Margalit Zinati (;

Peki'in Peki'in (alternatively Peqi'in) () or Buqei'a (), is a Druze–Arab town with local council status in Israel's Northern District. It is located eight kilometres east of Ma'alot-Tarshiha in the Upper Galilee. In it had a population of . The ...

, born October 1931) is a member of the ancient Zinati family, which is one of the 3 priestly families that have lived in Peki'in for hundreds of years. Margalit was for years the only

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

in the place and guarded the ancient synagogue. Margalit is known as the "keeper of the Jewish embers" in Peki'in. In 2018, the 70th anniversary of the

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

of the

State of 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 ...

, she was chosen to light a torch in the torch-lighting ceremony.

Personal life

Margalit Zinati decided not to marry so she could stay in Peki'in to protect the synagogue and her parents' fields.

References

1931 births Israeli Jews Living people {{improve categories, date=October 2024