The Kinneret Cemetery, on a hilltop overlooking the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee, is one of the most important and beautiful cemeteries in Israel. Here lie the founders of the kibbutz movement, the pioneers of the Second Aliyah, poets, and leaders who built the foundations of the state. The cemetery is small, the headstones are simple, and the view of the lake below is heartbreaking in its beauty.
The Pioneers
The cemetery contains the graves of some of the most important figures in early Zionist history. Rachel the Poetess (Rachel Bluwstein), whose simple, lyrical Hebrew poems are beloved in Israel, is buried here. Her grave, overlooking the lake she wrote about so movingly, is the most visited in the cemetery. Nearby are the graves of Berl Katznelson, the intellectual leader of the Labor Zionist movement, and Naomi Shemer, who composed “Jerusalem of Gold.”
The Setting
The cemetery’s hilltop location, with the lake spread out below and the Golan Heights rising to the east, gives it a quality of peace that is hard to find anywhere else. The pioneers buried here chose this land, worked it with their hands, and asked to be buried overlooking it. Standing among their graves, you understand both the dream and the sacrifice.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
The Kinneret Cemetery is a moving addition to any Sea of Galilee itinerary. Hoshen Tours includes it for visitors interested in the pioneering story of modern Israel.