Rabbi Dov Lior Urges Return of Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva to Joseph's Tomb

Rabbi Dov Lior, one of the leading figures in religious Zionism, has sent a letter calling on the Israeli government to return the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva to Joseph's Tomb in Nablus and to renew the Jewish presence there. He said this would “correct the disgrace of the withdrawal” and restore the site where, he argued, the Jewish people have an eternal claim.

In the letter, Lior recounted the biblical and historical significance of Shechem and Joseph’s Tomb, mentioning God’s promise to Abraham, Jacob’s purchase of land, Joshua’s covenant ceremony, and Joseph’s burial there. He urged the government to “correct the disgrace of the withdrawal from Joseph’s Tomb 25 years ago,” bring the yeshiva back, and act to revive Jewish settlement at the site, calling it “your right and your duty.”

Separately, MK Tzvi Sukkot, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, and Rabbi Yossi Elitzur, head of the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva, sent an urgent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking that the yeshiva be allowed to return to Joseph’s Tomb before the elections. Their appeal referred to a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee discussion in which a Defense Ministry representative said the ministry intended to permit daily access to the site.

The letter said that this has not yet happened in practice. The writers said the yeshiva is ready, both security-wise and logistically, to move back at any time, and argued that under the law it is supposed to be present at Joseph’s Tomb daily. They said such a move would signal to Israelis, the world, and especially their enemies that the government will no longer abandon what they describe as a sacred place, and would correct what they called a 25-year-old injustice.