Amuka, Israel

Amuka (Hebrew: עמוקה) is a communal settlement near Safed in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel. It belongs to the Merom HaGalil Regional Council. It is named for the Biblical city of the same name, which presumably was located near the present-day settlement.

The community was founded in 1980 as part of the Mitzpim Program in the Galilee (Hebrew: תוכנית המצפים בגליל). The population is about 54 families and 230 people. The residents earn their livelihood from tourism and free professions. Near the community is the burial place of Rabbi Jonathan ben Uzziel, to whom some people attribute special powers (segulot).

Children in the community learn in external schools: "Nof Harim" elementary school in Sasa, "Anne Frank" high school in Sasa, "Har VeGai" high school, and Einot Yarden high school.

The burial place of Jonathan ben Uzziel

According to local tradition, which appears in writing for the first time in "Evyatar's scroll" from the end of the 11th century, Yonatan ben Uzziel's burial place is located in Amuka.

Zev Vilnai writes that "Rabbi Shmuel ben Shimshon in 1210 tells about this burial place: there is a large tree next to it, and the Ishmaelites bring oil and light a candle in his honor and make vows in his honor. The location of Yonatan ben Uzziel's burial place is illustrated in a drawing in 1537 from the book "Ancestry of fathers and prophets" (Hebrew: יחוס אבות ונביאים.

Today it is common to visit the burial place on Rosh Chodesh, in the middle of the lunar month, and on 26 Sivan (the day on which he died, but visitors arrive on every day of the year. A practice that began in the 17th century was to pray at the gravesite for a good marriage partner, for children, satisfaction from one's children, a good livelihood, health and happiness. The source of this practice is not clear. Zev Vilnai, in his book "Holy Places in the Land of Israel" (Hebrew: מצבות קודש בארץ־ישראל), gives two possibilites:
#The practice developed from the Pseudo-Jonathan translation of the Bible on Deuteronomy 24:6, where he writes that anyone who prevents the connection between a husband and wife forfeits his portion in the world-to-come.
#The practice is based on a mistaken reading of Rashi in Yevamot 17a s.v. "Shehakol ponim sham," where he writes in reference to a place called Harpania (Aramaic: ___) "Everyone goes there: all ineligible men ("pesulim") who cannot find a woman turn and go there. And it is deeper ("Amuka"): and worse than Gehinnom." The words "and it is deeper ("Amuka")" are the headwords to Rashi's next comment, and do not relate to his preceding comment about men going to Harpania to look for women. However, the mistaken reading connects Rashi's words to the community named Amuka.

In addition to these two reasons, there is a widespread claim that Jonathan be Uzziel was single or childless, so men in similar situations seek to benefit from his special powers, but nowhere in the writings of Chazal is it stated that Jonathan ben Uzziel was single or childless.

The synagogue

There is a large ruined building above the burial place of Jonathan ben Uzziel. Its remnants are located east of the valley where the old village "Amikin" was located. In the 19th century the researcher Geren saw there "the base of a pillar and a number of hewn stones - the remnants of an old structure, possibly a synagogue." Tzvi Ilan writes that today that some of the hewn stones are centralized in the center of the ruin like a platform for worship. West of the platform is a rectangular area of 20 by 30 meters appropriate for a synagogue. In the past there was a marble board with a figure of a grapevine.

Further reading (Hebrew)

* זאב וילנאי, מדריך הגליל, הוצאה מחודשת של אחיעבר - ירושלים, 1980.
* מנחם מיכלסון, יהודה סלומון, משה מילנר, מקומות קדושים וקברי צדיקים בארץ ישראל, משרד הביטחון - הוצאה לאור, 1986
* צבי אילן, בתי כנסת קדומים בארץ ישראל, משרד הביטחון - הוצאה לאור, 1991.