Ginosar () is a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...

in the Plain of Ginosar on the western shore of the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee (, Judeo-Aramaic languages, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ), also called Lake Tiberias, Genezareth Lake or Kinneret, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Located north of

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; , ; ) is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Heb ...

on Highway 90, it falls under the jurisdiction of

Emek HaYarden Regional Council Emek HaYarden Regional Council (, ''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 southern parts of its eastern shore, and the north ...

. In it had a population of .

History

Roman period

In the first century AD there was a flourishing town known by Greek and Latin speakers as Gennesaret, with one single mention in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

(), for which but a few papyri use the form "Gennesar". The modern kibbutz takes its name from this ancient town, though it is not located at precisely the same site.

British Mandate

Ginosar was founded on the eve of

Purim Purim (; , ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jews, Jewish people from Genocide, annihilation at the hands of an official of the Achaemenid Empire named Haman, as it is recounted in the Book of Esther (u ...

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

Palestine Jewish Colonization Association The Palestine Jewish Colonization Association (), commonly known by its Yiddish acronym PICA (), was established in 1924. It played a major role in purchasing land and building Jewish settlement in Palestine and later the State of Israel until t ...

(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 A popular uprising by Palestinian Arabs in Mandatory Palestine against the British administration, later known as the Great Revolt, the Great Palestinian Revolt, or the Palestinian Revolution, lasted from 1936 until 1939. The movement sought i ...

). The original was built as a " Tower and Stockade" settlement, was closely aligned with the

Mapai Mapai (, an abbreviation for , ''Mifleget Poalei Eretz Yisrael'', ) was a Labor Zionist and democratic socialist political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in January ...

party, and was the home of

Yigal Allon Yigal Allon (; 10 October 1918 – 29 February 1980) was an Israeli military leader and politician. He was a commander of the Palmach and a general in the Israel Defense Forces, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). He was also a leader of the Ahdut HaA ...

, commander of the "Syrian Department" of the

Palmach The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Phalanges/Companies") was the elite combined strike forces and sayeret unit of the Haganah, the paramilitary organization of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of th ...

, and later a senior minister in the

government of Israel The Cabinet of Israel (; ) is the cabinet which exercises Executive (government), executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of Minister (government), ministers who are chosen and led by the Prime Minister of Israel, prime ministe ...

. File:ראשיתה של גינוסר-JNF022266.jpeg, Ginosar1937. "Tower and Stockade" wall under construction 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 ...

to 100 BCE to 70 CE, and is now known as the Sea of Galilee Boat. 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