Chaim Frankenhuis

Hundreds pray at graves of Aaron’s sons in Awarta

  1. Reclaiming our heritage in Judea and Samaria — no longer apologizing for our past.
Jews pray at the Tomb of Elazar in Awarta (Chaim Frankenkenhuis)

Hundreds of Jews, observant and non-observant, arrived on Monday night in coordination with the IDF to pray at the tombs of the priests Elazar and Itamar, the sons of Aharon, as well as the 70 elders mentioned in the Torah as leaders of the Jewish people, who, according to tradition, are buried in the Arab village of Awarta.

Why is it so important for Jews to keep going to these tombs and reconquer our heritage?

The region of Judea and Samaria has dozens of ancient synagogues, Jewish archaeological sites, and Jewish tombs that date back over 3,000 years. These are the exact places where the Palestinians are fighting for more than anywhere else. The Palestinians vandalize, destroy, and burn down these tombs.

pro Hamas graffiti on the Jewish tomb of Elazar (Chaim Frankenhuis)

Isn’t it weird that they are specifically targeting these tombs? The answer is very simple: they want to erase Jewish history. They openly want to murder every single Jew, Israeli, and Zionist — the exact same ideology that Adolf Hitler had in 1939. The only difference is that in this generation, people think they’re the good guys. The proof is that they’re supported and funded by organizations such as USAID, the EU, and UNRWA.

We Jews aren’t here to apologize for our existence. We are not here to survive. We are not here to beg for forgiveness.

We are here to be proud Jews, to take back our ancestral homeland, and proudly live in it.

And for the people that seem to enjoy accusing the Jews of violating the Oslo Accords — once you take a closer look, you begin to see that the Palestinians are the ones violating the Accords, not the Jews. Let’s take a look at Oslo Accord II, Annex I, Article 32: Holy Sites — it states: “The Palestinian side shall ensure free access to, respect the ways of worship in, and not make any changes to, the Jewish Holy Sites.” And as mentioned in the appendix, this is relevant to several locations including “Elazar’s Tomb, Itamar’s Tomb, and the Tomb of the 70 Elders in Awarta.” These words speak for themselves — how the Jewish nation is entitled to free, permanent access, and how the Palestinian side is constantly violating “not make any changes to, the Jewish Holy Sites” by burning and vandalizing these tombs.

The time has come for us to take responsibility and visit these tombs. It’s time for the Israeli government and IDF to take responsibility and allow more entries — for our safety, heritage, and identity.

About the Author
Chaim Frankenhuis is a British national living in Israel who closely documents developments in Judea & Samaria and the Temple Mount. Through on-the-ground reporting and analysis, he highlights issues affecting Jewish heritage and holy sites, with a focus on preserving their religious and historical significance. His work challenges common misconceptions and false narratives about Israel while bringing attention to both ongoing challenges and the efforts of those dedicated to protecting these sacred locations. He also examines the deeper roots and evolving nature of antisemitism in contemporary discourse.
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