Jish ( Arabic : الجش , al-Jiŝ ), also known by its Hebrew name of Gush Halab ( Hebrew : גּוּשׁ חָלָב , Gūŝ Ḥālāḇ ), or by its classical name of Gischala , is a local council in Upper Galilee , located on the northeastern slopes of Mount Meron , 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Safed , in Israel 's Northern District . In 2022, it had a population of 3,216, which is predominantly Maronite Catholic and Melkite Greek Catholic Christians (63%), with a Sunni Muslim Arab minority (about 35.7%).
68-784: Jish is the ancient Giscala or Gush Halav , first mentioned in the historical record by the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus , who described it as the home of John of Giscala and the last city in the Galilee to fall to the Romans during the First Jewish–Roman War (War 4:93). Archeological excavations uncovered remains from the Canaanite and Israelite periods; later archaeological finds in Jish include two ancient synagogues ,
136-637: A protectorate of Rome, emigration intensified. Many Jews became citizens of other parts of the Roman Empire . Josephus , the book of Acts in the New Testament , as well as other Pauline texts , make frequent reference to the large populations of Hellenised Jews in the cities of the Roman world. It is commonly claimed that the diaspora began with Rome's twofold crushing of Jewish national aspirations. David Aberbach, for one, has argued that much of
204-481: A hiking and bicycle path known as the Coexistence Trail was inaugurated, linking Jish with Dalton , a neighboring Jewish village. The 2,500 meter-long trail, accessible to people with disabilities, sits 850 meters above sea level and has several lookout points, including a view of Dalton Lake, where rainwater is collected and stored for agricultural use. Jish is known for its efforts to revive Aramaic as
272-512: A living language. In 2011, the Israeli Ministry of Education approved a program to teach the language in Jish elementary schools. Some local Maronite activists in Jish say that Aramaic is essential to their existence as a people, in the same way that Hebrew and Arabic are for Jews and Arabs. Today, 55% of the inhabitants of Jish are Maronite Christians , 10% percent are Melkites and 35% percent are Muslims. The population of
340-641: A mass grave containing two dozen bodies. The Israeli prime minister, David Ben-Gurion , ordered an investigation of the deaths but no IDF soldiers were brought to trial, though a military investigation concluded with the order that those responsible for the unjustified killings were to be tried 'immediately'. Additionally, as a result of the investigations strict rules on the treatment of civillians were issued, prohibiting expulsions, and specifying that "unjustified killing of civilians will be regarded as murder ... Torture of placid civilians will be dealt with sharply", and all battallion commanders were compelled to sign on
408-476: A number of rights. Central privileges included the right to be exempted from polis religious rituals and the permission "to follow their ancestral laws, customs and religion". Jews were also exempted from military service and the provision of Roman troops. Contrary to what Josephus wants his readers to believe, the Jews did not have the status of religio licita (permitted religion) as this status did not exist in
476-473: A unique mausoleum and rock-cut tombs from the Roman and Byzantine periods. Historical sources dating from the 10th-15th centuries describe Jish ( Gush Halav ) as a village with a strong Jewish presence. In the early Ottoman era, Jish was wholly Muslim. In the 17th century, the village was inhabited by Druze . In 1945, under British rule , Jish had a population of 1,090 with an area of 12,602 dunams. It
544-464: Is a variation of the site's ancient name Gush Halav in Hebrew , literally "block of milk" or "a lump of milk," which may be a reference to either the production of milk and cheese (for which the village has been famous since at least the early Middle Ages ) or else to the fertile surroundings, which are well-suited for various forms of agriculture . Other scholars believe the name Gush Halav refers to
612-596: Is now Lebanon lies astride the Dead Sea Transform , which forms part of the boundary between the Arabian plate and the African plate . In Lebanon the fault zone forms a restraining bend associated with a right stepping offset of the fault trace. Transpressional deformation associated with this bend has formed a number of thrust faults , such as the recently identified Mount Lebanon thrust , which underlies
680-525: The Nahiya of Jira , of the Liwa Safad . It had a population of 71 households and 20 bachelors, all Muslim . The villagers paid taxes on goats and beehives, but most of its taxes were in the form of a fixed sum: total taxes amounted to around 30,750 akçe . In the 17th century, the village had been inhabited by Druze , but they later departed from it. The Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi , who passed by
748-473: The 1931 census , Jish had 182 inhabited houses and a population of 358 Christians and 397 Muslims. In the 1945 statistics , Jish had a population of 1,090; 350 Christians and 740 Muslims, and the village spanned 12,602 dunams , mostly Arab-owned. Of this, 1,506 dunums were plantations and irrigable land, 6,656 used for cereals , while 72 dunams were built-up (urban) land. Israeli forces captured Jish on 29 October 1948, during Operation Hiram . A massacre
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#1732765371427816-660: The Classical period , the town was known as Gischala , a Greek transcription of the Hebrew name Gush Halav . Both Josephus and later Jewish sources from the Roman-Byzantine period mention the fine olive oil for which the village was known. According to the Talmud , the inhabitants also engaged in the production of silk . Eleazar b. Simeon , described in the Talmud as a very large man with tremendous physical strength,
884-676: The Eastern Mediterranean dated from 63 BCE, following the end of the Third Mithridatic War , when Rome made Syria a province. After the defeat of Mithridates VI of Pontus , the proconsul Pompeius Magnus ( Pompey the Great ) remained to secure the area, including a visit to the Jerusalem Temple . The former king Hyrcanus II was confirmed as ethnarch of the Jews by Julius Caesar in 48 BC. In 37 BC,
952-650: The Great Jewish Revolt against Rome (66-73 CE), and the home of John of Giscala . Two ancient synagogues were discovered at Jish. The first was located at the top of the hill, below the current Maronite Church. The second one was discovered at the foot of the hill, close to a spring; one of its columns is inscribed in Aramaic with the name of a particular "Yose son of Tanhum". This synagogue went through several phases of construction and reconstruction, one destruction being dated by excavator Eric M. Meyers to
1020-592: The Herodian Kingdom was established as a Roman client kingdom and in 6 CE parts became a province of the Roman Empire , named Iudaea Province . In the Greek cities in the east of the Roman empire, tensions often arose between the Greek and Jewish populations. Writing around 90 CE, the Jewish author Josephus cited decrees by Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Augustus and Claudius, endowing Jewish communities with
1088-477: The earthquake of 551 . In addition to Jewish structures and burial sites dated to the 3rd through 6th centuries, both Jewish and Christian amulets have also been discovered nearby. Christian artifacts from the Byzantine period have been found at the site. According to local tradition, two nearby rock-cut tombs contain the graves of 1st century BCE Jewish sages Shemaiah and Avtalyon . Historical sources from
1156-559: The land of Israel between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires from the 4th to the 1st centuries BCE. In Rome, Jewish communities thrived economically. Jews became a significant part of the Roman Empire's population in the first century CE, with some estimates as high as 7 million people; however, this estimation has been questioned. Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem and its surroundings by 63 BCE. The Romans deposed
1224-478: The moment magnitude scale and a maximum felt intensity of X ( Extreme ) on the Mercalli intensity scale . It triggered a devastating tsunami which affected the coastal towns of Byzantine Phoenicia , causing great destruction and sinking many ships. Overall large numbers of people were reported killed, with one estimate of 30,000 by the anonymous pilgrim of Piacenza for Berytus (modern Beirut ) alone. What
1292-578: The 10th to the 15th centuries describe it as a large Jewish village, and it is mentioned in the 10th century by Arab geographer Al-Muqaddasi . Jewish life in the 10th and 11th centuries is attested to by documents in the Cairo Geniza . In 1172, the Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela found about 20 Jews living there. Ishtori Haparchi also attended a megilla reading when he visited in 1322. In 1596, Jish appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in
1360-652: The Babylonian destruction of Judah, the Roman destruction of Judea, and the subsequent rule of Christians and Muslims. After the revolt, the Jewish religious and cultural center shifted to the Babylonian Jewish community and its scholars. For the generations that followed, the destruction of the Second Temple event came to represent a fundamental insight about the Jews who had become a dispossessed and persecuted people for much of their history. Following
1428-541: The Bar Kokhba revolt Jews were reduced to a mainly diaspora people. Erich S. Gruen maintains that focusing on the destruction of the Temple misses the point that already before this, the diaspora was well established. Compulsory dislocation of people cannot explain more than a fraction of the eventual diaspora. Avrum Ehrlich also states that already well before the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, more Jews lived in
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#17327653714271496-759: The Diaspora than in Israel. Jonathan Adelman estimated that around 60% of Jews lived in the diaspora during the Second Temple period. Of critical importance to the reshaping of Jewish tradition from the Temple-based religion to the traditions of the Diaspora was the development of the interpretations of the Torah found in the Mishnah and Talmud . In spite of the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt , Jews remained in
1564-576: The Eastern Roman realm and as far away as Merovingian France. Soon thereafter, 634, the Muslim conquests began, during which many Jews initially rose up again against their Eastern Roman rulers. Following the 1st-century Great Revolt and the 2nd-century Bar Kokhba revolt , the destruction of Judea exerted a decisive influence upon the dispersion of the Jewish people throughout the world, as
1632-548: The European Jewish diaspora, by which he means exile or voluntary migration, originated with the Jewish wars which occurred between 66 and 135 CE. Martin Goodman states that it is only after the destruction of Jerusalem that Jews are found in northern Europe and along the western Mediterranean coast. This widespread popular belief holds that there was a sudden expulsion of Jews from Judea/Syria Palaestina and that this
1700-457: The Israelite prophet Joel was also buried there. The structure traditionally believed to be his tomb is situated on the western outskirts of the modern village, and contains several ancient rock-cut tombs . According to Christian tradition, the parents of Saint Paul were from Jish. John of Giscala , the son of Levi, was born in Jish. Other churches in Jish are a small Maronite Church that
1768-645: The Jewish oral law . A major catalyst in Judaism is Judah haNasi , who was a wealthy rabbi and one of the last tannaim, oral interpreters of the Law. He was in good standing with Roman authority figures, which aided in his ascent to being the Patriarch of the Jewish community in Palestine. The decisions of the tannaim are contained in the Mishnah , Beraita , Tosefta , and various Midrash compilations. The Mishnah
1836-451: The Jewish people to the region . Though other explanations have also been proposed, and an alternative theory is that the renaming efforts preceded and helped precipitate the rebellion. In addition, after 70, Jews and Jewish Proselytes were only allowed to practice their religion if they paid the Jewish tax , and after 135 were barred from Jerusalem except for the day of Tisha B'Av . A Jewish diaspora existed for several centuries before
1904-491: The Jews in the Roman Empire The history of the Jews in the Roman Empire ( Latin : Iudaeorum Romanum ) traces the interaction of Jews and Romans during the period of the Roman Empire (27 BC – 476 AD). A Jewish diaspora had migrated to Rome and to the territories of Roman Europe from the land of Israel , Anatolia , Babylon and Alexandria in response to economic hardship and incessant warfare over
1972-472: The Jordan Valley associated with the 551 event have been re-analyzed, suggesting that a later earthquake was more likely to be responsible. The earthquake was felt over a wide area from Alexandria in the southwest to Antioch in the north previously damaged by the earthquake of 526 . The area of felt intensity of VIII or more extends from Tripoli in the north to Tyre in the south. Estimates for
2040-459: The Roman empire, nor were all Roman decrees concerning the Jews positive. Instead, the regulations were made as a response to individual requests to the emperor. The decrees were deployed by Josephus "as instruments in an ongoing political struggle for status". Because of their one-sided viewpoint, the authenticity of the decrees has been questioned many times, but they are now thought to be largely authentic. Still, Josephus gave only one side of
2108-507: The Roum Fault mapped onshore may have been responsible. However, seabed surveys have discounted this possibility and the discovery of geologically recent fault scarps at seabed indicate that movement on the newly identified Mount Lebanon Thrust was the cause of the earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Quaternary uplift recorded by a series of marine-cut terraces between Tripoli and Beirut are consistent with continuing upward movement of
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2176-748: The Temple. However Julian was killed in battle on 26 June 363 in his failed campaign against the Sassanid Empire , and the Third Temple was not rebuilt at that time. During the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628 many Jews sided against the Eastern Roman Empire in the Jewish revolt against Heraclius , which successfully assisted the invading Persian Sassanids in conquering all of Roman Egypt and Syria. In reaction to this further anti-Jewish measures were enacted throughout
2244-655: The center of worship shifted from the Second Temple to Rabbinic authority. Some Jews were sold as slaves or transported as captives after the fall of Judea, others joined the existing diaspora, while still others remained in Judea and began work on the Jerusalem Talmud . The Jews in the diaspora were generally accepted into the Roman Empire , but with the rise of Christianity , restrictions grew. Forced expulsions and persecution resulted in substantial shifts in
2312-492: The city and is interpreted to crop out at the seabed offshore. There is little in the way of detailed descriptions of the damage caused by this earthquake in contemporary accounts. Sources refer to the coastal cities from Tyre to Tripoli being reduced to ruins with many thousands of casualties. The Anonymous pilgrim of Piacenza reported that 30,000 people died in Beirut alone. Reports of damage at Petra and other locations in
2380-745: The early 18th century. This may have happened as a result of the Battle of Ain Dara (1711), in which the Qaysis defeated the Yamanis and drove many of them from Mount Lebanon . Ben-Zvi recorded a local tradition, according to which two families in the village preceded the Maronite immigration; One of them—the Hashouls, the oldest family in the village— were Maronites of Jewish ancestry and were originally known by
2448-462: 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. A population list from about 1887 showed El Jish to have about 1,935 inhabitants; 975 Christians and 960 Muslims. At the time of the 1922 census of Palestine , Jish had a population of 721–380 Christians and 341 Muslims. The Christians were classified as 71% Maronite and 29% Greek Catholic (or Melchite ). By
2516-566: The fall of the Second Temple , and their dwelling in other countries for the most part was not a result of compulsory dislocation. Before the middle of the first century CE, in addition to Judea, Syria and Babylonia, large Jewish communities existed in the Roman provinces of Egypt, Crete and Cyrenaica , and in Rome itself; after the Siege of Jerusalem in 63 BCE , when the Hasmonean kingdom became
2584-468: The hanging wall of the proposed thrust. At a smaller scale, an uplifted vermetid bench, which indicates vertical movement of about 80 cm, is dated to the sixth century A.D. Continued uplift above this thrust since the late Miocene may explain the formation of the Mount Lebanon range. The tsunami affected the whole of the coast from Tyre to Tripoli. Withdrawal of the sea by up to two miles
2652-510: The institution of the Jewish Tax in 70 (those who paid the tax were exempt from the obligation of making sacrifices to the Roman imperial cult ). In 313, Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan giving official recognition to Christianity as a legal religion. Constantine the Great moved the Roman capital from Rome to Constantinople ("New Rome") c. 330, sometimes considered
2720-590: The international centers of Jewish life to which far-flung communities often looked, although not always unified, due to the Jewish people's dispersion itself. Jewish communities were thereby largely expelled from Judea and sent to various Roman provinces in the Middle East, Europe and North Africa. The Roman Jewry came to develop a character associated with the urban middle class in the modern age. 551 Beirut earthquake The 551 Beirut earthquake occurred on 9 July with an estimated magnitude of about 7.5 on
2788-482: The intervention of Philo of Alexandria and Herod Agrippa to prevent, has been proposed as the "first open break between Rome and the Jews"; although problems were already evident during the Census of Quirinius in 6 CE and under Sejanus (before 31 CE). The emperor Tiberius rectified the latter by intervening and ultimately recalling Pontius Pilate to Rome. In 66 CE, the First Jewish–Roman War began. The revolt
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2856-522: The land of Israel in significant numbers. The Jews who remained there went through numerous experiences and armed conflicts against consecutive occupiers of the Land. Some of the most famous and important Jewish texts were composed in Israeli cities at this time. The completion of the Mishnah is a prominent example. In this period the tannaim and amoraim were active rabbis who organized and debated
2924-482: The light color of the local limestone, which contrasts with the dark reddish rock of the neighboring village, Ras al-Ahmar . 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" (m. Arakhin 9:6). Canaanite and Israelite remains from the Early Bronze and Iron Ages have also been found there. During
2992-402: The lively commercial intercourse between those two cities. They may even have established a community there as early as the second pre-Christian century, for in the year 139 BCE, the pretor Hispanus issued a decree expelling all Jews who were not Roman citizens. The Jewish Encyclopedia connects the two civil wars raging during the last decades of the first century BCE, one in Judea between
3060-526: The magnitude vary from 7.2 on the surface-wave magnitude scale to a possible 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale . The rupture length is estimated to be greater than 100 kilometres (62 mi) and possibly as long as 150 kilometres (93 mi). The origin of the tsunami was thought to have been due to an underwater landslide triggered by an earthquake on the Dead Sea Transform itself. More recent analysis suggested that an offshore continuation of
3128-522: 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 . History of
3196-476: The name Shaul. The Galilee earthquake of 1837 caused widespread damage and over 200 deaths. Three weeks afterward, contemporaries reported "a large rent in the ground...about a foot wide and fifty feet long." All the Galilee villages that were badly damaged at the time, including Jish, were situated on the slopes of steep hills. The presence of old landslides has been observed on aerial photographs. The fact that
3264-480: The participants in that sanction and the messengers who communicated their decisions to distant communities. As the religious persecutions continued, Hillel determined to provide an authorized calendar for all time to come that was not dependent on observation at Jerusalem. Julian , the only emperor to reject Christianity after the conversion of Constantine , allowed the Jews to return to "holy Jerusalem which you have for many years longed to see rebuilt" and to rebuild
3332-597: The reception of these orders and their commital to them. Many of the residents of Jish were forced to leave the village in 1948 and became Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Some Christians from the nearby town of Kafr Bir'im resettled in Jish, where today they are citizens of Israel, but continue to press for their right of return to their former villages. In October 1950, Israeli forces raided Jish and detained seven suspected smugglers who were stripped, bound, and beaten. They were released without charge. In December 2010,
3400-508: The right bank of the Tiber , and thus originated the Jewish quarter in Rome. Even before Rome annexed Judea as a province, the Romans had interacted with Jews from their diasporas settled in Rome for a century and a half. Many cities of the Roman provinces in the eastern Mediterranean contained very large Jewish communities, dispersed from the time of the sixth century BCE. Rome's involvement in
3468-571: The right to settle in Yavneh , which as a result would go on to become an important cultural center of Jewish life in the Empire. Jews continued to live in their land in significant numbers, the Kitos War of 115–117 notwithstanding, until Julius Severus ravaged Judea while putting down the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132–136. 985 villages were destroyed and most of the Jewish population of central Judaea
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#17327653714273536-476: The ruling Hasmonean dynasty of Judaea (in power from c. 140 BCE) and the Roman Senate declared Herod the Great "King of the Jews" in c. 40 BCE. Judea proper , Samaria and Idumea became the Roman province of Judaea in 6 CE. Jewish–Roman tensions resulted in several Jewish–Roman wars between the years 66 and 135 CE, which resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple and
3604-578: The start of the Byzantine Empire , and with the Edict of Thessalonica in 380, Christianity became the state church of the Roman Empire . The Christian emperors persecuted their Jewish subjects and restricted their rights. According to the article on Rome in The Jewish Encyclopedia , Jews have lived in Rome for over 2,000 years, longer than in any other European city. They originally went there from Alexandria , drawn by
3672-422: The story by leaving out negative decisions and pretending that the rulings were universal. This way, he carried out an ideological message showing that the Romans allowed the Jews to carry out their own customs and rituals; the Jews were protected in the past and were still protected by these decisions in his own time. The efforts of Caligula to install a statue of himself in the Temple (37–41 CE), which required
3740-442: The two Hasmonean brothers Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II , and one in the Roman republic between Julius Caesar and Pompey, and describes the evolution of the Jewish population in Rome: ... the Jewish community in Rome grew very rapidly. The Jews who were taken to Rome as prisoners were either ransomed by their coreligionists or set free by their Roman masters, who found their peculiar custom obnoxious. They settled as traders on
3808-450: The upper synagogue, found by Kitchener of the Palestine Exploration Fund , the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Mar Boutros was built. Jewish-Christian amulets were discovered nearby. 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 National Park . The inner part of
3876-419: The village in 1648, wrote: Then comes the village of Jish, with one hundred houses of accursed believers in the transmigration of souls ( tenāsukhi mezhebindén ). Yet what beautiful boys and girls they have! And what a climate! Every one of these girls has queenly, gazelle-like, bewitching eyes, which captivate the beholder—an unusual sight. According to Yitzhak Ben-Zvi , Maronites first settled in Jish during
3944-420: The village was 3,216. Jish is located in Upper Galilee , in the Northern district of Israel. The town is close to Mount Meron, the tallest standing mountain of Galilee. Recently, a new road has connected Jish with the nearby Jewish village of Dalton. The tombs of Shmaya and Abtalion , a pair of Jewish sages who taught in Jerusalem in the early 1st century BCE, are located in Jish. According to tradition,
4012-422: The village was built on dip slopes consisting of soft bedrock and soil has made it more vulnerable to landslides. According to Andrew Thomson , no houses in Jish were left standing. The church fell, killing 130 people, and the old town walls collapsed. A total of 235 people died, and the ground was left fissured. At the time, the village was noted as a mixed Muslim and Maronite village in the Safad district. At
4080-416: Was a resident of the town. According to one version of events, he was initially buried in Gush Halav but later reinterred in Meron , next to his father, Shimon bar Yochai . Jerome recorded that Paul the Apostle lived with his parents in "Giscalis in Judea," which is understood to be Gischala. After the fall of Gamla , Gush Halav was the last Jewish stronghold in the Galilee and Golan region during
4148-410: Was completed shortly after 200 CE, probably by Judah haNasi. The commentaries of the amoraim upon the Mishnah are compiled in the Jerusalem Talmud , which was completed around 400 CE, probably in Tiberias . In 351, the Jewish population in Sepphoris , under the leadership of Patricius, started a revolt against the rule of Constantius Gallus , brother-in-law of Emperor Constantius II . The revolt
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#17327653714274216-420: Was crucial for the establishment of the diaspora. Israel Bartal contends that Shlomo Sand is incorrect in ascribing this view to most Jewish study scholars, instead arguing that this view is negligible among serious Jewish study scholars. These scholars argue that the growth of diaspora Jewish communities was a gradual process that occurred over the centuries, starting with the Assyrian destruction of Israel,
4284-407: Was essentially wiped out – killed, sold into slavery, or forced to flee. Banished from Jerusalem, which was renamed Aelia Capitolina , the Jewish population now centered on Galilee , initially at Yavneh . After the Jewish-Roman wars (66–135), Hadrian changed the name of Judaea province to Syria Palaestina and Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina in an attempt to erase the historical ties of
4352-438: Was eventually subdued by Gallus' general, Ursicinus . According to tradition, in 359 Hillel II created the Hebrew calendar , which is a lunisolar calendar based on math rather than observation. Until then, the entire Jewish community outside the land of Israel depended on the observational calendar sanctioned by the Sanhedrin ; this was necessary for the proper observance of the Jewish holy days. However, danger threatened
4420-403: Was largely depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , but was resettled not only by the original inhabitants, who were largely Maronite Christians, but also by some Maronite Christians who were expelled from the razed villages of Kafr Bir'im and some Muslims who were expelled from Dallata . In 2010, the population of Jish was 3,000. Jish is the ancient Giscala. The Arabic name el-Jish
4488-412: Was perpetrated by Israeli troops. Benny Morris writes that "the troops 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." Elias Chacour , now Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church , whose family resettled in Jish, wrote that when he was eight years old he discovered
4556-508: Was put down by the future Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus . In the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE , the Romans destroyed much of the Temple in Jerusalem and, according to some accounts, plundered artifacts from the Temple, such as the Menorah . Yohanan ben Zakkai , who opposed the war, negotiated with Vespasian for the safety of him and his supporters. Impressed by Yohanan's bravery and (ultimately correct) prediction that Vespasian would one day be Emperor, he granted them safe passage to and
4624-411: Was rebuilt after the 1837 earthquake and the Elias Church, the largest in the village, which operates a convent. Eighteen archaeological sites have been excavated to date in Jish and vicinity. Archaeologists have excavated two synagogues in use since the Roman and Byzantine periods (3rd to 6th centuries CE). One synagogue is located at the top of the village and the other east of it. On the remains of
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