Visiting The Grave Of Aharon HaKohein

Kever Yehoshua bin Nun To be Open This Thursday Night

This Thursday night access will be available to the graves of Yehoshua Bin Nun and Kalev ben Yefuneh in the Arab village of Kifl Harsa, aka Timnat Heres. The army has made the arrangements and given their approval. The reason for the trip this Thursday night is to be able to pray by their graves right before the parsha of Shlach in which we will read about the spies, and how Yehoshua and Kalev tried to thwart their plans.

Rare Video of Israeli Rabbi in Iran A rare video shows last year’s visit to the tomb of Queen Esther and Mordechai in Iran. Tehran airport officials asked him, “Pray for us.”

Tomb of Esther and Mordechai

Rabbi Yisroel Gabbai’s self-appointed mission is saving Jewish graves all over the world. A rare video shows his visit last year to Iran and the tomb of Queen Esther and Mordechai, the central Jewish figures iin the story of Purim, which Jews celebrate this week.

A member of the Breslov stream of Chassidism and now living in Israel, Rabbi Gabbai travels with a passport from France, where he was born and married. He has visited Gaza and Lebanon during wars and also has been to Damascus. Rabbi Gabbai wears traditional hareidi religious black clothesand a black hat, with his “tzitis” (fringed garment worn by Jews], even in Arab countries.

Airport authorities in Tehran questioned him when he arrived last year and asked what he was doing in Iran. The rabbi replied, “I came to pray,” and he said the authorities asked him, “Pray for us” and then told him they would not charge him for his visa.

The video shows Jews and Muslims praying together in their joint belief in the prophet Daniel, and also offers a rare view of Jews praying in an Iranian synagogue.

He also visited the tomb of Queen Esther and Mordechai, which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to destroy. It is located in the city of Hamdan and reportedly is the oldest standing structure in Iran.
Several local Jews visit the tomb every Purim.
Iranian Jews told Rabbi Gabbai that they have spoken with Iranian authorities and told them they pray that HaShem blesses the country’s leaders. “We live with the protection of Muslims and under the Islamic flag. For 3,000 years, we have lived in peace andsecurity,” one Jew said in the video with Rabbi Gabbai.
The rabbis admitted this his travels often are dangerous. He said that the IDF escorted him on one secret trip to the burial site of a Torah sage in Gaza, and that he also traveled to Lebanon during the war in the 1980s in order to save Jewish graves.
He previously has visited Syria and Yemen and is credited with having restored dozens of graves of Jews and Torah sages.

Jews barred from Baba Sali's grandfather's tomb

Egypt has barred Jews from visiting the grave ofRabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira zt"l (may the memory of the righteous be blessed), the grandfather of the Baba Sali and the scion of the Abuhatzeira dynasty (Hat Tip: Dan F).

For the first time in recent history, Egypt has decided to completely bar Jews from visiting the tomb of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira, head of the dynasty that included Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, the famed “Baba Sali.”

The decision, issued by regional ruler Mukhtar el-Hamlawi, was reported by the Palestinian Authority news agency Wafa.

El-Hamlawi reported that a Cairo court had ruled that celebrations are forbidden at the tomb, and Jewish visitors would be barred for that reason.

In addition, he said, “We prohibit Jews from visiting the tomb because we identify with the Palestinian people, and because we do not want to offend the Egyptian public’s sensitivities.”

Egyptian opposition parties, led by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, attempted to prevent Israeli Jews from visiting the rabbi’s tomb in 2009.

While then-President Hosni Mubarak agreed to allow the visits, the pilgrimage was cancelled for the first time as opposition parties vowed to prevent Jews from visiting.

Mubarak continued to allow Israelis to visit, and even announced in 2010 that he would grant an unlimited number of permits.

Aren't you glad we got rid of the 'evil' Mubarak?

Islamist Winds in Egypt? 'No Jews Allowed' at Holy Site

The Arab Spring is turning into an Arab Winter for Israeli and Diaspora Jews.
For the first time in recent history, Egypt has decided to completely bar Jews from visiting the tomb of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira, head of the dynasty that included Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, the famed “Baba Sali.”
The decision, issued by regional ruler Mukhtar el-Hamlawi, was reported by the Palestinian Authority news agency Wafa.

El-Hamlawi reported that a Cairo court had ruled that celebrations are forbidden at the tomb, and Jewish visitors would be barred for that reason.

In addition, he said, “We prohibit Jews from visiting the tomb because we identify with the Palestinian people, and because we do not want to offend the Egyptian public’s sensitivities.”

Egyptian opposition parties, led by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, attempted to prevent Israeli Jews from visiting the rabbi’s tomb in 2009.
While then-President Hosni Mubarak agreed to allow the visits, the pilgrimage was cancelled for the first time as opposition parties vowed to prevent Jews from visiting.

Mubarak continued to allow Israelis to visit, and even announced in 2010 that he would grant an unlimited number of permits.

Since Mubarak’s ouster in early 2011, Salafi Islam has been on the rise, while the Jew-hating Muslim Brotherhood has been gaining political power.
The changes have led to security anarchy in Sinai, an extremely high terror alert for Israeli visitors, and persecution of religious minorities in Egypt, primarily Coptic Christians.

Tomb of Mordechai and Esther in Hamedan, Iran

Yeshua Ben Nun Yahrzeit Thousands of people visited Yeshua Ben Nun's Kaver on Thursday Night April 28 2011 to mark the Yahrzeit of his passing. He is buried in Heres, in Samaria, a village dating back to Biblical times which is now a Palestinian Authority-controlled town. Zchisoi Yugein Uleini

ELDER OF ZIYON: How Arab media describes Jewish pilgrimage to Abuhatzeira grave

The Egyptian media is linking to a YouTube video showing mostly Mizrahi Jews - men and women - at the gravesite of Yaakov Abuhatzeira.

They are praying, chanting and one person blows a shofar.


However, at least one Arabic article, even after linking to the video, describes a much different - and quite unlikely - scene:

Among the rituals of the ceremony, to be held at the tomb, are practices to drink alcohol [or spilled over the cemetery and licked after that - not sure what that means - EoZ] , and the slaughter of sacrifices are often sheep or pigs, and dance hysterically to some Jewish tunes and say prayers and entreaties to cry bitterly in front of the grave, and hit heads in the Wailing Wall for the blessing.

Yeah, let's slaughter and sacrifice pigs at a famous rabbi's tomb!

There is also a group of Egyptian bloggers who are very much against the annual visit.