Beit Jimal
بيت جمال / الحكمة בית ג'מאל | |
|---|---|
 Beit Jimal - general view | |
| Etymology: "House of the Camel" | |
  Beit Jimal  Beit Jimal | |
| Coordinates: 31°43′30″N 34°58′35″E / 31.72500°N 34.97639°E | |
| Grid position | 147/125 PAL |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Jerusalem |
Beit Jimal (or Beit Jamal; Hebrew: בית ג'מאל; Arabic: بيت جمال / الحكمة), Beit el Jemâl, meaning "The house of the camel"[1] is a Catholic monastery run by Salesian priests and brothers near Beit Shemesh, Israel. The Christian tradition identifies the site with the Roman- and Byzantine-era Jewish village of Caphargamala (כפר גמלא), and believe that a cave there is the tomb of St. Stephen or to have conserved his relics.[2] An alternative spelling and etymology for the name is therefore Beit Gemal or Beit Gamal - the House of Rabban Gamaliel the Elder.