A special monitoring system run by the University of Padova in Italy has been installed in the Tower of David heritage site as part of an international project that attempts to use technology to determine the structural weaknesses in an ancient edifice .

The Tower of David is the tallest structure in the Old City of Jerusalem and a famous symbol to residents and tourist, with at least 2,000 years’ worth of history dating back to the First Temple period.

However, six major cracks in the tower raise questions if the structure would be able to survive an earthquake. Israel is located in a region extremely prone to earthquakes, and a major quake could be devastating.

“A major earthquake poses a serious threat and needs to be treated as such,” Dr. Avi Shapira, chairman of Israel’s National Earthquake Preparedness Committee,  told Tazpit News Agency.

“We want to preserve the structures of our past and historical monuments of the Holy Land that are significant to the world.,” he added.

Israel experienced five moderate earthquakes in October, which prompted experts to install a seismic monitoring system at the Tower of David in November 2013.

In a special conference at the Tower of David this week, Italian experts brought their knowledge during unique sessions addressing earthquake monitoring.

“Italy is a world leader in the earthquake monitoring field and conducting research in methodology for effective dealing with earthquakes,” explains Professor Claudio Modena, a Professor of Structural Engineering at the University of Padova. “Israel is new to this area, and we believe that sharing our knowledge will help maintain historical structures in the event of a major earthquake.”

Modena, who lives in Verona, Italy, has also investigated historical and archaeological sites in Akko, Tzfat, and Beit Shean.

In wake of the series of small earthquakes that recently hit Tiberias, Kineret Hotels managers are reporting that many dozens of Tel Aviv residents have cancelled their vacations in Tiberias.

Roni Manor, the general manager of the Nof Ginnosar hotel told Makor Rishon that yesterday a group of 25 Tel Avivians called and cancelled their stay this weekend, because “they’re afraid of an earthquake”.

Manor told the group that they’re crazy, “They live in Tel Aviv, the main target of Iran’s nukes, and they’re afraid of some tremors!”

Manor said, the country’s scared, because the media is creating panic.

So we’ll take the other route at JewishPress.com, if you want to go away this weekend (and aren’t going to Hebron for Parshat Chayei Sarah), check it out, you might be able to get good rates right now at a Tiberias hotel.

Another earthquake, at least the seventh in the past week, hit Israel again on Wednesday, this time in Eilat and causing a bit of nervousness but no injuries or damage.

All of the previous recent earthquakes were in the area of Tiberias and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), in northern Israel.

The temblor in Eilat was measured at 3.3. on the Richter scale and was felt around 3:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. EDT). Seismologists said the unusual number of earthquakes in a short period of time do not necessarily mean that a major quake is on the horizon, but the coincidence of the temblors has re-awakened awareness about a possible disaster in the event of a major quake.

Home Front Minister MK Gilad Erdan of the Likud party told the Knesset Wednesday that a major earthquake could cause the deaths of 7,000 people and injuries to tens of thousands others.

A minor earthquake, the fifth in a week, shook up residents in the area of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) Tuesday morning.

The temblor, which measured 3.3 on the Richter scale and was centered just northwest of the Sea of Galilee, was felt from Tiberias up to the Golan Heights.

It came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered earthquake drills in schools on the same day that two earthquakes struck.

All five of the quakes have been centered near the Sea of Galilee, which is located on the Great Syria-African Rift, which has been the center of several earthquakes, large and small. It is unclear what the string of temblors means for future earthquakes.

Hundreds of people died and were injured in a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in 1927 that centered on the Dead Sea.

The third mild earthquake in a week struck Israel around noon Sunday in the area of Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee and measuring between 3.5 and 4 on the Richter scale. No injuries or damage was reported.

An earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale occurred on the Sabbath in northern Israel, with its epicenter between the Hula Nature Reserve and the Sea of Galilee.

A third earthquake with a 3.5 magnitude occurred late last week, also near Tiberias.

It is not known what the string of mild earthquakes means, and if it is a precursor of a larger earthquake in the region.

The Tiberias region has been shaken by disastrous earthquakes in the past, the largest one being in 1837, when Tzfat (Safed) was destroyed and approximately 4,000 people were killed. In nearby Tiberias, between 700 and 1,000 people died.

A minor earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale rocked Jerusalem and the Dead Sea Thursday morning and was felt in Jerusalem and on the northern edge of the Dead Sea.

The Geophysical Institute of Israel said the epicenter of the quake was located north of the Dead Sea. The temblor also was felt in some areas of central Israel.

An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale shook Eilat in June.

A minor earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale was felt in Jerusalem on early Thursday morning.

[Personally, I slept through it and didn't feel a thing.]

One or more earthquakes have damaged Iran’s Bushehr nuclear facility, causing cracks several yards long, according to an Associated Press report based on information picked up by several countries monitoring Iran’s nuclear program.

Diplomats told the Associated Press that at least one concrete section of the facility sustained long cracks but not in the vicinity of the reactor core. However, other damage cannot be ruled out since the information that was available was very limited.

The earthquakes occurred in April.

The Bushehr plant began operation 19 months ago but has been plagued by technical problems.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported in February and May that Iran had informed that the site was shut down temporarily, without any explanations. One of the quakes was registered at 7.7 on the Richter scale, and Iran claims the Bushehr site can withstand a quake of 8.0 on the scale.

Damage to the nuclear reactor could cause a massive catastrophe not only in Iran but also in nearby Kuwait and other Arab countries.

Tehran maintained several weeks ago that the quakes did not damage the Bushehr plant, but government reports are totally unreliable.

Iran is located on massive areas of seismic fault lines and experiences an earthquake of various magnitudes almost every day.

Iran has not signed the nuclear safety convention, precluding any authority for the IAEA to inspect its nuclear sites for safety.