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Jordan River
Between Israel and Jordan flowing southward from the mountainous area
where Israel, Syria and Lebanon meet, through Lake Kinneret to the Dead
Sea.
The Jordan has its source in three headstreams whose waters are drawn
mainly from the precipitation on top of Mount Hermon and also from scores
of springs. The three streams --- Nahal Senir, issuing from the foot of
the Hermon, Nahal Hermon emerging from the cave of Banias, and Nahal Dan
emerging from Tel Dan, merge into one river in the Huleh Valley. The
most common explanation for the name of the river is that it derives from
the Hebrew words yored Dan ("descending from Dan").
From its sources, the Jordan flows into the Kinneret, rapidly falling
below sea level. South of the Kinneret, it flows down the Jordan valley,
a dry area far below sea level which can be one of the hottest places
on earth. The Jordan is for most of its length a narrow meandering stream,
impossible to navigate by boat. Since the tribes of Israel under Joshua
crossed the Jordan to enter Erez Israel after the Exodus from Egypt, the
Jordan river has come to have a deep significance for Jews, symbolizing
the gateway to the homeland after years of wandering in exile in the desert.
The Bible relates that Joshua led the Israelites to a place across the
Jordan from Jericho, and that the waters suddenly and miraculously stopped
flowing, enabling the Israelites to cross into the Promised Land. Folklore
and mythology have popularized the Jordan as the gateway to Paradise,
and crossing it is seen as stepping from a world of troubles to one of
peace. The river is also important to Christians because John the Baptist
performed baptisms on its banks and Jesus was baptized there.
In recent times, the Jordan has been a source of controversy between
the nations of the Middle East. In 1955 the Johnston plan initiated by
the United States government called for utilization of its waters by dividing
them among Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, but the plan was rejected
by the Arab League. Israel then constructed the National Water Carrier
to divert water from Lake Kinneret to the Negev; when the Arabs tried
to frustrate this plan by diverting the headwaters of the Jordan into
Arab territory, the result was very nearly a war in 1965.
Since the Six- Day War of 1967 the Jordan river has been the boundary
between Israel and Jordan. Two bridges, the Allenby and the Adam, cross
the river and connect the two countries. The daily traffic over these
bridges was not stopped even during the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
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This page was put up with the cooperation of:
Keter Publishing House Ltd and C.D.I. Systems
from their CD-Rom "Encyclopedia Judaica for youth 1996"
cdisys@actcom.co.il
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