TIBERIUS.

MY ISRAEL:

TIBERIUS:

Located on the western shore of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) between the biblical cities of Rakkath to the north (Joshua 19:35) & Hammat to the south (Joshua 19:35). The area was included in the tribal allotment of Naphtali. Founded between 17-22 C.E by Herod Antipas, one of Herod’s sons & named Tiberius in honor of the Roman Emperor of the time. The city later expanded southwards eventually incorporating Hammat within its borders, & is regarded as one of the 4 holy Jewish cities, the others being Jerusalem, Tsfat & Hebron

During the Roman period (63 B.C.E-324 C.E.), Tiberius did not partake in the Bar Kochba revolt (132 C.E. – 135 C.E.) against Rome & was therefore not destroyed. In both the Roman (63 B.C.E – 324 C.E.) & Byzantine periods (324 C.E - 640 C.E.), Jews were “forcibly dissuaded” from settling in Jerusalem. Consequently Tiberius became an important Jewish city during the Mishnaic (70 C.E.-200 C.E) & Talmudic (200 C.E.-500 C.E.) periods. The city housed the Sanhedrin, a body that comprised of 71 Jewish sages who administered the law. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E, the Sanhedrin moved from Jerusalem to Usha. From Usha they moved to Shefarim & then to Bet Shearim. Later they relocated in Tsippori & finally settled in Tiberius. This collective body of Jewish sages that called Tiberius home gave birth to the Jerusalem Talmud, completed in 350 C.E. Its counterpart, the Babylonian Talmud emerged in Babylon - present day Iraq.

The resident Jewish population were in support of the Persian invasion against Byzantine rule that lasted 14 years from 614 C.E. to 628 C.E. The reconquering of the city by the Byzantines in 628 C.E. resulted in the mass slaughter of Jews.

During the early Arab period (638 C.E.-1099 C.E.), the population of Tiberius was multicultural & made up of Jews, Christians & Moslems & regarded as the most tolerant city in the country. Buildings representative of all faiths started to emerge. From the beginning of the 8th to the end of the 10th centuries Jewish scholarship flourished, giving rise to scholars, poets and masoretes (compilers of Hebrew vocalization).

With the arrival of the Crusaders in 1099 whose occupation of the Holy land lasted until 1291, animosity between Moslems & Christians surfaced & culminated at the Battle of Hittin in 1187, where Salah ad-Din better known as Saladin, a Sunni Muslim of Kurdish descent, convincingly defeated the Crusader Army. The outcome prompted the launching of the third crusade in 1189. Historically, both Jews & Muslims did not have any affection for the Crusaders and Tiberius suffered the consequences of this animosity, remaining desolate until the mid 16thcentury.

During the Ottoman period (1516-1917), the history of Tiberius was heavily influenced by 4 individuals. Namely, Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Sultan who ruled from 1520 to 1566. A Jewess by the name of Dona Gracia (1510-1569) a wealthy woman in her own right who married into the affluent & powerful Mendez family. Thirdly, her nephew Don Yosef Mendez Nasi (1524-1579) who headed the Mendez family. The Mendez family had acquired massive wealth and fled Spain due to the Spanish inquisition that started in 1478, culminating in the Jewish expulsion from that country in 1492. Lastly but not least, a Bedouin sheik by the name of Dahir el 'Amr who left his mark on the city.

The tentacles of the Spanish inquisition extended throughout Europe. Their agents ruthlessly pursued Dona Gracia in her escape via European cities, justifying their actions because she was a Jewess, but in truth, wanted to get their hands on her enormous wealth. Realizing the economic benefits of such a family to Turkey & the empire it was not difficult for Dona Gracia’s nephew, namely Don Yosef Mendez Nasi, to persuade the Sultan to come to her aid, which he did. On reaching Istanbul, Dona Gracia was for the first time able to practice her religion openly.

Whilst in Istanbul, Dona Gracia turned her attention to the Holy land & focused her sites on Tiberius. She wanted to establish a community of Torah scholars & restore the city to its former glory. In 1558 she closed a deal with Sultan Suleiman to lease the city for a fee of 1000 ducats per annum thereby creating an independent Jewish City state which became a place of refuge for persecuted Jews. The rebuilding of the city walls & construction of houses and synagogues began as did the planting of Mulberry trees to provide silk worms with the necessary fodder for the production of silk, a product that would benefit the community economically. By the early 1560's the Jewish population of Tiberius which included some Torah scholars, started to flourish.

Defying the Ottoman's who’s occupation of the Holy land lasted from 1516 to 1917, Dahir el 'Amr a Bedouin sheik, conquered the galilee in 1740 & established an independent fiefdom which lasted until 1775. His tolerance of religious minorities encouraged both Christian and Jewish immigration to his domain, & in particular Jews to Tiberius.

An earthquake in 1837 severely damaged Tiberius, however, the mass return of Jews from 1882 onwards benefitted the city & by 1917, at the start of the British Mandate period, Tiberius had a Jewish majority. A flood in 1934 and the 1936-1939 Arab riots instigated by Haj Amin el Husseini, the British appointed mufti of Jerusalem & pro-Nazi sympathizer who spent the war years in Germany under Hitler’s protection harassed the residents of Tiberius. After the outcome of the 1948 War of Independence, Tiberius became the first mixed Jewish-Arab city to establish a Jewish local authority.

The city houses many archaeological remains from different periods; the most recently unearthed being a Roman theater and other vivid remnants of a 2,000-year-old metropolis.

In conclusion, I feel it amiss not to mention 3 prominent tombs that reside in Tiberius.

The Tomb of Rabbi Meir Ba’al HaNes (Rabbi Meir the miracle maker): A Jewish sage who lived in the time of the Mishna (70 C.E. – 200 C.E.). Considered one of the greatest of the Tannaim. (Rabbinic sages whose insights are recorded in the Mishnah). He is the third most frequently mentioned sage in the Mishnah & his wife Bruriah is one of the few women cited in the Gemara.

The Tomb of Rabbi Akiva (50 C.E.-135 C.E.): An unlearned shepherd turned sage who at the age of 40 saw how drops of water falling on a huge stone were able to penetrate the stone. On observing this phenomenon, he concluded that just as the soft sculpts the hard, words of Torah, which are as hard as iron, will all the more so be able to carve my heart & mind, which are but flesh and blood. He became one of the greatest of Jewish sages.

The Tomb of the Rambam (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon), also known as Maimonides (1138-1204): Rabbi & physician who died in Egypt & reinterred in Tiberius. About him it has been said “From Moses to Moses there were none like Moses” – comparing him to his biblical namesake.

Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect). Website: rontraub-tours.com Photo’s: Rimonah Traub. Sketches: Ron Traub.