Thousands Pray at Joseph’s Tomb as Family Holds Moving Haircut Ceremony

Thousands of worshippers entered Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus overnight Monday for Rosh Chodesh Tammuz and the hillula of Yosef HaTzaddik. The visit was organized with volunteers from the Joseph’s Tomb and Holy Sites administration of the Samaria Regional Council and escorted by IDF forces.

Among those inside were Esti and Shalom Yaniv of Rechalim, whose sons, Hillel and Yigal Yaniv, were killed in the terror attack in Huwara. During the visit, the family held an emotional halakha haircut ceremony for their grandson, Yigal Menachem, named for the two brothers. Rabbi Shalom Harush offered blessings and support, and the family said they chose Joseph’s Tomb as a symbol of continuity, faith, and choosing life, and as a sign of the Jewish people’s bond with the land of Israel.

Senior military and security officials also attended, including the commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, Brig. Gen. Kobi Heller, Samaria Brigade commander Col. Ariel Gonen, Central Command home front officer Lt. Col. Elitzur Trabelsi, other home front officers, and the Nablus Border Police battalion commander. Rabbis and public figures were present as well, among them Rabbi Yossi Elitzur of Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai, Yehuda Leibman of Yeshivat Pri Eretz, and Emanuel council head Rabbi Eliyahu Gafni.

A notable group at the site was a delegation of mothers of soldiers wounded in combat, led by Rabbanit Rachel Bazak. They came to pray for the full recovery of their sons and for all wounded and fallen IDF soldiers. Samaria Council head Yossi Dagan said the pilgrims had come “as emissaries of all the people of Israel,” prayed for the IDF and security forces, and urged the government to draw strength from Joseph the Righteous and stand firm.

In recent days, the Joseph’s Tomb administration carried out a major renovation of the study hall near the shrine, in coordination with Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai, which had operated there until the site was abandoned in October 2000. The yeshiva welcomed the work and called on the prime minister to order its permanent return to the compound before the elections.