(JNS) Pesach Benson - On June 8, Israel will inaugurate an elevator to improve handicap accessibility at Hebron's Tomb of the Patriarchs - the burial place of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca and Leah. Previously, visitors had to climb 89 steps to enter the site. Efforts to build the elevator had been mired for decades in legal petitions filed by Palestinians. A High Court of Justice ruling in November 2021 cleared away the last legal hurdles. The current structure around the tomb was built 2,000 years ago by King Herod. After the Mamluke conquest in 1260, the site was converted into a mosque and Jews were banned from going past the seventh step of a staircase outside the building.
2023-06-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive