The archaeological ruins of an ancient Jewish town in northern Israel have been declared a UNESCO world heritage site, Hebrew media is reporting.
An emblem of a Menorah carved in the stone, inside a structure at Beit She’arim National Park, an archaeological site of a Jewish town, at the Lower Galilee. September 20 2009. (Doron Horowitz/Flash90.)
According to the site’s curator, Revital Weiss, the Beit She’arim National Park, south of Haifa, was the site of the Sanhedrin, or ancient Jewish assembly, as well as the location where Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi compiled the Mishna, the oral Torah.
The resolution to include the site in the world heritage list passed successfully, with 17 countries voting in favor, while four countries — Lebanon, Qatar, Algeira and Malaysia — voted against.
Beit She’arim will join an additional eight sites across Israel with UNESCO world heritage status.
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