It was Wednesday, the 27th of Adar, The 28th (March 22, 2012,, the
second day of spring) by the time we got there. The day started as a
bleak one. The murderer of three innocent Jews in France was holed up
in his hideaway in a gun battle with police. The funeral of the
victims, three young children and a dedicated rabbi and teacher, was
reported, well attended and commemorated. The picture of the bedsteads,
on which lay their remains covered by talitot, was circulated in the news media. The televised event was watched by many.
On
that day Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, who passed away the previous
day at the age of 101, a Gadol Hador, the rabbi of Yeshiva Torah Ohr of
Mattersdorf and New York, was likewise featured on the news media
throughout the day.
On
that day, March 22, 2012, I also visited the family of, Asher Wein, a
leader and founder of the Yemin Moshe Synagogue (Beit Yisrael)
community, who were in Israel for his funeral and interment the previous
day.
My
husband, usually a long distance walker, was struck by an orthopedic
disability, and was unable to accompany me either at the Shiva visit or
at the visit to the Kever that evening.
When
I arrived at 9:25 PM, I was surprised to see the large group and two
buses parked at the side of the Inball Hotel awaiting the many people
looking to visit Kever Yoseph, as organized by Nadia Matar and Yehudit
Katsover of Women in Green. We left shortly after the 9:30 appointed
time.
There
was a tension there. People were still numbed by the tragedy that had
occurred in France, the passing of a Gadol Hador, and concerned about
the safety of their mission. The concern was warranted, since previous
groups had been stoned, since eleven years ago a Jewish visitor praying
at the Kever was murdered, and since the site had been vandalized
numerous times by Palestinians.
Our
names were checked against a roster, we were given envelopes with
information about Women in Green and some of their recent
accomplishments and goals, as we alighted on the bus. I was seated near
a woman from Efrat who was in Jerusalem for a wedding, and left early
to take this historic trip.
We
road to Tzomet Tapuach, making a few additional stops on the way to
pick up additional passengers. At Tzomet Tapuach we saw numerous
mini-buses convening and their passengers joining us on bullet-proof
buses to take us to our destination. There were tea, pastries and
barekas for the passengers. We were told that at Kever Yoseph there
would be bathroom facilities.
We
rode the bullet-proof buses to our destination. There I sat near a
woman from the Old City. I also met people who had come from Kiryat
Arba and other locations. Someone asked the driver to tell us when we
reach Nablus-Shechem.
Before
leaving, while waiting for security clearance, Nadia Matar spoke about
the desire of all of us to visit the gravesite during the day, and not
"like thieves in the night." She also spoke of the mission, goals and
accomplishments of Women in Green in reclaiming Jewish Land, and the
obstacles preventing this goal—from the Palestinian encroachers to the
European Union, which is heavily financing them. We also received
prayers for the release of Jonathan Pollard, followed by a group
recitation of the prayers led by Rabbi Pollock, a visitor with us.
Esther Pollard, who provided us with the prayers, emphasized the power
of numbers, and how our joint prayers are multiplied many time over
through the strength of the community of Jews. Rabbi Twersky of Efrat
also spoke and encouraged us in our mission.
It was dark and but for the police guarding our route, the streets were
vacant of inhabitants. It was about about 1 AM when we reached our
destination, driving through the town in the middle of the night.
When we arrived at the Kever, we saw a compound surrounded by lights
and people, many of them soldiers. We alighted from our bus, and saw
people streaming from other buses. They were a mixture of Jews from all
persuasions, from Chasidic, to secular, including Breslovers, Rabbis in
black hats and people in kipot srugot, and women in jeans and some in
long skirts. We were told to remember our bus number so that we would
get back there. We were allowed about 20 minutes for prayers.
The Kever consisted of a domed center with stone buildings on either
side. It was surrounded by a chain link fence. Some of the flooring was
cement, and there was an area of stones and soil on the side. Women
were told to go to the left, where there was a room with access to the
prayer hall of the men. While they were separated by a high mechitza,
the top third consisted of a curtain, allowing the women to hear the
prayers clearly and the shofar that was being blown. Most women had
their own prayer books, lists, and Tehilim and prayed silently.
The room was very full, but emptied out from time to time. Some women
chose to pray alongside the building where it was quieter. All was done
with decorum and reverence. I heard subsequently that many
journalists, many from France who had come the previous day for the
funeral of the massacred in Toulouse, were with us to celebrate our
opportunity to pray at this holy site.
After our prayer, we were all more relaxed, seeing that we had arrived
safely, and that all was well. We exited to the front of the building,
where there were signs announcing the place. People were selling CD's
with Shechem music, and large pictures of the Kever. Others were taking pictures and videos. We all felt the joy of the moment.
At the end of a hard day for our people, and for me, personally, I was
able to celebrate this great event in the life of our people. I heard
afterwards that MK Yisrael Katz affixed a mezuzah on the Kever that
night, celebrating our return to this historic place, a major landmark
in the life of our people.
I thank Nadia Matar, Yehudit Katsover, for making our trip possible,
the soldiers of the IDF for protecting us , and the Samaria Regional
Council, the Shechem Echad organization,
the IDF, and the Civil Authority for restoring the tomb, which was
destroyed and desecrated 11 years ago, and all those who made this historic evening possible.
To me and to many of us who participated, it fortified us in knowing
that although we Jews can be attacked, we will not be defeated. That we
will stand firm to recover our place in history, to preserve our sacred
heritage and to maintain those sites that are significant to us as a
people.
I later heard that MK Yuli Edelstein, along with other dignitaries, was
celebrating this momentous occasion with us. He along with our
dedicated co-visitors expressed our mission and belief that we will no
longer allow our sacred historic places to be defamed with impunity.
The
sadness of the prior day melted as our hope for the future encompassed
it. It was replaced by our conviction that in unity we stand and that we
will continue to stand firm as a people and as a nation. Am Yisrael
Chai!
-- Yocheved Miriam (Judy) Zemel
http://womeningreen-ivrit.blogspot.com/2012/03/historic-visit-to-kever-joseph-by.html
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