Ginosar is a kibbutz situated on the western banks of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Located north of Tiberias on Highway 90, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 472. Once a thriving agricultural community today its main industry is tourism.
Located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee it has beautiful views of Mount Arbel. Opposite the imposing hills of the Golan. It’s an idyllic, appealing place of lush greenery surrounded by peace and tranquillity.
Situated on the kibbutz is a recreational hotel providing an ideal a vacation location for a couples or families. The hotel consists of 168 rooms, 100 deluxe rooms and 68 deluxe rooms.
Near the Sea of Galilee and adjacent to the Nof Ginosar Hotel lies the quaint resort village which enjoys all of the hotel’s facilities. A holiday village that consists of 75 ground floor level attractive rooms.
In the first century CE there was a flourishing town known by Greek and Latin speakers as Gennesaret, with the version ‘Ginosar’ appearing in the New Testament. The modern kibbutz takes its name from this ancient town, though it is not certain it is located on precisely the same site.
During a severe drought in 1986 the level of lake dropped to reveal the frame of a fishing boat dated to 100 BCE to 70 CE, and is now known as the Sea of Galilee Boat. Using innovative techniques the boat frame was rescued, the boat was placed in a special tank, and it is displayed in the Beit Yigal Allon Museum.
Ginosar was founded on the eve of Purim in March 1937 by a group of young Socialist Zionists, on Palestine Jewish Colonization Association (PICA) land that had been leased to the settlement of Migdal.
The reason given for “squatting” was that the leased area needed close protection during the ‘disturbances’ (1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine). The original was built as a tower and stockade settlement.
The kibbutz was closely aligned with the Mapai party and was the home of Yigal Allon, commander of the “Syrian Department” of the Palmach, and later a senior minister in the Government of Israel.
Names: גִּנּוֹסַר, Gennesaret