Lake Kinneret

The geographer Ze'ev Vilnay, who has collected the legends around the different sites in Israel, recounts the following story about the Sea of Galilee: The Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee, or Kinneret in Hebrew, stretches between the slightly rounded hills of Galilee and the Golan heights, and is the most sacred of the seas in the Holy Land. It is called Kinneret ostensibly because of its harp shape, or kinnor in Hebrew. Others claim that its name is taken from the lapping sounds of the waves on the shore which are as melodious as the sounds of a harp. The ancients offer another explanation. Kinneret, they, explain, comes from the Hebrew kinnara, a species of sweet fruit that is no longer found today, and which grew in abundance on the shores of the lake. Legend has it that the Eternal preferred the sea of Galilee to all others. "The All Powerful says, 'Of the seven seas that I created, I reserved the Sea of Galilee for myself."   Lake Kinneret, the Sea of Genossar, or the Sea of Galilee for the Jews, the Lake of Genesaret for Christians and the barh Tubarya for the Arabs, sits on one of the depressions that are strung out along the Syro-African rift, and covers an area of area of 165 square kilometers. At its broadest, the lake is 16 km wide, and at its longest point measures 23 km. While the water level varies from one year to the next depending on rainfall, the depth remains at about 213 meters below sea level. The Jordan River empties into the lake at its northern end and runs out the southern end to continue its course through the Jordan Valley before spilling into the Dead Sea, or the Sea of Sodom. Thanks to the lake's bountiful natural resources, this area has been one of the world's oldest inhabited regions. When the Hebrews arrived here and Canaan was divided among the tribes, the western banks were attributed to the tribe of Naftali, the larger, eastern shore was given to the Manasseh, while the southern end was given to the tribe of Gad. In 732 BC, the Persians attached the western shore to the Assyrian province of Meggido. Under the Hasmoneans, Jewish communities lived in.the entire area surrounding the lake. In 30 BC, Herod the Great received the city of Hippo and ten years later his domains were extended to include the entire Golan. His descendants established the cities of Tiberias and Bethsaida. During the reign of Herod's son Herod Antipas, Jesus preached in the towns around the lake shore and the Evangelists recount many miracles including the famous walking on the water. Walking on the Water Then he made his disciples embark and go before him to the other shore while he sent the people away. After having done so, he climbed the mountain to pray alone. When evening came, he was there, alone. The boat was already several furlongs from the shore, battling with a head wind and a rough sea. During the fourth watch, between three and six in the morning, Jesus went towards them, walking over the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were so shaken that they cried out in terror, 'It is a ghost!' And at once he spoke to them, 'Take heart! It is I, do not be afraid!' Peter called to him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you over the water.' 'Come!' said Jesus. Pierre stepped down from the boat and walked over the waters to Jesus. But seeing the strength of the gale, he was seized with fear, and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Save me Lord.' Jesus at once reached out and caught hold of him, saying, 'Why do you hesitate? How little faith you have!' They then climbed into the boat and the wind dropped. And the men who were in the boat fell at his feet, exclaiming, 'Truly, you are the Son of God.' Matthew, XIV, 22-33. Under Roman rule, the western shore of the lake and part of the Golan were inhabited by Jews. The Byzantines who came after them built churches everywhere; the Arabs, in their turn, brought the region under the province of Jund el-Urdun, modern day Jordan. The Crusaders settled on the western shore, and made several unsuccessful attempts to take over the eastern shore. The Mameluks incorporated the region around the lake into the province of Safed, and the Turks incorporated it into the province of Acre. At the beginning of the twentieth century the lake held a strange fascination for the first Jewish immigrants who landed in Palestine. In 1908, Arthur Ruppin, Director of the Palestinian Office of the Zionist Movement, responsible for encouraging Jewish colonization in Palestine, decided to open an experimental farm where young pioneers could receive agricultural training. The overseer to whom Ruppin gave responsibility for running the farm treated the workers as little more than employees without any consideration for their patriotic and socialist motivation. His overly rigorous management eventually led to a strike and Ruppin, alerted about the situation in Tel Aviv, agreed to give the nearby tract of Um-Juni lands to seven workers who proposed to manage it as a collective farm. This farm was the forerunner of the first kibbutz, and proved to be crucial in the history of the Labor Zionist movement. After a second strike, the overseer was dismissed and the workers dispersed to the different Jewish colonies in the country. In 1909, a first village, bearing the name of Kinneret, was created. Three years later, in May 1912, some of the buildings of the old farm were converted to a new agricultural school for young women, which was also known as Kinneret. From that point forward, this part of the country became a site for encounters and experiences, and for significant dramas and despair. The great names of the Labor Zionist movement, the members of the second wave of immigration known as the Second Aliya (1904-1918) passed through the village of Kinneret. The important Zionist socialist ideas were born on the shores of the lake and on the kibbutz , particularly the notion of the moshav. The important debates concerning the political orientation of the Jewish community in Palestine, the yishuv, took place in Kinneret. The members of the third wave of immigration or the Third Aliya of 1919-1923, organized into Work Brigades and mobilized for the construction of the Tzemach Road, camped within the school's walls. Kibbutz Kinneret was created and its members became the kernel of colonizers who later founded other kibbutzim in the area, including Afikim, Ein Gev and Ma'agan. Because Kinneret is the cradle of the Labor Zionist movement, it has become a legend. Its cemetery is one of the most charming, peaceful and inviting in the entire country, and has become something of a pantheon for the major figures of the movement. Those buried there include the poetess Rachel whose tomb lies close to the lake beneath a palm tree. To visit this cemetery is to pay homage to one of the most industrious and perhaps one of the most puerile, and tragic labor movements in the history of socialism.