KEFAR MANDI

KEFAR MANDI (Heb. כְּפַר מַנְדִּי), village in Galilee, the seat of R. Issachar (TJ, RH 1: 3, 57a). A document found in the cairo genizah indicates that in 1065 Jews lived there, in particular one Abraham b. David al-Kafrmandi. Later travelers located the tombs of akavyah b. mahalalel , and rabban simeon b. gamaliel , in the village. Arab sources, confusing Mandi with Midian, located there the tomb of Ṣaffūra (zipporah ), the wife of Moses, and the well from which he rolled the stone, which was shown to travelers. The tombs of Athīr (asher ) and naphtali , sons of Jacob, were also placed there. The present-day Arab village Kafr Mandā, with an area of 4.1 sq. mi. (10.7 sq. km.), is situated between Tiberias and Acre, 8 mi. (c. 13 km.) north of Nazareth. In 1964 it received municipal council status. In 1968, it had 3,180 inhabitants, increasing to 13,800 in 2002. Olive and other fruit trees, field crops, sheep, and cattle have constituted its principal farming branches. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Assaf, in: Tarbiz, 9 (1937/38), 201; A.-S. Mannardji, Textes Géographiques Arabes … (1951), 175–6. (Michael Avi-Yonah)