Ancient Cemetery of Tiberias

When planning Jewish travel, you'll probably want to experience the sacred nature of the Ancient Cemetery of Tiberias. Across the street from the lakeside promenade to the south of Tiberias, this cemetery is considered to be sacred as tradition states that the resurrection of the dead will begin here before anywhere else. The Babylonian Talmud speaks of this, saying that resurrection will begin here before even in Jerusalem (Isaiah 52:2). It was written by Maimonides that the resurrection would begin exactly 40 years in Tiberias before anywhere else. Herod Antipas founded a Roman city which he built on top of the graves in Tiberias and therefore no practicing Jew would live there for some time. Later on, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was healed from a skin ailment when he came to bathe in Tiberias' hot springs, after which he held a ceremony to purify Tiberias of its dead. Soon after, Tiberias rose in prominence.