The Golan Heights

The Golan Heights

                                     The source of the River Jordon

The Golan Heights is a high basalt plateau in the northeastern corner of Israel.  It was formed by erupting volcanoes, whose extinct cones, such as Mt. Bental, still line its eastern rim. Beneath its otherwise mostly flat rocky landscape are huge bodies of groundwater (aquifers) which fill up from the cold wet winters and melting snow from neighboring Mt. Hermon. This is the source of the regions numerous perennial streams and beautiful waterfalls, such as Yehudiya, Zavitan, and Devora, which flow into the Sea of Galilee and Jordon River. In addition to being attractive hiking and swimming spots, these waters provide Israel with 30% of its fresh drinking water.

The Golan Heights, or Ramat Hagolan as it is called in Hebrew, has been inhabited since prehistoric times. In the Bible it is refered toby several different  name: Golan, Horon, and Bashan. Sometimes people say the “Dolmens”  (the giant stone tables) scattered about the region are the furniture of Og, King of Bashan, who the Bible claims was a giant. During the Second Temple period, the Golan heights had a large Jewish population and it was a center of olive oil production.  In 66 CEwhen the great revolt against Rome began, the Roman army placed an emphasis on conquering major Jewish centers in the Golan Heights in order to sever the link between the Jews of Eretz Yisrael and their brethren in the Diaspora. A particularly fierce battle was fought at Gamla, which came to be known as the “Masada of the North”

Jewish life did not end with the destruction of Gamla. In the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods, the Jewish communities flourished, as attested to by the numerous ancient synagogues discovered throughout the region. The  “Talmudic Village” and basalt synagogue in Katzrin are particularly fine examples of the rich Jewish material culture at this time.

Over the past 40 years, the Golan has been a source of contention between Syria and Israel.  Prior to 1957, the Golan was in Syrian territory. The Syrian army took advantage of its dominant elevation over farms and villages  below in Israel to shell and snipe at them on a regular basis. Numerous casualties were inflicted on the Israeli civilian population. Many children in the kibbutzim below the heightsspent virtually every night of their childhood in bomb shelters. On one occasion, the Syrianseven tried to divert the headwaters of the Jordon Riverat the Baniasin order to deprive Israelof its main source of drinking water.

This changed in 1967. In a series of lightning strikes over 2 days, Israel captured the Golan Heights during the Six Day War. This began a new period in the history of the region. IN the wake of the soldiers came civilians who began exploring the region as hikers, scientists, and archeologists. Soon kibbutzim, moshavim, and other settlements began to appear, as a new generation of Israeli pioneers began to follow I the footsteps of their ancient and modern forefathers.