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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

♦ photo

Description
Coat of Arms

See also:

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

Meaning of the name
From the Herzog College website (in Hebrew):

The meaning of the name "Shean" is unknown, and it appears that there was originally a sanctuary there called "Beit Shan" (1 Samuel 10:12 [?]) or "Beit Shen" (2 Samuel 21:12). Regarding this abbreviated name, the author of the Onomasticon, according to Melamed's translation, 257, states: "And the Scripture also calls it 'Beit Shen', which translates as 'House of the Hater'." In the Talmud it is called "Bishan", and its inhabitants "Bishanin". The Greeks called it Scythopolis, and its meaning is unknown. Perhaps the Scythians, who invaded the coast of the Land of Israel in the 7th century BC, passed through it or settled there. However, there is no evidence for this, either in historical documents or in archaeological finds.
(Translated with DeepL.com)

Coat of Arms

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The emblem is described at www.skitopo.net [retrieved] 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 emphasizes 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 First Book of Samuel, chapter 31 after the death of Shaul while fighting the Palestinians [= Philistines]. 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: An ancient Hebrew inscription is included in the emblem, and it is taken from a verse in Moses blessing the Yosef tribe, whose son, Menashe, got the city to its estate at Deuteronomy 33:13: "And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth 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 says about that verse, that the meaning is to Bet She'an region."

The old emblem can be seen on a stamp issued on 2 February 1966 at www.israelphilately.org.il.

Dov Gutterman, 9 April 2005

Previous Version (1956–1983)

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