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== History ==
== History ==
===Antiquity===
===Antiquity===
Settlement in Jish dates back 3,000 years. The village is mentioned in the [[Mishnah]] as ''Gush Halav'', a city "surrounded by walls since the time of [[Joshua]] Ben Nun". [[Caananite]] and [[Israelite]] remains from the Early Bronze and Iron Ages have been found there. <ref>''Encyclopedia Judaica,'' Jerusalem, 1978, "Giscala," vol. 7, 590</ref>Both Josephus and later Jewish sources from the Roman-Byzantine period mention the fine olive oil for which the village was known. After the fall of [[Gamla]], Gush Halav was the last [[Jewish]] stronghold in the [[Galilee]] and [[Golan]] region during the [[First Jewish Revolt]] against Rome (66-73 CE). Gischala was the home of Yohanan of Gush Halav (יוחנן מגוש חלב), known in English as [[John of Gischala]], a key figure in the Jewish revolt in the Galilee and later [[Jerusalem]].<ref>[http://www.eretz.com/NEW/article/jish.html The Third Line of Defense: Ancient Hideaways in the Galilee]</ref>The tombs of [[Shmaya]] and [[Abtalion]], Jewish sages who taught in Jerusalem in the early 1st century, are located in Jish.<ref>''The Guide to Israel'', [[Zev Vilnay]], Jerusalem, 1972, p. 539.</ref>
Settlement in Jish dates back 3,000 years. The village is mentioned in the [[Mishnah]] as ''Gush Halav'', a city "surrounded by walls since the time of [[Joshua]] Ben Nun". [[Caananite]] and [[Israelite]] remains from the Early Bronze and Iron Ages have been found there. <ref>''Encyclopedia Judaica,'' Jerusalem, 1978, "Giscala," vol. 7, 590</ref>Both Josephus and later Jewish sources from the Roman-Byzantine period mention the fine olive oil for which the village was known. <ref>''The Guide to Israel'', [[Zev Vilnay]], Jerusalem, 1972, p. 539.</ref>According to the [[Talmud]], the inhabitants also engaged in the production of silk.<ref>''Encyclopedia Judaica,'' Jerusalem, 1978, "Giscala," vol. 7, 590</ref>
After the fall of [[Gamla]], Gush Halav was the last [[Jewish]] stronghold in the [[Galilee]] and [[Golan]] region during the [[First Jewish Revolt]] against Rome (66-73 CE). Gischala was the home of Yohanan of Gush Halav (יוחנן מגוש חלב), known in English as [[John of Gischala]], a key figure in the Jewish revolt in the Galilee and later [[Jerusalem]].<ref>[http://www.eretz.com/NEW/article/jish.html The Third Line of Defense: Ancient Hideaways in the Galilee]</ref>The tombs of [[Shmaya]] and [[Abtalion]], Jewish sages who taught in Jerusalem in the early 1st century, are located in Jish.<ref>''The Guide to Israel'', [[Zev Vilnay]], Jerusalem, 1972, p. 539.</ref>


===Arab rule===
===Arab rule===
Line 54: Line 56:


==Archaeology==
==Archaeology==
Eighteen archaeological sites have been excavated to date in Jish and the nearby vicinity.<ref>[http://www.iaa-conservation.org.il/Projects_Item_eng.asp?id=50&subject_id=6&site_id=27 Projects - Preservation<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> Archaeologists have excavated a [[synagogue]] in use from the 3rd to 6th centuries CE. Evidence was found of earthquakes in 306 CE and of the [[Galilee earthquake of 363]] CE. A strong earthquake in 551 CE may have led to the site's abandonment. A carved [[Aramaic]] inscription on one of the columns of the synagogue, believed to date from the middle of the 3rd century or early 4th century CE, reads: "Yosei son of Nahum built this. A blessing be upon him." Coins indicate that Jish had strong commercial ties with the nearby city of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]]. On Jish's western slope, a mausoleum was excavated, with stone [[sarcophagi]] similar to those seen at the large Jewish catacomb at [[Beit She'arim]]. The inner part of the mausoleum contained ten hewn ''loculi'', burial niches known in Hebrew as ''kokhim''. In the mausoleum, archaeologists found several skeletons, oil lamps and a glass bottle dating to the fourth century CE. A network of secret caves and passageways in Jish, some of them dug under private homes, is strikingly similar to hideaways in the Judean lowlands used during the [[Bar Kokhba revolt]].<ref>[http://www.eretz.com/NEW/article/jish.html ERETZ Magazine<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref>
Eighteen archaeological sites have been excavated to date in Jish and the nearby vicinity.<ref>[http://www.iaa-conservation.org.il/Projects_Item_eng.asp?id=50&subject_id=6&site_id=27 Projects - Preservation<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> Archaeologists have excavated a [[synagogue]] in use from the 3rd to 6th centuries CE. Evidence was found of earthquakes in 306 CE and of the [[Galilee earthquake of 363]] CE. A strong earthquake in 551 CE may have led to the site's abandonment.
A carved [[Aramaic]] inscription on one of the columns of the synagogue, believed to date from the middle of the 3rd century or early 4th century CE, reads: "Yosei son of Nahum built this. A blessing be upon him."
Coins indicate that Jish had strong commercial ties with the nearby city of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]]. On Jish's western slope, a mausoleum was excavated, with stone [[sarcophagi]] similar to those seen at the large Jewish catacomb at [[Beit She'arim]]. The inner part of the mausoleum contained ten hewn ''loculi'', burial niches known in Hebrew as ''kokhim''. In the mausoleum, archaeologists found several skeletons, oil lamps and a glass bottle dating to the fourth century CE.
A network of secret caves and passageways in Jish, some of them located under private homes, is strikingly similar to hideaways in the Judean lowlands used during the [[Bar Kokhba revolt]].<ref>[http://www.eretz.com/NEW/article/jish.html ERETZ Magazine<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 07:15, 27 October 2011

Template:Infobox Israel municipality Jish (Arabic: الجش; Template:Lang-he-n,[1][2] Gush Halav) is an Israeli Arab town located on the northeastern slopes of Mt. Meron, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Safed, in Israel's North District.[3] The population is Maronite Christian and Greek Catholic with a Muslim minority. [4]

Jish was populated by Jews until until the 16th century. Archaeological finds including two synagogues, a unique mausoleum and burial caves.[5] According to Roman historian Josephus, Jish was the last city in the Galilee to fall to the Romans. [6] A small Druze community lived there in the 17th century. It was re-established in the 18th century by farmers from Mount Lebanon.

In 1945, Jish had a population of 1,090 with an area of 12,602 dunams. It was largely depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, but was resettled by Maronite Christians from Iqrit and Kafr Bir'im.[7] In 2005, the population was 2,600.[8]

Etymology

Classical Greek sources, including the Wars of the Jews by Josephus, call the village Gischala. The Hebrew name, lit. "abundance of milk," may be a reference to the production of milk and cheese, for which the village had been famous since the early Middle Ages, [9] or to the fertile surroundings. [10]Other scholars believe the name refers to the light color of the local limestone, which contrasted with the dark reddish rock of the neighboring village, Ras al-Ahmar. [11] After the Battle of Yarmouk, the town adopted its modern name of Jish.[citation needed]

History

Antiquity

Settlement in Jish dates back 3,000 years. The village is mentioned in the Mishnah as Gush Halav, a city "surrounded by walls since the time of Joshua Ben Nun". Caananite and Israelite remains from the Early Bronze and Iron Ages have been found there. [12]Both Josephus and later Jewish sources from the Roman-Byzantine period mention the fine olive oil for which the village was known. [13]According to the Talmud, the inhabitants also engaged in the production of silk.[14]

After the fall of Gamla, Gush Halav was the last Jewish stronghold in the Galilee and Golan region during the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (66-73 CE). Gischala was the home of Yohanan of Gush Halav (יוחנן מגוש חלב), known in English as John of Gischala, a key figure in the Jewish revolt in the Galilee and later Jerusalem.[15]The tombs of Shmaya and Abtalion, Jewish sages who taught in Jerusalem in the early 1st century, are located in Jish.[16]

Arab rule

Historical sources from the 10th-15th centuries describe Gush Halav (Jish) as a large Jewish village. [17]

Ottoman rule

In the 17th century, the town was inhabited by Druze, who abandoned it after several decades. In the early 18th century, Maronites, Greek Catholics and Muslims began settling in the town. The Galilee earthquake of 1837 caused widespread damage and over 200 deaths.[18] At the end of the 19th century, Jish was described as a "well-built village of good masonry" with about 600 Christian and 200 Muslim inhabitants.[19]

British Mandate

The population of Jish in 1945 numbered 1,090 inhabitants and the village spanned 12,602 dunams, the bulk owned by Palestinian Arabs.[20][verification needed]

State of Israel

Israeli forces captured Jish on October 29, 1948, in Operation Hiram,[21] after "a hard-fought battle."[22] They apparently murdered "about 10 Moroccan POWs (who had served with the Syrian Army) and a number of civilians, including, apparently, four Maronite Christians, and a woman and her baby".[23] The Israeli prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, ordered an investigation of the deaths [24] but no IDF soldiers were brought to trial. [25]

Elias Chacour, now Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church), whose family resettled in Jish, claims that when he was eight years old he discovered a mass grave containing two dozen bodies.[26]

Many of the residents of Jish forced to leave the village in 1948 fled to Lebanon and became Palestinian refugees. In 1949, hundreds of Maronite and Melkite Christians from the nearby towns of Iqrit and Kafr Bir'im were resettled in Jish.[18][27][7] Today they are citizens of Israel but continue to press for their right of return to their former villages. [7]In October 1950, Israeli forces raided Jish and detained seven suspected smugglers who were stripped, bound and beaten. They were released without charge.[28]

Demographics

Though the majority of Christian population of Jish is defined in Israel as Arab Christians, the largest group is Maronite, with two smaller groups of Melkite Eastern Catholics and Muslim. The Maronites in Israel claim Aramaic descent, differentiating themselves from their Arab neighbours.

Archaeology

Eighteen archaeological sites have been excavated to date in Jish and the nearby vicinity.[29] Archaeologists have excavated a synagogue in use from the 3rd to 6th centuries CE. Evidence was found of earthquakes in 306 CE and of the Galilee earthquake of 363 CE. A strong earthquake in 551 CE may have led to the site's abandonment.

A carved Aramaic inscription on one of the columns of the synagogue, believed to date from the middle of the 3rd century or early 4th century CE, reads: "Yosei son of Nahum built this. A blessing be upon him."

Coins indicate that Jish had strong commercial ties with the nearby city of Tyre. On Jish's western slope, a mausoleum was excavated, with stone sarcophagi similar to those seen at the large Jewish catacomb at Beit She'arim. The inner part of the mausoleum contained ten hewn loculi, burial niches known in Hebrew as kokhim. In the mausoleum, archaeologists found several skeletons, oil lamps and a glass bottle dating to the fourth century CE.

A network of secret caves and passageways in Jish, some of them located under private homes, is strikingly similar to hideaways in the Judean lowlands used during the Bar Kokhba revolt.[30]

See also

References

  1. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 76
  2. ^ SWP, 1881, I, p. 225
  3. ^ Yoav Stern (30 July 2007). "Galilee villages launch campaign to attract Christian pilgrims". Haaretz. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  4. ^ Heritage conservation in Israel
  5. ^ Heritage conservation in Israel
  6. ^ Encyclopedia Judaica, Jerusalem, 1978, "Giscala," vol. 7, 590
  7. ^ a b c Morris, 2004, p. 508
  8. ^ Population of Localities numbering above 1,000 residents Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, pp.2
  9. ^ Encyclopedia Judaica, Jerusalem, 1978, "Giscala," vol. 7, 590
  10. ^ The Guide to Israel, Zev Vilnay, Jerusalem, 1972, p. 539.
  11. ^ Encyclopedia Judaica, Jerusalem, 1978, "Giscala," vol. 7, 590
  12. ^ Encyclopedia Judaica, Jerusalem, 1978, "Giscala," vol. 7, 590
  13. ^ The Guide to Israel, Zev Vilnay, Jerusalem, 1972, p. 539.
  14. ^ Encyclopedia Judaica, Jerusalem, 1978, "Giscala," vol. 7, 590
  15. ^ The Third Line of Defense: Ancient Hideaways in the Galilee
  16. ^ The Guide to Israel, Zev Vilnay, Jerusalem, 1972, p. 539.
  17. ^ Heritage conservation in Israel
  18. ^ a b Projects: Gush Halav, Jish Archbishop Faina Milshtein. Israel Antiquities Authority.
  19. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 198
  20. ^ "Wecome to Jish (Gush Halav)". Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  21. ^ Morris, 2004, p.473
  22. ^ Benny Morris (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. pp. 500–501. ISBN 0-521-00967-7.
  23. ^ Morris, 2004, p. 481, citing Israeli sources but noting their lack of clarity
  24. ^ Gelber, 2001, p.226
  25. ^ Morris, 2008, p. 345
  26. ^ Elias Chacour; David Hazard (2003). Blood Brothers. Chosen Books. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-8007-9321-0. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  27. ^ Kafar Bir'em is waiting for justice:Introduction Committee for the uprooted of Kafar Bir'em.
  28. ^ Morris, 1993, p. 167
  29. ^ Projects - Preservation
  30. ^ ERETZ Magazine

Bibliography

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