During the First Jewish Revolt (66 to 70 AD), Gamla was one of the last Galilean cities the Romans beieged and destroyed. Rather than surrender, many of the Jews jumped from the precipice to their deaths. Isn't that such a happy story? Gamla is situated between two wadis in the Golan Heights and overlooks the Sea of Galilee. The name Gamla is derived from the Hebrew and Arabic word gamal, meaning camel; the spine of Gamla's ridge resembles the back of a camel. Gamla was an imposing, fortified city from the time of the Hasmoneans down to the First Century AD. At the outbreak of the First Jewish Revolt, the city maintained its allegiance to Rome, but aligned itself to the Jewish cause when its defense was placed under the command of Josephus, one of the leaders of the Zealot movement.As a Roman client-king, Agrippa besieged Gamla for seven months in the early part of 67 AD, but failed to make any headway. Shortly thereafter, Vespasian (the Roman commander sent by Emperor Nero to crush the Jewish rebellion) arrived at the city walls with three legions. The Romans successfully breached the wall in three places and entered the city, but they were quickly repulsed by the Jews, forcing them to retreat. Under the cover of darkness, however, three Roman soldiers undermined the large northeast tower, creating a panic among the Jewish defenders. The Romans entered the city once again and pushed the Jewish defnders back to the northwest pinnacle of the city, killing 4,000 Jews in fierce hand to hand fighting. Another 5,000 Jews committed suicide by hurling themselves over the steep cliff (as stated above.
One of the most impressive finds at Gamla is a First Century AD rectangular synagogue, built from black basalt stones. Facing Jerusalem, the structure had columns with Ionic capitals, benches lining the four walls, and a large plastered mikva'ot just outside the entrance.
The hike to Gamla was nothing like I thought it would be. It was mostly down hill and the sun was hardly shining, so it was a fairly simple climb! As we made our way up the cliff face to the top, I was blown away. The view was amazing! (The shear drops were equally as impressive. I had no doubt that jumping off, as the Jews did during the siege, would kill you instantly.) I took a few "king of the world" pictures and then quickly moved to safer ground. I must have a bit of my mom's blood in me, because I am not that fond of heights, especially when cliffs are involved; being a highly clutzy person, I am more likely than not to slip and fall to my death. I try to avoid that at all costs. The hike to the top was nothing. The hike back up to the bus, however, was a different story. It was hot; it was all uphill. And my allergies triggered my asthma. Let's just say it was highly eventful; lucky for me, Jason was right behind me and he had an inhaler on him. After a couple of puffs, I could breathe again and was able to make it to the top; it was quite the adventure! Once at the top, we gathered around the snack bar and all got strawberry or lemon popsicles! A popsicle had never tasted so good!
After our hike up Gamla, we calmed it down a bit by visiting the ancient city of Qazrin (Cursi). From 400 to 700 AD, Jewish life flourished in the Golan Heights. Qazrin (Cursi) was one of the several Jewish villages built during that time period. Today, several houses and a synagogue have been restored. It was fun to walk around the ruins and see what there was to see. However, the Biblical association was what made Qazrin, Qazrin. In Matthew 8 we read the story of Christ casting devils into a herd of swine, causing them to run violently down a steep hill into the sea. Qazrin, or Cursi, is the traditional site for where the swine ran down the hill and perished in the Sea of Galilee. Appropriately, the site name has been nicknamed "Piggy Hill."
We got back to Ein Gev in time for lunch. I ate a pita and hummus. What? I'm in Israel! As soon as lunch was over, I hopped onto the bus again for a free day activity - another hike! But this wasn't just any hike; this was a hike through the 'green belt' (created by the Jordan River) in the Golan Heights that ended at a beautiful waterfall! The hike was not difficult at all. It was quiet and relaxing. Our guide, however, was a bullet so we had to be quick to keep up with them. When we finally made it to the waterfall, I was beyond excited; I ripped off my clothes (I had a swimsuit on underneath; don't worry!) and jumped into the water before anyone else had even moved a muscle. The water was freezing, but it felt amazing in comparison to the raging heat! We spent a good amount of time in the water. We swam around and played games; it was fun! (Also, this waterfall trip created a new desire that I have...to be kissed under a waterfall; don't shake your head or roll your eyes at me!!) The hike up to the buses was similar to the hike to the waterfall; it wasn't too difficult. The sun, however, was obnoxious. And I was still fairly wet. My legs were covered in dirt instantaneously! It's a good thing I don't mind mud...(Mom, do you remember the mud wars we would have in California? Hahaha!) It was such a great hike; I was kind of sad to see it end!Dinner at Ein Gev consisted of dessert(s), rice, and some kind of meat - typical; it was good, though. The night was spent among friends. It was Brother Muhlestein's class's turn to go to kibbutz for dinner so most of us just sat around and talked. It was fairly exciting! It was another great day in Galilee...but can a day in Galilee be anything but great? I am beginning to highly doubt that!
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