Joseph's Tomb in Shechem

Unique photo taken in Israel circa 1900

1- Joseph's Tomb

2- Biblical verse- Joshua 24:32:

And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

3- Mount Grizim

4- ruins of Samaritan temple

5- village of Balata

Through all the generations, Joseph's Tomb has been a center of Jewish prayer and learning. It is so important, that the ancient Midrash teaches us:

"'And he bought the field where he pitched his tent' - Said Rav Yudan bar Simon, this is one of the three places regarding which the nations of the world cannot slander Israel and say 'You stole them!' The places are: the Cave of Machpela, the Temple, and the Tomb of Joseph. '"(Bereshit Rabba, 79:4):

This photo from 1900 shows the impressive compound around Joseph's Tomb, well maintained, and with a wide carriage road for Jewish visitors who came regularly to pray at the holy site. A small Arab village is seen at the right with 8 houses, otherwise all is vacant.

After the 1967 6-day war and the prosperity that the Israeli presence brought, the sleepy Arab town of Nablus (Shechem) expanded from a population of 30,000 to more than 160,000 today, swallowing the small villages around it, and surrounding the holy site with urban sprawl. Despite the difficulty and dangers, Jews prayed at the site daily, and a permanent Yeshiva was established to learn Torah there.

At the start of the "Oslo War" in 2000, the Israeli government removed the Jews from the site, and permitted the Arabs to destroy it.

We pray for (and demand) the right to return and worship and learn at Joseph's Tomb in Shechem!