| Our last stop on our tour with Chaim was at Rachel's Tomb (Kever Rachel), in Bethlehem, just south of Jerusalem. Shown here is the cover over Rachel's burial spot. Jews may enter the fortressed area only in a bulletproof bus, although the roadblock into Bethlehem is within the Jerusalem Municipal borders. The Arab program to take over the Jewish holy sites is evident at Kever Rachel, which is surrounded on three sides by a Muslim cemetery. (This is the same strategy being used by the Arabs adjacent to the Temple Mount, where Arab burials have been taking place illegally under the Waqf's control.) Uvnai Yerushalayim is determined to create apartments, a Bat Mitzvah area, and a Visitor's Center at Kever Rachel. We pray they will be successful. In the meantime, the huge cement 25-foot-high security fence that cuts through Jerusalem will be built to surround Bethlehem, threatening to isolate Kever Rachel. It is a race against time to preserve as much of the area surrounding Kever Rachel as possible, for Jewish building. |
