Two weeks ago, I woke up to a rattling WhatsApp message sent to our family chat by a family member whom I love dearly, but… There was a photo of a group of people davening at Kever Yosef along with a reassuring comment stating that we can be calm – they had already exited Shechem. This was followed by a comment from another family member, whom I also love dearly, who congratulated the original poster (and, yes, I do still love him, in case you were wondering) for providing all of this exciting information after the fact.
OMG! Kever Yosef?!?! Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I have anything against Yosef HaTzadik, chas v’shalom. After all, I have a son named Yosef who was named after my father z”l who was named after someone who was named after someone who was named after someone who was named (you get the idea) after him. We have many Yosefs in our extended family. We love Yosef! But visiting the kever of the original Yosef HaTzadik is entirely a different story. Did I mention that he is buried in Shechem?
Just to give you a taste of Shechem, to help you understand my horror concern, let me share a few facts: Shechem is a commercial and cultural center that was placed under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority in 1995 as a result of the Oslo Accords Interim Agreement on the West Bank. Under this agreement, we are supposed to have free access to the site as well as control of the road leading to it. However, not everyone is happy with that plan, it seems. Kever Yosef has been a friction point over the years. Palestinian Arabs desecrate the site, setting fires, smashing the Kever, and causing all sorts of damage. In 2008, Noa Meir, an Israeli military spokeswoman, described Shechem as a “capital of terror” of the West Bank. Get the picture?
The existing structure of Kever Yosef was probably built in the 19th century. The IDF recovered the Kever during the Six-Day War, and Jews were then able to come back and visit. In 1984, the “Od Yosef Chai” yeshivah opened, but in 1996 the Kever was burned, and six Israeli soldiers were killed. In 2000, the Second Intifada broke out. The yeshivah closed and Kever Yosef was abandoned and destroyed. In 2004, visits to the Kever were renewed. Despite the conflict, as well as clashes that take place at the site, some will not be deterred from visiting there.
Visits to Kever Yosef take place approximately once a month, usually around the time of Rosh Chodesh or other chagim. This recent visit, which coincided with the beginning of the Nine Days, was the first visit after a long break, due to security concerns (apparently, I’m not the only one who worries about these things) in the Northern Shomron. To mitigate the risk involved, visits typically take place in the middle of the night, with visitors riding in a convoy of bulletproof buses with full escort by the IDF.
Six or seven buses filled with men and women of all ages, mostly young, left my son’s yishuv (settlement) at midnight. There was much excitement, anticipation, and singing during the ride, especially the song, “Bizchut Yosef HaTzadik.” They drove through Shechem on blocked-off streets where soldiers in jeeps could be seen in every direction. My son said he didn’t see one Arab.
After driving for approximately two hours, the group arrived at an army base located near the Kever. They were joined there by thousands of others, also taking advantage of this somewhat rare opportunity. People took turns entering the crowded Kever itself. While visitors waited their turn, they were treated to cholent, rugelach, and watermelon. They left the area at around 3:30 a.m. Once they were out of Shechem, my wonderful son sent his message to our family chat.
We had a discussion about this topic at our Shabbos s’udah several days after the event. The question was raised (not by me, mind you) as to whether visiting Kever Yosef is allowed halachically. After all, it seems that doing so may be considered putting oneself in unnecessary danger. Hmmm…
My m’chutenes, who also visited Kever Yosef that night, told me that she found being there particularly moving. She teaches the story of Yosef and his brothers every year in school. The division between the brothers is painful. But Yosef was able to understand that everything that happened to him was part of a Divine plan. When he revealed himself to his brothers, they were worried that he would take revenge on them for all they had done to him. But he reassured them that it was Hashem who had orchestrated the events that sent him to Mitzrayim so that they would have access to food during the famine. Yosef was forgiving and a unifying force.
Let’s hope that, in the z’chus of Yosef HaTzadik, the unifier, we will be able to once again experience unity among ourselves.
Suzie Steinberg, (nee Schapiro), CSW, is a native of Kew Gardens Hills and resident of Ramat Beit Shemesh who publishes articles regularly in various newspapers and magazines about life in general, and about life in Israel in particular. Her recently published children’s book titled Hashem is Always With Me can be purchased in local Judaica stores as well as online. Suzie can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and would love to hear from you.
