KISHON RIVER

Kishon River, courtesy, Kishon River Authority
via Israel21c.org

The Kishon River is a 43 mile long river located in northern Israel. Numerous small streams branching out from the hill of Moreh, near the town of Elon Moreh in the Jenin Valley, and elsewhere in the Jezreel Valley converge on the river at the Gilboa mountains, and from there, flows in a west-northwesterly direction through the Jezreel Valley, emptying into Haifa Bay. Its drainage basin, of approximately 420 square miles includes much of the Jezreel Valley and the Western Galilee, and parts of Mount Carmel. At the turn of the 20^th century, the upper streams of this river system were dry early in the summer, except near the springs, where much of the water was used in irrigation. After entering the Plain of Acre, the Kishon flowed sluggishly through thick jungles and extensive marshes. In the rainy season it was subject to sudden and dangerous floods, when the fords were often impassable. Today, the Kishon has for the most part been drained of swamps. From Sha'ar ha-Amakim, between the Jezreel Valley and the Plain of Acre, it becomes a perennial river.

Although not mentioned specifically in the Bible during the period of the tribal division of the Land of Israel, modern historians have surmised that the Kishon formed much of the northern border of the tribe of Menasheh, with the tribes of Asher, Zvulun, and Issasschar lying on the opposite bank. However, the river is mentioned, sometimes indirectly, later on. In Josh. 19:11, it is, probably referred to as the "brook that is before Jokneam". In Judges 4:7, it is written that Sisera's Canaanite army was encamped at the Kishon River and the prophet Deborah predicted their defeat. The Song of Deborah, in Judges 5, at one point, refers to the Kishon as the Waters of Megiddo but is then mentioned specifically as washing away the defeated Canaanite army. In 1 Kings 18:40, the Kishon River was named as the site where the prophets of Baal were executed on Elijah's orders, following Elijah's contest with them nearby on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:20-39).

Since the early Middle Ages, the river and the area surrounding it fell into a state of decay and given over to malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Due to its swampy character, the Kishon was a serious obstacle to transport in early times. Following the end of the First World War and the assumption of the British Mandate, there was an increase in the number of Jewish settlers arriving in Palestine, the Third Aliyah. Those who arrived at Haifa were kept in tented Quarantine Camps set up on the Kishon estuary (see Haifa). Once freed from the camps, some settled along the Kishon where many eventually became infected with malaria. But gradually and with determination, the swamps were drained and communities were founded. In 1926, Kfar Baruch was founded by immigrants from Bulgaria, the Caucasus, Kurdistan and Romania. It was named after Baruch Kahane, a Jewish philanthropist in Romania who financed its establishment. In 1935, the community of Elroi was founded by Jews from Kurdistan. Later in the year, the community of Kiryat Haroshet was founded. The latter two communities were later absorbed into the municipality of Kiryat Tiv’on (est. 1958), the only city touching the river aside from Haifa, and became one of three neighborhoods located on or near the river, the third being Maale Tiv’on. The part of the river at Haifa became the city’s industrial zone with a power station, railway workshops and (during the Mandate period) the Iraq Petroleum Company refinery.

After Israeli independence, the Haifa Industrial Zone carelessly increased production, pouring dangerous chemicals into the river in the process. This made the Kishon the most polluted river in Israel and the subject of controversy regarding the struggle to improve the water quality. Since 2001, it was discovered that Shayetet 13 veterans had high occurrence of cancer, probably due to training in the Kishon as well as Haifa Bay. A commission for investigating the matter did not find statistical evidence for this. However, despite the commission findings, Minister of Defence, Shaul Mofaz, decided to compensate the divers' families.

Today, the river is well into the process of being cleaned up. Reservoirs dot the landscape in various places along the river. Parks along the river include Hakeshun Park south of Kiryat Tiv’on, Nahal Kishon, the Valley Train Promenade, Valleys Park, and Hakishon.