When the Israeli government decided to hand over one little grave site to the Palestinian authorities, it caused such political uproar across Israel that the government was almost toppled over. This was the Tomb of Rachel, one of the four Matriarchs of Jews, who lived some 3500 years ago. Rachel's marriage to Jacob the Israel and the two children (Joseph and Benjamin) she bore him are recorded in the Bible (Genesis, chapters 29-31). Rachel died while giving birth to Benjamin and was buried by Jacob on the road to Efrat, just outside Bethlehem. "And Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day" says the Bible (Genesis 35:19-20). Rachel's significance does not end there. She has been mentioned in Bible outside Genesis also. When Boaz took Ruth for a wife, she was blessed with these words, "May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and like Leah" (Ruth 4:11). The Holy Bible teaches that Rachel weeps for her children and that when the Jews were taken into exile, she wept as they passed by her grave on the way to Babylonia (Jeremiah 31:14).
The traditional gravesite of the Rachel is the third holiest site in Judaism after Temple Mount (Jerusalem) and Cave of Machpela (Hebron). According to other Jewish traditions, she died at the age of 36 on the 11th of Hebrew month Cheshvan, 2198 (1560 BC). For Jews Rachel is the "eternal mother," caring for her people when they are ill. Rachel is also the mediator for a pregnant woman, especially when she goes into the delivery room. The tomb has been a major place of pilgrimage for Jewish women unable to give birth. Even though Rachel's Tomb is only a 1.5 hr walk from the Old City of Jerusalem, many pilgrims found themselves very thirsty and unable to obtain fresh water. In 1864, the Jews of Mumbai donated money to dig a well and it can still be seen inside the women's section. Another interesting tradition associated with the tomb is tying a scarlet thread around one's neck or wrist as a protection against all kinds of dangers, especially for pregnant women. Before the thread may be used, it must first be wound around the Tomb of Rachel!!
According to other traditions, the original monument was a pillar of 13 stones. Each of Jacob's 12 sons placed a stone on Rachel's grave, with Jacob's stone on top. It remained there, intact for hundreds of years. Over the generations, the structure above her grave has changed several times. From the Byzantine period (5th cent AD) until the 19th century, Rachel's Tomb consisted of an open dome. The place has been guarded for centuries, from the Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans and Israelis. A cube topped by a dome, was built around 1620 by the Ottoman Turks. In 1841 by Sir Moses Montifeore constructed a room and enclosed the dome. Since 1948 Muslims have created their own cemetery surrounding the building on three sides. Today, the Tomb of Rachel is located in the outskirts of Bethlehem in West Bank area of Palestine.
Ever since the second intifada began in 2000, when Rachel's Tomb began coming under fire from Arabs, the whole compound was fortified. The Tomb as such is housed within a building reinforced with 8 meter tall concrete walls and guard towers, but the ancient interior remains unaltered. The original tomb, a rectangular structure with a white dome, is thus not visible today. Many orthodox Jews fear that that Rachel's Tomb will face the same fate of her son Joseph's Tomb in Shechem (Nablus), which was destroyed by Palestenians soon after the site in West Bank was deserted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in late 2000. The present wall was completed in August 2006; the IDF handed over security responsibility to the Israeli Border Police. Until recently only bullet-proof buses (Egged 163) were allowed direct access to Rachel's Tomb. Since 2007, the security forces decided to allow non-bulletproof buses into the compound. From September, 2008 for the first time after 7 years, private cars are allowed to access the Tomb. However, despite several requests, for the time being, entering the compound on foot from the checkpoint remains prohibited.
The traditional gravesite of the Rachel is the third holiest site in Judaism after Temple Mount (Jerusalem) and Cave of Machpela (Hebron). According to other Jewish traditions, she died at the age of 36 on the 11th of Hebrew month Cheshvan, 2198 (1560 BC). For Jews Rachel is the "eternal mother," caring for her people when they are ill. Rachel is also the mediator for a pregnant woman, especially when she goes into the delivery room. The tomb has been a major place of pilgrimage for Jewish women unable to give birth. Even though Rachel's Tomb is only a 1.5 hr walk from the Old City of Jerusalem, many pilgrims found themselves very thirsty and unable to obtain fresh water. In 1864, the Jews of Mumbai donated money to dig a well and it can still be seen inside the women's section. Another interesting tradition associated with the tomb is tying a scarlet thread around one's neck or wrist as a protection against all kinds of dangers, especially for pregnant women. Before the thread may be used, it must first be wound around the Tomb of Rachel!!
According to other traditions, the original monument was a pillar of 13 stones. Each of Jacob's 12 sons placed a stone on Rachel's grave, with Jacob's stone on top. It remained there, intact for hundreds of years. Over the generations, the structure above her grave has changed several times. From the Byzantine period (5th cent AD) until the 19th century, Rachel's Tomb consisted of an open dome. The place has been guarded for centuries, from the Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans and Israelis. A cube topped by a dome, was built around 1620 by the Ottoman Turks. In 1841 by Sir Moses Montifeore constructed a room and enclosed the dome. Since 1948 Muslims have created their own cemetery surrounding the building on three sides. Today, the Tomb of Rachel is located in the outskirts of Bethlehem in West Bank area of Palestine.
Ever since the second intifada began in 2000, when Rachel's Tomb began coming under fire from Arabs, the whole compound was fortified. The Tomb as such is housed within a building reinforced with 8 meter tall concrete walls and guard towers, but the ancient interior remains unaltered. The original tomb, a rectangular structure with a white dome, is thus not visible today. Many orthodox Jews fear that that Rachel's Tomb will face the same fate of her son Joseph's Tomb in Shechem (Nablus), which was destroyed by Palestenians soon after the site in West Bank was deserted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in late 2000. The present wall was completed in August 2006; the IDF handed over security responsibility to the Israeli Border Police. Until recently only bullet-proof buses (Egged 163) were allowed direct access to Rachel's Tomb. Since 2007, the security forces decided to allow non-bulletproof buses into the compound. From September, 2008 for the first time after 7 years, private cars are allowed to access the Tomb. However, despite several requests, for the time being, entering the compound on foot from the checkpoint remains prohibited.
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