Three Together, Again

Gan HaShlosha: In spite of eons of evidence to the contrary, we Jews continue to believe that all human life - each individual life - is sacred. Holy. Irreplaceable and important.

The funerals and mourning this week for our boys Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaar, and Eyel Yifrach, of blessed memory, made Abq Jew think of another trio of Jews dedicated to the Land of Israel.

And of their memorial, one of the most beautiful places in their Land of Israel.

Gan HaShlosha (Sachne)

Wikipedia tells us

Gan HaShlosha National Park (Hebrew: גן השלושה‎, literally: "Park of the Three"), also known by its Arabic name Sahne (Arabic: الساخنة‎, literally: "The hot (pool)"), is a national park in Israel. 

Located near Beit She'an, it has naturally warm water where visitors can swim all year.

The Attractions in Israel Blog provides a lovely description of the park.

Gan HaShlosha National Park is located by the Gilboa Mountains. An ancient Arab legend claims the park to be the Garden of Eden. 

The Amal River flows through the park, remaining at a constant temperature of 28c [83f] year round. 

The river has been diverted into three lovely pools with waterfalls between the pools. The grounds are filled with flowering shrubs and date palms.

And Attractions in Israel provides this account of how the park got its name.

In 1936, there was an outbreak of anti-Jewish riots, which lasted until 1939. The Jewish leaders at the time attempted to establish additional settlements in areas with a limited Jewish population. 

The plan was to build a settlement within a day, by bringing in prepared building segments.  The settlements built included wooden cabins, a communal dining room, a clinic, and a watch tower. 

The settlement in Gan HaShlosha was one of the 57 settlements constructed during this time period. 

The kibbutz of Nir David (originally known as Tel Amal) was the first kibbutz built in this way on December 10, 1936. 

A delegation from the Jewish National Fund came to survey the land by the Jordan river on September 15, 1938. 

The delegation was comprised of three men:  Dr. David Mosensohn, Aharon Etkin, and Haim Sturman. Their car hit a land mine, and all three were killed. 

The national park is named for these three; 

Gan HaShlosha means Park of the Three.

For these three, and for our three, Abq Jew recalls David's lament (2 Samuel Chapter 1) over Saul and Jonathan:

In life and in death they were not divided;

they were swifter than eagles;

they were stronger than lions.