Bethlehem. Rachel’s Tomb

Image from the book: Jewish Palestine: A Celebration of the Yishuv

There has been a memorial for the Jewish matriarch Rachel in this location, in what has historically been a cemetery used by Christians and Muslims, at the northern entrance to Bethlehem, just south of Jerusalem, since at least the early fourth century. The current structure has most likely existed in various permutations since the late twelfth century. When Moses Montefiore and his wife first came to Eretz Yisrael as pilgrims in 1827, Judith Montefiore visited the site and was evidently very taken with it. When she died in 1862, her mausoleum in Ramsgate was modelled on the structure. After the Ottoman authorities agreed to Moses Montefiore’s request to take on the custodianship of Rachel’s Tomb, he twice (in 1841 and again in 1885) had the premises renovated and refurbished, adding a Muslim prayer room and giving it its present form.

Published by LL. (Levy and Sons).