Thousands Dedicate Torah Scroll at Kever Yosef: “The Torah Is Returning to Shechem” | Video

Thousands of worshippers entered Kever Yosef (Joseph’s Tomb) in Shechem Tuesday night, marking the joy of Adar with an emotional Torah scroll dedication. The entry was conducted as part of the regular coordinated visits to the site, under IDF security and with the assistance of volunteers from the Samaria Regional Council’s administration for the holy places.במעמד מרגש: ספר תורה הוכנס הלילה לקבר יוסף בשכם

At the center of the visit was the Torah Scroll dedication ceremony. The scroll was donated by an anonymous benefactor in memory of fallen soldiers and deceased alumni of the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva, which operated at the compound for approximately 20 years before it was abandoned during the outbreak of the Second Intifada.

The concluding letter-writing ceremony took place at the yeshiva’s historic beit midrash in Yitzhar. Bereaved families, rabbis, and public officials wrote the final letters before the scroll was brought to the site. Following the event, it was transferred for temporary safekeeping to the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Yitzhar, where it will remain until what organizers described as a full return to the compound.

Among those participating were Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan; Rabbi Yitzchak Shapira, head of the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva; Rabbi Yosef Elitzur, a senior rabbi at the yeshiva; and Religious Zionist MK Zvi Sukkot, who has been active in efforts to expand Jewish presence at the site.

Dagan framed the event as part of a broader campaign for restoration. “We are taking another significant step today toward a full return to Jewish presence at the site of Joseph the Righteous and the holy city of Shechem. We are not standing here as private individuals. We stand here in the name of the entire people of Israel, in the name of Abraham our father who came here, in the name of Jacob, and of course in the name of Joseph the Righteous who is buried here. We say to the Holy One, Blessed be He: we will do our part, and You will do Yours. With God’s help, we will correct the disgrace of the people of Israel and return here fully.”

Rabbi Shapira connected the dedication to the yeshiva’s history at the site. “We are holding a Torah scroll dedication here today not only so that we can come to the gravesite, but so that we restore the crown to its former glory by returning the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva, which operated here for about 20 years. The Torah is returning to Shechem, returning to Joseph the Righteous.”

Referring to the biblical Yosef (Joseph), he added that before he became a symbol of spiritual strength, he was described as a “ben chacham” (wise son) who learned Torah with his father Jacob. “What we are doing here today is returning Torah study to this place.”

Rabbi Yosef Elitzur said, “This Torah scroll was written in memory of the fallen and deceased alumni of the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva, who were connected to Joseph the Righteous (Yosef Hatzadik) and to the Torah studied here, and who are no longer with us.” He noted that the beit midrash has been waiting more than 25 years for the yeshiva’s return.

MK Sukkot called for permanent restoration of the site. “It is time to correct the terrible injustice of Joseph’s sale in our generation and to return permanently to Joseph the Righteous’ Tomb.”

The ceremony comes weeks after hundreds of Jews held a Shacharit prayer service at the site during daylight hours for the first time in 25 years, following a new security arrangement approved by Defense Minister Israel Katz. Jewish access to the compound remains coordinated and subject to security approval.