Yosef's Tomb Study Hall Renovated as Yeshiva Calls for Permanent Return
The management of Yosef's Tomb, in collaboration with the "Od Yosef Chai" yeshiva, has completed extensive renovations of the study hall adjacent to the tomb site in Shechem. The yeshiva described this renovation as a significant step toward resuming its activities at the location, from which it was evacuated in October 2000. In a statement, the yeshiva expressed gratitude for the progress and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to authorize the yeshiva's permanent return to the site before the upcoming elections.
Alongside the renovation, Knesset member Tzvi Sukkot, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, and Rabbi Yossi Elitzur, head of "Od Yosef Chai," sent a letter to Netanyahu demanding the yeshiva's reinstatement at Yosef's Tomb. They referenced a discussion in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee where a Defense Ministry representative indicated plans to allow daily access to the tomb, a measure not yet implemented. They emphasized that the yeshiva is prepared to resume operations both logistically and security-wise and that by law, it should function daily at the site.
The letter stressed that renewing the yeshiva's presence would send a strong message to the Israeli public, the world, and adversaries that the Israeli government will no longer abandon this sacred site. They called the move a historic opportunity to correct a 25-year-old injustice and reaffirm Israel's deep connection to its holy places.