Bet Shearim Attractions

The archeological site of Bet Shearim, 20km/12.5mi southeast of Haifa, is reached by taking a side road which goes off the Haifa-Nazareth road on the right soon after Qiryat Tivon. Bet Shearim is an important site in the Jewish rabbinical tradition, particularly notable for the impressive catacombs excavated by B. Mazar in 1936 and later by N. Avigad. They lie in a beautiful setting, within an area of 2 hectares/5 acres which has been declared a National Park.

History

Bet Shearim acquired particular importance in 135, when, after the failure of the Bar Kochba rising, Rabbi Judah Hanassi moved his seminary here from Yavne, making Bet Shearim the spiritual center of Jewry. The Sanhedrin, as leader of which Rabbi Judah bore the title of Hanassi ("Prince"), also met here for a time. Many members of the Sanhedrin were buried in Bet Shean, and its fame led other pious Jews to have themselves buried here.