A Different Kind of Bethlehem -Bethlehem in the Galilee

Most pilgrims and Christian tourists will make it a point to visit Bethlehem when they journey to the Holy land. Few, however, have even heard of Beit Lechem HaGlilit, Bethlehem of the Galilee.

An idyllic town adorned with beautiful European-styled stone houses, set deep into the hilly countryside of the Galilee this quaint village is very reminiscent of Provence. Interestingly, some scholars have even suggested that this town might have been the actual birthplace of Jesus, due to its proximity to Nazareth, approximately 25 minutes away.

Its European roots stem from its establishment as a farming village by Christian Templars in 1906. Over the next two and a half decades the village atracted an additional 20 Templar families. Two oterh neighboring villages, Waldheim and Arnhem also attracted a Christian german population and together the three towns became the heart of what would later be during the rise of Hitler, a resident enemy population.

The village is easy to explore by foot or bike and the local historian, Kobi Fleishmann (04-953-2901), will gladly take around tour groups for a two hour stroll through the village by pre-arrangement. Kobi and his family live in a beautiful historic old Templar home and have converted a portion of it to a bed and breakfast as well as a local museum, chronicling the Templar roots of the village as well as the rise of the local Hitler Youth movement, which rose to prominence in this town during the 1930's. Photographs on display in the local museum chronicle this dark period of local history and provide visual evidence of the Nazi Youth parade that occurred in the village to mark Hitler's birthday. The museum showcases much of Kobi's collections of historic Nazi memorablia including flags, pictures and other artifacts, that were from the area.

During the war the British rounded up the local "enemy" German-sympathizing residents and put them into local interment camps where they remained until they were deported. Some 222 of the local prisoners were swapped with 222 Dutch prisoners of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. During our tour, Kobi showed us the actual list of the prisoners released from Bergen-Belsen and we, coincidentally, found the names of our relatives on the list.