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Dining in Tiberias

The best place to dine in Tiberias is the Torrance restaurant in the Scots Hotel, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Chef Anat Otolangi has designed a gourmet menu based on Galilean ingredients. Her creations are shown off daily in the buffet-style meals (1 Gdud Barak Street, Tel. (04) 671-0730, not kosher). Just across the street from the Scots Hotel is Decks, one of the oldest restaurants in the area. It serves grilled meat and fish in a building located right on the sea that is designed like a ship, giving diners the feeling that they are right in the middle of the Sea of Galilee (Lido Beach, Tel. (04) 675-1538, kosher). Guy is another Tiberias institution; it has been operating in the city for over 30 years. Don’t let its appearance fool you – it is famous for Geula and Avraham’s delicious home-style cooking. The menu features stuffed vegetables, rich meat and vegetable stews, and soups (Hagalil Street, near the Panorama Hotel, Tel. (04) 672-3036, kosher).

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Archaeology

Archaeological Park Remains of Roman and Byzantine Tiberias, including a synagogue, a mosaic floor, sarcophagi, and basalt doors that used to belong to ancient burial caves.
The Southern Walls Built in the eighteenth century by Dahar el Omar, a large portion of the walls collapsed during the earthquake of 1837.

The Sea Mosque: Built in the eighteenth century and used by the fishermen of Tiberias. In the 1950s, it was turned into the Tiberias Historical Museum. The museum closed in the 1980s.

The Jewish Courtyard: The Etz Hahayim synagogue in the courtyard compound near the sea was built in 1743. The Karlin and Senior synagogues, built in 1837, are located adjacent to it.
St. Peter's This Franciscan church dedicated to Saint Peter was built in the eleventh century.
Donna Gracia Street The street runs from the shore up the hill to the citadel of Tiberias. Along the street are the Meyohas Youth Hostel – built in 1896 as the most luxurious hotel in the Galilee, the Scots Hotel – built in the nineteenth century to serve as a hospital, the Saraya – dating from 1745, and the Donna Gracia Museum.

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Graves of Sages

Maimonides (Rambam) According to Jewish tradition, the great sage, who died in Egypt in 1206, was buried in Tiberias. Next to the grave of Maimonides are the graves of the Talmudic sages Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai, Rabbi Elazar and others.

Rabbi Akiva Buried in a cave above the city, next to the burial cave of Rabbi Luzzato. The dramatic site overlooking the city draws many supplicants, day and night. The tomb of Rabbi Akiva’s wife, Rachel, is shown near the old cemetery of the city.

Rabbi Meir the Miracle Maker Buried near the southern entrance to the city, the site which includes two synagogues and a Torah academy, draws thousand of people all year round, and especially on Jewish holidays and the feast day of Rabbi Meir.

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The Tiberias Hot Springs

For thousands of years the 17 hot springs of Tiberias have been known for their therapeutic qualities. The remains of the ancient hot springs are today inside the precinct of the national park across the road from the modern hot springs. The hot springs themselves, with a myriad of pools and treatment rooms, are on the lake shore.

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Itinerary

Day 1: Tiberias

Tiberias has many sites to explore; here are a few of the highlights. The archaeological park contains remains of Byzantine Tiberias, including a synagogue, a mosaic floor, and  sarcophagi. In the Jewish courtyard are the Etz Hahayim synagogue, and the Karlin and Senior synagogues. St. Peter’s is a Franciscan church that was built in the eleventh century. Donna Gracia Street runs from the shore up the hill to the citadel of Tiberias. Finally, a tour of Tiberias is not complete without a visit to the hot springs and the graves of some of the sages buried in the vicinity.

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Day 2:  The Sea of Galilee

Leave Tiberias by the southern exit and drive along the shore road for 11 km to the turnoff to Kvutzat Kinneret. Drive up the road to Kinneret to the Yardenit Baptismal Site. Return to the main road and continue to Kibbutz Deganiya Aleph for a visit to the Deganiya Courtyard, the site of the first kibbutz. Return to the main road and continue to the Zemah Junction. Drive to Kibbutz Sha’ar Hagolan for a visit to the museum of prehistory. Return to the Zemah Junction, and drive along Route 92 to Kibbutz Ein Gev. Visit the ancient anchor’s museum and lunch at the kibbutz. Continue north along the shore road to Kursi for a visit to the Site of the Gerasene Demoniac (Kursi National Park). Take Route 789 up to the Golan. At kilometer marker 9, turn right onto the dirt road with blue trail markings. Drive along the road to the Mitzpe Ofir Lookout Point for the view. Return to the road and continue south along Route 769 to the Afik Junction. Turn right at the junction along Route 98. Follow Route 98 along the Southern Golan Plateau, and the hairpin curves that take you down the Golan to the Hamat Gader hot springs. Take Route 90 back to Tiberias.

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Day 3: Kabbalah

Begin in Safed with an orientation seminar on Jewish mysticism. Visit the medieval synagogues of Safed and tour some of the Hassidic yeshivas in the old city. Tour the ancient cemetery, where  rabbis and mystics are buried. Take the road to Biriya forest and follow the signs to the grave of Raban Yonatan ben Uziel, a famous second-century mystic whose grave  is a magnet for shiduch seekers. Take the road back to the Bat Ya’ar ranch for dinner.

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Day 4: The Galilee Panhandle

Take Route 90 north to Kiryat Shemona. Take Route 99 to the turnoff to the Dan Nature Reserve. Walk along the water route and then follow the path through the trees to the “high place at Dan.” Drive back to Kiryat Shemona and take Route 90 to the south. A kilometer and a half after the Koah Junction, turn left on to the road leading to the Hula Agamon, an attempt to revive the Hula swamp. Continue south to Rosh Pina for a walk through the old village.

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Day 5: Jerusalem

Drive to Jerusalem via Routes 77, 65, 6, and 1. Enter the Old City via the Jaffa Gate and visit the Tower of David Museum. Then walk down David Street, the main souvenir market. Turn left onto Christian Quarter Street and walk to the alley of Saint Helena that leads down to the Holy Sepulcher. Exit by the small entrance to the Muristan Market. Walk straight ahead until you reach the market street of Khan e-Zeit. Turn right and walk down the ancient Crusader markets. Once out of the market, make your way to Sisileh Street. Walk down to the Kotel. Take the Rabbi Yehudah Halevi steps up to the Jewish Quarter. Make your way to Zion Gate, walk out the gate, turn right, and walk along the wall, back to the Jaffa Gate.

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Day 6: Tel Aviv

Take Routes 77,  70, and 2 to Tel Aviv. Explore Jaffa and then taste  historic Tel Aviv by strolling through the Neve Tzedek quarter, Rothschild Boulevard, and the surrounding streets. Take a lunch break at Sheinkin Street and check out the shops along Dizengoff Street. End with dinner on Ibn Gabirol Street.

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The Tiberias Hotel

In 1896, Richard Grossman, a German-Swiss citizen who lived in Tiberias, built the Tiberias Hotel. It was one of the most luxurious establish-ments in the Land of Israel. The hotel had separate baths for men and women with hot and cold water that came out of pipes directly into the baths. Guest who so desired could have their baths filled with water from the mineral hot springs. A special beach, the Lido, was developed opposite the hotel for the guests. The guest list was impressive. Thomas Cook stayed at the hotel, as did Theodor Herzl, the Turkish governors of Palestine, and the chief rabbi of Turkey. In 1927, the sea planes of KLM began landing in the Sea of Galilee on their way from Europe to Asia. The hotel served as the depot for the passengers. When World War II broke out, Grossman and his family left the country and the hotel was declared enemy property and taken over by the British army. After serving as an Arab outpost during the War of Independence, the building was used as a military convalescence home and later turned over to the Clalit HMO to serve as a rest home for workers. In 1971, it was turned into a youth hostel and operates as such to date.

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The Scots Hotel

For almost half a century, the Church of Scotland operated a pilgrims’ hospice in Tiberias right on the edge of the Dead Sea. A few years ago, the facility was renovated and reopened as the Scots Hotel, a boutique hotel with 67 spacious, high-quality guestrooms. A great effort was made to preserve the original facility, which Gottlieb Schumacher designed in 1894 to serve as the first modern hospital in Tiberias. For several decades, the hospital served residents of the entire Galilee and much of what is today Jordan. The grounds were often filled with the tents of families of Bedouin patients. Today the main hospital building houses the main lobby, Torrance restaurant, Scottish bar, and conference room. The residences of the doctor and minister have been turned into 19 antique guestrooms with high ceilings and exposed basalt stone walls. A modern building houses additional guestrooms. The Scots Hotel also has a large outdoor swimming pool adjacent to the beach, expansive lawns with ornate gardens and an ecological fishpond, a wine cellar stocked with Galilean wines that can be used for hosting small events, a shop, and a gallery.

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