Join us for a virtual tour of Caesarea, a breathtaking, seaside city featuring ancient sites, beautiful vistas, and a storied history!
Originally an ancient Phoenician settlement, Caesarea was rebuilt and enlarged in 22–10 BCE by Herod the Great, king of Judaea, and renamed for his patron, Caesar Augustus.
It served as a port for Herod’s newly built city at Sebastia, ancient Samaria.
During the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132–135 CE, the Romans tortured and killed the 10 greatest leaders and sages of Jewry, including Rabbi Akiva.
Caesarea was almost certainly the place of execution of the Rabbis (c. 135 CE).
The death of these Ten Martyrs is still commemorated in the liturgy for Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).