Noam Bedein: healing waters of the Galilee: Rediscovering Israel’s northern sanctuary

THE KINNERET’S receding shoreline marks Israel’s historic effort to replenish the lake with desalinated Mediterranean water, a world-first in freshwater restoration. (credit: NOAM BEDEIN)

The Christian heritage of the northern shore

Smadar points toward the northwestern coast, where geography and faith converge. This is the Christian heartland of Galilee, where the Gospel stories took shape. From Ginosar to Kfar Nahum and Tabgha, the shoreline forms a pilgrim’s crescent, home to churches of almost every Christian denomination, such as Benedictine, Franciscan, and Greek Orthodox. Each site tells a story of an encounter between faith and landscape.