ancient tomb in Modiin identified as that of Matityahu, courtesy Wikipedia |
modern Modiin, courtesy, Wikipedia |
During the time of Joshua,
the site of Modiin was allotted to the tribe of Judah on its northwestern
border, probably where the tribal borders of Dan and Benjamin meet. By the 2nd
century BCE, the town became the residence of the priestly Hasmonean
(later referred to as the “Maccabee”) family and was headed by Matityahu. The
First Book of Maccabees described his genealogy as "Mattathias, the son of
John, the son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joiarib, from Jerusalem; and
he dwelt at Modin" (I Macc. ii. 1). He had five sons: Judah (Judas
Maccabaeus), Eleazar, Simon, John, and Jonathan. In 168 BCE, the ruler of the Syrian-Greek
Seleucid Empire which also ruled over Judea, was Antiochus Epiphanes. He had
sent his soldiers under Apelles, who is mentioned by Josephus but not in the
Book of Maccabees, to Modiin, in order to set up an altar to the heathen god, and ordered Matityahu, as the most
influential citizen, whose example would be followed, to sacrifice in
accordance with the king's command. He responded: "Though all the nations
that are under the king's dominion obey him, . . . yet will I, and my sons, and
my brethren, walk in the covenant of our fathers" (I Macc. ii. 19-20). And
when a certain Jew was about to obey the command, Matityahu, who was filled
with holy wrath, killed the offender and destroyed the altar, while his sons
cut down the king's officer. Thus began the Jewish
revolt against Seleucid rule and the Hellenisation of
the Jewish population. The revolt succeeded in driving out the Seleucids, and
the rededication of the Second
Temple in Jerusalem at the end of the revolt is commemorated by
the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. In c. 165 BCE, Matityahu died and was
buried in Modiin. His children were also buried there and their tombs can still be seen today. After
expelling the Seleucids, the Maccabees formed the Hasmonean
dynasty, which ruled Judea in the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE.
Simon eventually built a
splendid mausoleum at Modiin, which
was adorned with seven pyramids and high columns with sculptures of ships that
were said to be visible from the sea (i Macc. 13:25–30; Jos., Ant. 13:210–11).
In the time of Jonathan, Modiin and the surrounding area was passed into Jewish
possession. An important battle was undertaken against the Seleucid Kendebaois
from a camp situated close to Modiin. Judas Maccabaeus is mentioned as having marched
out of the town in order to fight Seleucid forces sent against him by Antiochus
v (ii Macc. 13:14ff.), suggesting that Modiin was unfortified. John and Judah camped
close to Modiin before the battle of Kidron (i Macc. 16:4).
Archaeological excavations
have revealed remains dating from this period including a late 2nd/early
1st century BCE synagogue,
in use until 132 CE (Bar Kokhba revolt), and a 1st-century CE mikveh standing next to it. Modiin was
the home town of R. Eleazar of Modi'in, a close relative of Bar Kokhba and
perhaps identical with Eleazar the high priest, who appears on coins of the Bar Kokhba
revolt. R. *Eleazar was put to death in 135 CE on
grounds of treason. Another teacher associated with Modi'in was Rabbi Yossi,
but details regarding him and his teachings are sparse.
Abandoned shortly
afterward, the ensuing centuries were taken up with travelers, pilgrims, and
archaeologists, attempting to identify the location of the ancient town as well
as of the Tombs of the Maccabees.
In 1944, during World War
II while Israel was under a British Mandate, the custom of the annual Hanukkah
torch relay, starting from the Tombs of the Maccabees in Modiin, was
established by the Maccabi Sports Federation. Originally, a torch, carried by
Israeli runners starting from the site of the Tombs, would make its way to
Federation headquarters in Tel Aviv. However, since the 1950s and continuing to
this day, the torch would first go to Jerusalem to light the national menorah,
then to other parts of the country, and even to communities in the Diaspora.
In July 1948, during Israel’s
War of Independence, the area west of the Naḥal Modi'im gorge was occupied by
Israeli forces while the Arab settlement of al-Midya remained beyond the 1949
armistice line under Arab Jordanian occupation.
In the 1950s and 1960s,
the Herzl Forest of Ben Shemen was gradually enlarged eastward to
become the Modi'im Forest, and an observation tower and amphitheater were built there. In 1964,
the Modi'im region development project was started, providing for further
afforestation and land reclamation; the area's northern section was set aside
as an ultimate reserve for the expansion of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, with plans laid
out for the construction of a future city to be named Makkabit. In 1965,
a Naḥal outpost settlement, Mevo Modi'im, was established less than
a mile from the armistice line by a group affiliated with Po'alei Agudat Israel. After the *Six-Day War, these settlers moved southeastward
to set up a new village in the Ayalon Valley, at the foot of the Beth-Ḥoron ascent, while the site of Mevo
Modi'im, which has poor and rocky soil, was earmarked for a village to be based
on industry and a Po'alei Agudat Israel seminary. Forest planting
continued after 1967 on both sides of the former armistice line, carried out in
the west by Jewish laborers and in the east by Arabs.
In 1985, the construction
of the town of Maccabim, which was led by the International Maccabi organization
began, and the project of founding nearby Re'ut, led by an association of
Israeli army officers, started in 1987. The towns were united into
Maccabim-Re'ut in 1990. Meanwhile, the modern-day city of Modiin was planned by
the famed Israeli architect Moshe Safdie. The cornerstone was laid in 1993. It
was built as a modern planned city with high standards of urban
planning. Environmental issues and future growth were taken into consideration
from the early design stages. Large greenspaces were
incorporated into the city's layout and today comprise 50% of the area within
the city limits. The city was opened for residency in 1996. It was later merged
with Maccabim-Re’ut to create the unified municipality of
Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut. In 2008, it was decided to cap the growth of
Modi'in to allow for the development of Lod and Ramla.
In 2007, Modi'in was
selected as one of the inaugural cities for the Israel Baseball League. The baseball team was
named the Modi'in
Miracle, but did not play games in Modi'in as there is no
baseball stadium there.
In 2008, the Pioneers of the Israeli Football League (American Football)
relocated to Modi'in. The Pioneers played all their home games in Modi'in. In
their first year, they won the IFL Championship. After an unsuccessful 2009–10
season, their second in Modi'in, the Pioneers relocated once again to Tel Aviv,
where most of the team's players lived.
In 2014, Modi'in was the
site of the funeral for the kidnapped and murdered teens Naftali
Fraenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer and Elad Yifrah. Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke
at the funeral.
The city center is a large traffic
circle. On the north side of the circle is the central train station, to the northeast is the
Azrieli shopping
mall, and to the west and south is the Anaba park which contains a small artificial lake used for recreational boating.
The traffic circle straddles a major northeast–southwest artery, HaHashmona'im Blvd., that connects to
the southwest with route
431 and to the northeast with route
443 (at Shilat Junction)
providing connectivity to Jerusalem (southeast) and Lod (northwest).
Approximately 3 miles
west-northwest of the city center is an
industrial zone, and to the west (on route 431) is the Yishpro commercial center. The industrial zone is also linked to
route 443 via its own interchange, between Shilat Junction and the Maccabim Junction at the eastern side of
the Ben Shemen JNF forest. This keeps most of the commercial
traffic out of the city proper, so that the two arteries between the city and
its industrial zone (Emek HaEla and HaShdera Hamerkazit) carry primarily
commuters rather than trucks.
Aside from Maccabim-Re’ut, the following neighborhoods surround Modiin: HaShvatim, Moriah, HaPrachim, HaNachlim, Masuah, “Malibu”, HaKramim, Avnei Chen, HaNevi’im, HaMeginim, and HaTzipporim.
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