The landscape of the modern town was shaped by the great flood of November 11 , 1934 . Deforestation on the slopes above the town combined with the fact that the city had been built as a series of closely packed houses and buildings – usually sharing walls – built in narrow roads paralleling and closely hugging the shore of the lake . Flood waters carrying mud , stones , and boulders rushed down the slopes and filled the streets and buildings with water so rapidly that many people did not have time to escape ; the loss of life and property was great . The city rebuilt on the slopes and the British Mandatory government planted the Swiss Forest on the slopes above the town to hold the soil and prevent similar disasters from recurring . A new seawall was constructed , moving the shoreline several yards out from the former shore . In October 1938 , Arab militants murdered 20 Jews in Tiberias during the 1936 – 39 Arab revolt in Palestine
murdered 20 Jews
1938 Tiberias massacre
Tiberias