>  Top Jewish Tour Destinations in Israel   >  Katzrin Talmudic Village

katsrin-ancient-synagogue

Located in the heart of the Golan Heights, ancient Katzrin is an open-air themed museum focusing on Jewish daily life in the time of the Talmud.

History and Archaeology of Katzrin

The German-Templer archaeologist and cartographer Gottlieb Schumacher was the first to survey the Golan Heights in the 19th century. But only after the Six Day War did more detailed surveys and excavations provide proper data on the region’s past. Excavations were also carried out at Katzrin, an archaeological site about 25 miles northeast of Tiberias. The excavations proved that the site was inhabited as early as the Middle Bronze Age, some 4,000 years ago, but its main occupation level was in the Byzantine period. A Jewish village developed here between the 4th and the 6th centuries, one of 30 that were thriving in the Golan Heights in that period. Its Jewish character is inferred from the discovery of a prominent synagogue in the center of the village.

Following its excavations, a remarkable restoration project turned it into a Talmud-themed park, where visitors can experience the daily-life realia as reflected in the Rabbinical literature.

Touring Katzrin Talmudic Park

The site is open Sunday to Friday and charges an admission fee. During the Jewish Holidays and summer vacations the site gets quite popular, mostly by religious Jewish youth groups. It offers guided tours, various seasonal workshops, and re-enactments by dressing in the period’s costumes.

A tour of Katzrin Talmudic Park can be combined with multi-day tour in Israel that will include exploring the Golan Heights.

Bar-Mitzvah in Katzrin’s Talmudic Park

Katzrin’s ancient synagogue can also be a great and special location for a Bar/Bat-Mizvah ceremony. Reading from the Torah, inside a genuine 1,500 year old synagogue, is a truly special spiritual moment, connecting the event so strongly to ancient Judaism in the Holy Land.

The event can also be combined with a visit to a Shofar workshop nearby (“Kol Shofar“) where the child can make his own Shofar from a Ram’s horn.

Contact us to inquire more about a private tour to the Golan Heights:





















    Related Tours