Announcement by the Gush Etsion Field school- for good hikers:
Beit Betzi-The Last Hasmonean Stronghold

On Friday, 3 Tevet, 6/12/13, we will be going on a hike to an area which no Jewish group has been to in about 20 years.
Since the Oslo Accords, the ‘A’ Territories adjacent to the eastern side of the town of Beit Sahour have been inaccessible to Israelis.
In that area, an ancient, hidden mound of ruins which represent the last Hasmonean stronghold.

Location Background:

After the purifying of the Temple, Judah continued fighting the Greeks until his death north of Jerusalem, 3 years after the purifying of the Temple. Following his death, Hellenists along with the Greek army recapture Judea and the achievements of the Hasmonean Revolt nearly went down the drain. The recovery from this severe blow occurs at the edge of the Judean Desert, between Bethlehem and Tekoa, at the mound known as Beit Betzi.

Among the ruins, the remains of a magnificent Hasmonean / early Roman era fortress were found. In research conducted there by Dr. David Amit of the Kfar Etzion Field School in the 1980’s, the remains were found of the siege wall built by the Greeks after the Battle of Elasa in 161 BCE, where Judah the Maccabee was killed. Beit Betzi, where the Hasmonean brothers Jonathan, Simon and John were located, was placed under siege. The Hasmoneans managed to break the siege, but John payed with his life during the breach.

We would be glad for you to hike with us in this fascinating area, following the brothers of Judah the Maccabee, one of the oldest Greek siege systems in Israel, remains of the aqueducts to the Chariton Monastery and Herodium, the Ta’amireh clan and the lands of Simon Bar Kokhba in the city of Nahash.

Attached are several pictures of a wall in the upper part of the city and a Byzantine wine press.
The 3rd picture is of the remains of the aqueducts which led water to the Chariton Monastery, in the upper part of Tekoa River.

Departure from the Tekoa grocery at 6:00am and from Shdema at 6:15
for details and obligatory registration: 050-4077074