Thousands Pray at Joseph's Tomb as Rabbi Arush Calls for Full Sovereignty in Samaria

Thousands of worshippers entered Joseph's Tomb in Nablus overnight Monday for Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, with the visit supported by volunteers from the Joseph's Tomb and Holy Sites administration of the Samaria Regional Council and escorted by IDF forces. Among those present were Rabbi Shalom Arush, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, senior officers, several rabbis, and mothers of wounded soldiers.

Esti and Shalom Yaniv of Har Brakha, who lost their sons Hallel and Yagel Yaniv in the Huwara terror attack, held a first-haircut ceremony for their grandson Yigal Menachem during the visit. The child was named after the two brothers. Rabbi Arush offered blessings and encouragement, and the family said they chose Joseph's Tomb as a symbol of continuity, faith, and choosing life.

Also participating were IDF Central Command home front and district officers, including Maj. Gen. Kobi Heller, Col. Ariel Gonen, and Lt. Col. Elitzur Trabelsi, along with other military and rabbinic figures, including Rabbi Yossi Elitzur, Rabbi Yehuda Liebman, and Emanuel mayor Rabbi Eliahu Gafni. Mothers of wounded soldiers, led by Rabbi Rachel Bazak, prayed for the full recovery of their sons and all IDF wounded and fallen.

Dagan said the visitors came "as representatives of all the people of Israel" and prayed that God would bless the IDF and its commanders. He added, "We are strengthening the government from here to draw courage and spirit from Joseph," and urged it to stand firm before the nations and speak the truth. He concluded with a call for full sovereignty over Samaria and all of Israel, while the Samaria Regional Council recently completed a major renovation of the study hall near the site. The Yosef Chai yeshiva, which left the area after Joseph's Tomb was abandoned in October 2000, welcomed the work and called on the prime minister to restore the yeshiva to the compound permanently before the election.