What is "jish"

Jish (; , Gush Halav) is a town in Upper Galilee, located on the northeastern slopes of Mount Meron, north of Safed, in Israel's North District. The population is predominantly Maronite Catholic and Melkite Greek Catholic Christians (55% and 10% accordingly), with a Sunni Muslim Arab minority (about 35%).

Archaeological finds in Jish include two historical synagogues, a unique mausoleum and burial caves from classic era. According to Roman historian Josephus, Gischala was the last city in the Galilee to fall to the Romans during the First Jewish–Roman War. Historical sources dating from the 10th-15th centuries describe Jish (Gush Halav) as a village with a strong Jewish presence. In the early Ottoman era Jish was wholly Muslim. In the 17th century, the village was inhabited by Druze. In 1945, under the British rule, Jish had a population of 1,090 with an area of 12,602 dunams. It was largely depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, but was resettled by Maronite Christians, who were expelled from the razed villages Kafr Bir'im.

In 2010, the population of Jish was 3,000. The village is a center for the Aramaic revival, an initiative by local Maronites, now officially funded by the Israeli Ministry of Education until 8th grade in the local school.