Yodfat encyclopedia topics

Yodfat - 2 reference results

Yodfat (יודפת), is a moshav shitufi in the Lower Galilee, south of Carmiel, Israel. Yodfat is part of the Misgav Regional Council. Located in the vicinity of the Atzmon mountain ridge, north of Beit Netofa Valley, Yodfat is named for the Second Temple-era Judean city of Yodfat (Greek: Jotapata). It is situated north of the archaeological mound. Yodfat was established in 1960 by graduates of the Hebrew Reali School of Haifa.

History

Antiquity

In 67 CE, Yodfat was the site of a fierce battle described by Josephus Flavius, the commander of the Galilee in the Great Revolt, in his later chronicle of the Jewish wars against the Romans. The city was guarded by a hilltop fortress accessible only from the north. Vespasian pitched his camp on the northern side of the city and held it under siege for 47 days. Vespasian was wounded in the battle. 40,000 Jews were killed and 1,000 women and children were sold into slavery. The city was razed and burned on the first of the Hebrew month of Tammuz. Josephus himself was taken captive at Yodfat.

After the fall

After its capture by the Romans, Yodfat was repopulated by refugees from Jerusalem, among them the priestly family of Miyamin. The city is mentioned in the Talmud as the home of Rabbi Menachem of Jotapata (Zev. 110b). In 1847, the site was identified with Khirbet Jifat, some 10 miles north of Sepphoris.

Archaeology

In 1999, archeological excavations revealed a mass grave containing human remains believed to be those of Jewish rebels who committed suicide rather than surrender to the Romans. Remains of fortifications and cisterns have also been found at the site.

Economy

In 1968, Yodfat established a flower bulb nursery which exports millions of bulbs throughout the world. The nursery employs forty people and has an R&D facilities for developing new hybrids, among them Ornithogalum dubium and Cyclamen persicum. Yodfat's Jerusalem hybrid F1 anemones and Galilee hybrid F1 anemones are hand-pollinated and unique in the cut-flower trade.