In 1986 drought covered the land of Israel. Water receded drastically from the shores of the Sea of Galilee, which supplies a third of Israel’s water. The situation was catastrophic.

Yet in the middle of this disaster, a spectacular discovery was made. As the level of the Sea of Galilee dropped to new lows and the Israeli establishment panicked, artifacts of countless value were revealed to the naked eye. The most important among them: a fishing boat stuck in the mud near Migdal (Magdala). The boat dated back absolutely to the period in which Jesus and the disciples lived and preached around the Sea of Galilee.

Made of wood from the Cedars of Lebanon, the boat is 9 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and 1.25 meters high. Today it is on view at Beit Yigal Allon at Kibbutz Ginnosaur, located in a valley of the same name (Genessaret, in the Bible). Jesus and his disciples would have crossed the valley frequently, while walking from between Magdala, Tabgha, Capernaum and Bethsaida.

Beit Yigal Allon, where the boat is receiving the best of care, is named for one of modern Israel’s most important military and political leaders. Yigal Allon was a member of Kibbutz Ginnosaur, and his philosophy and political outlook have become incorporated into modern policies.