On Sunday, April 26, the Cotler Fellows visited several sites around the Sea of Galilee. The day began with a guided tour of Kibbutz Degania Aleph. Established in 1910 in the Jordan Valley by a group of ten men and two women, Degania Aleph is considered the first Zionist communal agricultural settlement in the Land of Israel and gave birth to the kibbutz movement. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Degania played a critical defensive role. In May 1948, Syrian forces advancing from the east reached the kibbutz, threatening to push toward Tiberias. Despite limited weaponry, residents and reinforcements mounted a determined defense, including the use of improvised explosives, halting the Syrian advance. During the tour, the Fellows visited the reconstructed wooden shack where the original group of twelve lived and the kibbutz museum, and learned about past and current life on the kibbutz.

Following their visit to Kibbutz Degania, the Fellows enjoyed some free time to swim, eat, and relax at Hukok Beach on the northwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee. After a cool and refreshing swim, the Fellows continued on to visit the Mount of Beatitudes (Har HaOsher), overlooking the sea, where Jesus is said to have given his famous Sermon on the Mount. There, Dr. Carl Yonker, the Institute’s Academic Director, spoke about the site and other Christian sites on the northern shores of the Galilee, including Tabgha and Kfar Nahum (Capernaum).