From ‘Galil Tachton’ to... ?

Northern region to vote on name change this week

Residents of the Lower Galilee Regional Council will vote from Tuesday to Thursday on a new name for their community, after Mayor Nitzan Peleg decided their current name had negative connotations in Hebrew

The move is modeled after Nazareth Illit, which successfully changed its name to Nof Hagalil, which means Vista of the Galilee. That name change was initiated because having Nazareth as part of the city’s name made it appear to be not Jewish.

Another nearby regional council changed its name from Emek Beit She’an (Hebrew for Beit She’an Valley) to Emek Hama’ayanot, which means Valley of Springs.

The Hebrew name of Lower Galilee (Galil Tachton) can also be translated as bottom roll, as in toilet paper. Tachton also refers to underwear and a human behind. Galil is close to the Hebrew word glalim, or animal feces. Tachton is also often used to describe something as inferior or at the bottom end of a scale.

“Galil Tachton is not a bad name, but as a third-generation resident, raising a fourth, it has always had subconscious associations that are less positive, especially with branding and marketing for tourists,” Peleg told Army Radio. “Our polls found that the public sees the area as weaker than the Upper Galilee and other areas. This is a strategic process we are undertaking.”

The four names that residents aged 16 and over will choose from are Sha’ar Hagalil (Gateway to the Galilee), Mevo’ot Galil (Entrances to the Galilee), Sdot Hagalil (Fields of the Galilee) and Eretz Hagalil (Land of the

Galilee). The four options were narrowed down from a much broader number put forward by representatives of the communities in the council.

Elderly residents have complained about the hassle involved in the name change and have unsuccessfully demanded that keeping the current name also be an option on the ballot. Changing the name was disrespectful to the pioneers who settled the area and built it up over many decades, as well as to residents much further back in history, they said.

“Lower Galilee is what the region has been called since the times of the Mishna,” one resident wrote in a community Whatsapp group. “How can you replace a name that is 2,000 years old with some disconnected name created for marketing purposes?”