Holy Burial Sites

In 1957 many of the popular Jewish holy sites which we know of today were not accessible. However, that all changed in 1967 when Israel took control of Judea and Samaria following its victory in the Six Day War.

Judea and Samaria boast some of the holiest sites in the Jewish religion: The Cave of the Patriarch’s in Hebron, where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah are buried, Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem, and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem are
just a few.

Back in 1957 most of the popular holy sites were in the north. This included, the tombs of Hillel and Shammai, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Meron, a suburb of Tzfat), Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess, Rambam and Rabbi Akiva (Tiberias).

But with access to so many holy burial sites today, it is doubtful whether those who “make the rounds” to holy burial sites would even take the time to visit the graves of Hillel and Shammai.

In the Jerusaelm area one was able to visit David’s Tomb on Mount Zion in 1957 since it was located in the part of Jerusalem that was controlled by Israel. After the 1967 war victory, access was gained to the ancient Jewish cemetary on the Mt. of Olives and the most iconic holy Jewish site of them all – The “Kotel” (The Western Wall).