Lake Kinneret

The Kinneret covers an area of 64 square miles; its maximum length (north to south) is 15 miles and its maximum width (east to west) is 10 miles. The surface of the lake is approximately 696 feet below the level of the Mediterranean Sea and, at its deepest, the water is about 144 feet deep.

The Kinneret is fed by a number of fresh water streams. There are also salty springs at the lake bottom and along its shores. These add to the salt content (salinity) of the water which is intensified by the high evaporation rate due to the hot climate. The amount of water in the lake varies a great deal with the shift from rainy to drought years. Until the winter of 1973/74 several years of drought had lowered the surface considerably but that exceedingly rainy winter restored it to its average. The river Jordan flows out of the southern end. In 1964 the National Water Carrier was completed to bring sweet water to the more southern sections of Israel; Lake Kinneret is the main reservoir from which the water is taken.

Because of its abundant water supply, warm climate and surrounding fertile area, Lake Kinneret has attracted man since prehistoric times. The most ancient human remains and artifacts found in Erez Israel come from an area not far from Lake Kinneret's shores. In the Early Bronze Age some of the largest cities of Canaan were situated nearby and the Via Maris ("Maritime Route") passed its shores contributing to the wealth of the cities. In fact, Egyptian documents mention the hot springs on the shores of Lake Kinneret and their beneficial effects.

In Bible times, Kinneret served as a prominent boundary mark: in the Canaanite era, it was the border of Sidon, king of the Amorites, and after Israel's conquest of the land, it marked the boundary between the territories of Naphtali on its western shores and Manasseh on its eastern shores.

In the period of the Roman occupation, King Herod received the city of Hippus (Susitha), which bordered on the east of the lake, and Herod's sons, Antipas and Philip, founded the cities of Tiberias and Julias (Bethsaida). (Subsequently the lake also became known as the Sea of Tiberias.) Moreover, it was also during the Roman period that the Lake Kinneret region served as the setting of Jesus' preaching, and later as the center of his apostles' activities. As a result, many churches were later built on these same shores. The crusaders fought to control the lake area because of its historic connections with Christianity. The New Testament refers to the lake as the Sea of Galilee and the Sea of Gennesareth.

Beginning with the 20th century, Jewish settlement was gradually revived on the lake's west and south shores, with the founding of such settlements as Deganyah and Kinneret, and later on the east shore with the establishment of Kibbutz Ein Gev. A fishing industry was developed and tourism promoted, and today the area is an important vacation center particularly in winter when it is very warm there. Every year there is a swimming contest across the Kinneret in which hundreds of people, both young and old, participate.

Until 1967, Lake Kinneret and a small strip on the eastern shore of the lake served as the border between Israel and Syria. However, Syria's aggression and its attempts to set up military positions on Israel territory near Ein Gev became increasing sources of friction and tension. This was one of the causes of the Six-Day War which resulted in Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights (east of Lake Kinneret). Thus as of 1967, Lake Kinneret was no longer the border between Israel and Syria, and it is presently an inland lake of Israel.

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