Ginosar ( he, גִּנּוֹסַר) is a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...

in the Plain of Ginosar on the western shore of the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...

in Israel. Located north of

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...

on Highway 90, it falls under the jurisdiction of

Emek HaYarden Regional Council Emek HaYarden Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית עמק הירדן, ''Mo'atza Azorit 'Emeq HaYarden'', ''lit.'' Jordan Valley Regional Council) is a regional council comprising much of the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, the southe ...

. In it had a population of .

History

Roman era

In the first century AD there was a flourishing town known by Greek and Latin speakers as

Gennesaret Kinneret () is the name of an important Bronze and Iron Age city situated on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, mentioned in the 14th century BC Aqhat Epic of Ugarit, and in the Old Testament and New Testament. Older Bible translations ...

, also in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

with one single verse (Matthew 14:34), where "Gennesar" is written by only a few papyri. 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 Purim (; , ; see Name below) is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire who was planning to have all of Persia's Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the Book ...

in March 1937 by a group of young Socialist Zionists, on

Palestine Jewish Colonization Association The Palestine Jewish Colonization Association ( he, חברה להתיישבות יהודית בארץ־ישראל), commonly known by its Yiddish acronym PICA ( he, פיק"א), was established in 1924. It played a major role in purchasing land for ...

(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]). The original was built as a tower and stockade settlement, and was closely aligned with the

Mapai Mapai ( he, מַפָּא"י, an acronym for , ''Mifleget Poalei Eretz Yisrael'', lit. "Workers' Party of the Land of Israel") was a democratic socialist political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger in ...

party, and was the home of

Yigal Allon Yigal Allon ( he, יגאל אלון; 10 October 1918 – 29 February 1980) was an Israeli politician, commander of the Palmach, and general in the Israel Defense Forces, IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Labor P ...

, commander of the "Syrian Department" of the

Palmach The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Companies") was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. The Palmach ...

, and later a senior minister in the

Government of Israel The Cabinet of Israel (officially: he, ממשלת ישראל ''Memshelet Yisrael'') exercises executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of ministers who are chosen and led by the prime minister. The composition of the governmen ...

. File:ראשיתה של גינוסר-JNF022266.jpeg, Ginosar walls under construction 1937 File:גינוסר - על אדמת פיק"א-JNF009239.jpeg, Ginosar 1937. Watchtower under construction File:Ginosar.jpg,

, 11th Company, doing morning exercises at Ginosar, 1947

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 Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The method was dev ...

to 100 BCE to 70 CE, and is now known as the

Sea of Galilee Boat The Ancient Galilee Boat, also known as the Jesus Boat, is an ancient fishing boat from the 1st century AD, discovered in 1986 on the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The remains of the boat, 27 feet (8.27 meters) long, 7.5 feet ( ...

. 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.Israel Handbook: With the Palestinian Authority Areas'', by Dave Winter

Notable people

(1918–1980), politician, commander of the Palmach, and general in the IDF * Barak Lufan (1987-2022), kayaker

References

External links

Official websiteArticle on the Kibbutz and its history
{{Authority control 1937 establishments in Mandatory Palestine Kibbutzim Kibbutz Movement Populated places established in 1937 Populated places in Northern District (Israel) Sea of Galilee