Field trip to Lower Galilee, Mount Arbel and the Kinneret area

Today my Contemporary Israel class went to the lower Galilee, Mount Arbel, and the Kinneret. This is a fascinating place full of history, especially from the Tanakh. We followed in the footsteps of Jewish history from King Saul's defeat in the Jezre'el Valley all the way through the early pioneers of the Aliyot. We visited near the site of the first Kibbutz, Degania and visited one of the first Moshavot. We also visited the agricultural school where Rachel Bluewstein and other men and women of the Aliyot learned agriculture. Rachel's poetry is some of the most beautiful writing because of her passion for the Kinneret and its beauty, unlike Mark Twain who basically said that the area of the Kinneret was the worst piece of land in the world, the ugliest, most disgusting place. I saw a picture of the Kinneret around 1913 and there was only one tree in the whole area, but even then this place must have been beautiful because, even though suffering from Tuberculosis and banished from the kibbutz, Rachel dreamt of being back in the Kinneret until she finally passed away in the 1930s.



Mount Arbel was also an incredible place. On one side was the sight of a massive battle between the Crusaders and the Muslim army under Saladdin where the Crusaders were brutally defeated. The story goes that it was close to or possibly was 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the Crusaders in their heavy armor were facing off against the Muslim warriors in their lighter cloth uniforms and fast horses. The Crusaders were trying to reach the only water source close by (just beyond the hill). They were cut off and the Muslim army burned the recently harvested field killing the majority of the Crusaders.

The valley below also was the site of the battle between Herod and the Galileans, also an extremely bloody battle. The Galileans utilized the caves on the steep sides of the mountain of Arbel. The Galileans consistently beat back Herod's army until he came up with the idea of lowering soldiers down from the top of Mount Arbel into the caves in baskets where the soldiers would throw in fire to draw out the Galileans who would then be swiftly killed...a genius plan, but the Galileans consistent prove even into modern times that they are extremely tough warriors.

All in all, this was an awesome trip with great views and fascinating history.