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Bet She'an (Israel)

Iriyat Bet She'an, Municipality of Bet She'an

both images by Dov Gutterman | 2:3

Emblem adopted 6th December 1990

2:3

Description
The Emblem

See also:

Municipal Flags (Israel)
Jezreel Subdistrict (Northern District, Israel)
Israel

Description

Bet She'an is situated in the centre of Bet She'an Valley, south to Tiberias, on the main road to the south (road 90). Est. 1948. Pop 17,000. I spotted yellow and orange flags with dark blue emblem and no inscription. The municipal emblem was published in the official gazette (Rashumot, Yalkut ha-Pirsumim), YP 3822, 6 December 1990, replacing the previous one (YP 631, 30 October 1958, in the first batch of emblems). Source: author's own observation, 2 October 2001.
Dov Gutterman, 21 October 2001

The emblem is described at <www.skitopo.net> as it appears at a brochure issued by Shai'ke Cohen of Bet-She'an Pedagogic Center:
"The new emblem of Bet She'an was determined by the local council management headed by Shlomo Ben-Lulu in 1983. The need for new emblem come from the positive changes that happened in the site, in particular in the area of the archeological excavations. There are eight elements in the emblem, some of them taken from the old emblem and some from a medal that was issued in honor of Bet She'an. The emblem emphasize elements in the historic past of Bet She'an.
The palm tree: The palm tree is taken from the natural habitat of Bet She'an valley and it exist in profusion because of the hot climate and the multiply springs. The palm is also the symbol of Menashe tribe that Bet She'an was part of its estate in the bible era.
Blue wavy lines: The two blue wavy lines mark the profusion of water in Bet She'an valley with its springs and streams. Harod stream which flow north to Bet She'an hill and the Assi stream which crossed the historical city.
The coalpan, "Shofar" and "Menorah" - those Jewish symbols were found on a mosaic floor of a synagogue , from the Byzantine era, which was found in Tel Etz'taba [Shelf Mound] in the north part of the city. Those symbols testify on Jewish settlement in Bet She'an in that era.
Roman Theatre: The theatre is one of the entirety of hisorical sites found in the archeological excavations, The theatre was built in the late 2nd century.
Stone wall: The stone wall is a symbol to Bet She'an wall. Two walls surrounded Bet She'an The first, from the bible era, was on Tel Bet She'an [Bet She'an Mound] and is mentioned in the book of Samuel A, chapter 31 after the death of Shaul while fighting the Palestinians. The second wall was built in the Byzantine era and surrounded the some 30,000 souls of the Roman-Byzantine city.
Mountains: The mountains in the emblem is taken from the natural view of the valley. At sunrise, the Gil'Ad mountain at the east are revealed, at sunset the Gil'boa mountains in the west and Yi'saskhar Hights in the north.
The ancient Hebrew inscription: and ancient Hebrew inscription is included in the emblem and it is taken from a verse in Moses blessing to Yosef tribe, whose sun, Menashe, got the city to its estate at Deuteronomy 33,13: "from sweetness of the sky from dew and from abyss lying beneath"
The inscription Zo Bet She'an [This is Bet She'an] - The verse is originated in Bereshit Raba [The Rabbi or The Grand Genesis] in which the preacher say about the verse from Genesis 49,2: Sky blessing from above and abyss pools lie below" that the meaning is to Bet She'an region."
The old emblem can be seen on stamp issued on 2 February 1966 at <www.israelphilately.org.il>.
Dov Gutterman, 9 April 2005

The Emblem

image from <www.skitopo.net>