Modi'im

 
Modi'im, home of the Maccabees, lies 12km/7.5mi east of Lod, southwest of the Arab village of Midya, in an area near the Herzl Forest accessible only on very minor roads.

History

In 167 B.C. envoys from the Syrian ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes, then pursuing a policy of Hellenisation, came to Modi'im and called on the people to sacrifice to the pagan gods. Mattathias, a priest, refused, and when another Jew showed himself ready to offer sacrifice Mattathias and his five sons killed the man and the king's envoys and fled into the hills. This was the beginning of the Maccabee rebellion which, under the leadership of Mattathias's sons, particularly Judas Maccabeus, led to the establishment of the Maccabean or Hasmonean state, which survived until Herod I put an end to it in 37 B.C. (1 Maccabees 2,15-30).

The lofty monument which the high priest Simeon, the last of the five brothers, erected over the tombs of his father and brothers (1 Maccabees 13,27) no longer exists, but the rock-cut tombs themselves, with their large grave slabs, can still be seen. Every year on the first night of the Hanukkah festival a torch is lit here and carried to Jerusalem, where the President of Israel kindles the Hanukkah lights with it. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Assyrians who killed the Jews and prevented them practicing their religion.

More Lod AttractionsView All

More Israel Attractions View All

Suggest Correction  Suggest an Attraction
©Copyright 1995-2012 PlanetWare Inc. All rights reserved.
Unauthorized duplication in part or whole without prior written consent prohibited by international laws.
x
Pictures of Israel
Bahai Shrine in Haifa, which contains the tomb of the founder of the Bahai faith. Be sure to check out our awesome photos of Israel!