April 20th on the Haas Promenade in Talpiyot (yes, there was a breeze!)So, after finishing my season of volunteering here, I wasted no time taking advantage of freedom! :-) The next day, I was up and out the gate promptly for a visit to Rachel's Tomb. Kever Rachel is the third holiest site in Judaism (behind the Temple Mount/Western Wall in Jerusalem and the Cave of Machpelah/Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron). The site has a fascinating history and historical records mention the tomb's location south of Jerusalem, on the outskirts of Bethlehem as far back as the 4th century A.D.
The story is familiar: in Genesis 34, Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, dies giving birth to Benjamin while they were journeying from Bethel to Bethlehem and was buried on that path. This ancient tomb is located along the "Route of the Patriarchs"--the historical road from Bethel to Ephrath.
While traditions related to this tomb can be traced back to the 4th century AD and the tomb was marked by a pyramid in the 7th century, it apparently lost importance until the Crusaders revived its veneration in the 11th and 12th centuries. At that time the tomb was covered with 12 stones. The tomb is venerated by the Abrahamic faiths and it was controlled and maintained by Muslim rulers beginning sometime in the 15th century. Non-Muslims were barred from the site for a number of years prior to 1615, and in 1830, the Ottomans gave legal recognition to the site as being a Jewish holy site. in 1841, Sir Moses Montefiore purchased the site and obtained the key.
In 1947, the United Nations planned for the site to lie in an international zone, but following the 1947-1948 Israeli War of Independence, the site became part of the territory annexed by Jordan and was under the protection of the Islamic wakf. In 1967, Israel gained control of the West Bank, but Moshe Dayan opted not to include Rachel's tomb within the territory annexed to Jerusalem.
The 1995 Oslo Accords affected the status quo of Rachel's Tomb once again. Located only 1500 feet from the municipal border of Jerusalem, the initial plan placed it in the territory to be turned over to the Palestinian Authority; however, protests led to a reversal and the tomb and entrance road was left under Israeli control. The tomb has since been fortified with an adjacent military post and a 13 foot wall as it tends to be a highly-sensitive area prone to attacks and riots. Interestingly, although the tomb lies on the outskirts of Bethlehem, the West Bank barrier wall was built in a way to include the tomb on the Israeli side.
Okay enough history--now to pictures and my experience! :-) Although often Kever Rachel can only be visited in bullet-proof buses, things have been calm enough lately, I boarded a mostly-normal bus at Jerusalem's Central Bus Station. We traveled through some of the northern neighborhoods of Jerusalem, back south along the Old City, and then down Hebron Road to Bethlehem. Soon, the barrier came into view. Instead of going through the checkpoint into Bethlehem itself, we turned right and drove along the wall for a bit before turning left at a break and down along a road bordered by the same high concrete walls.
The West Bank barrier
On the right, the break in the wall where the entrance road arrives at the tomb complex. On the left, the actual entrance . . .
The modern entrance to Rachel's tomb, surrounded by military fortifications (this is a common flashpoint)
Mural depicting Kever Rachel as it was in the early 19th century. The tomb has become a symbol of God's promise in Jeremiah 31:15-17 that Rachel's children would return to the land.
Once inside the door, one goes down a hallway ...
...before seeing the original pillars, sign and entrance to the tomb on the right. The men's entrance was around this right pillar.
The women's entrance was under the sign, between the two pillars. 
The women's hallway was maybe five feet wide--not much space for a lot of people. And it was even more crowded than usual as I visited during the week of Pesach. Rachel is considered the mother of the Jewish people, and women often come here to pray for fertility and easy, successful deliveries. 
After getting pushed and jostled down the line, I was finally able to see the cenotaph itself. The stone archway is part of the original building built around 1620 and restructured in 1841, now enclosed within a more modern structure. 
The "tomb" itself is actually a rock covered with a velvet drape adorned with 11 stars (for the eleven sons of Jacob alive when Rachel died). Unfortunately, the broad side of this faces the men's section.
I was really glad for the opportunity to visit Kever Rachel--it had been on my list of places I wanted to go for my entire time here. It was quite the experience--so chaotic and noisy. The line in to pray and view the tomb was impatient and full of pushing and yelling. After catching a bus back up Hebron Road, I walked to the Haas promenade in Talpiyot. I was here once before, but it was so pleasant to be back on my own time on such a beautiful spring day. The views are breathtaking!
On the way, I saw another of Jerusalem's double-decker tour buses. Thought I better take a picture for the record--London, you have nothing on Jerusalem!!
The Haas promenade
Looking north over the promenade grounds and Jerusalem proper in the background
The Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock towards the left, the Kidron Valley running down the middle, and the Mount of Olives on the right
Another beautiful view
A spectacular view of Jerusalem's Old City (the golden dome is the Dome of the Rock on its eastern side). This picture is quite revealing--it shows clearly how much lower the Temple Mount and the Western Wall is than the western half of the Old City. It's always easy going down to visit the Western Wall but returning back home is quite an uphill climb!
After strolling along the promenade, I ducked into a grocery store to get a couple things. At first glance, it looks pretty normal ...
But, this was during the week of Passover. Leavened bread is not the only unapproved item during this week; there is quite a list of non-kosher foods, including cakes, crackers, cereals, coffee blends, wheat, barley, oats, rice, and any liquids containing ingredients or flavors made from grain alcohol or vinegar. Obviously, it would be a massive job to take all this stuff into a back store room for week and then bring it out again, so store managers have come up with a different solution ... shelves containing the non-kosher items are covered up and inaccessable.
I hope you've enjoyed sharing my sight seeing journey of last Wednesday. It was quite a cross section of culture--from the holy site of Kever Rachel and those there to pray, to the promenade where many families were out having lunch and just enjoying the holiday, to the grocery store where Pesach has affected inventory and availability. I really enjoyed this day and all the opportunities to "soak up local color" as Lucy wanted to do when she and Ricky traveled to Europe. :-)
More stories and pictures to come . . .!
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