Ramat Rachel | |
|---|---|
| Country | Israel |
| Region | Jerusalem |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Founded by | "Jerusalem Brigade" of Gdud Ha'avoda |
| Website | http://www.ramatrachel.co.il/about_us.htm |
Ramat Rachel is a kibbutz in southern Jerusalem, Israel, overlooking Bethlehemand Rachel's Tomb. It is located on a hilltop 820 feet above sea level. [1]
Kibbutz Ramat Rachel was established in 1926 by members of the Gdud Ha'avoda labor brigade. Their goal was to settle in Jerusalem and earn their livelihood from manual labor, working in such trades as stonecutting, housing construction and haulage. [2] After living in a temporary camp in Jerusalem, a group of ten pioneers settled on a stony plot of land on a hill south of the city. The kibbutz was destroyed by the Arabs in the riots of 1929, but resettled soon after. In 1948, during Israel's War of Independence, it was cut off from the city. [3]In 1967 it was the target of intensive artillery shelling from Jordanian positions. As the borders of Jerusalem were expanded southward, the kibbutz was included within the city's municipal borders.
Today, the kibbutz economy revolves main around its hotel and banquet hall. Archeological excavations on the hilltop have unearthed major finds. The remains of a massive palace and waterworks have been discovered at the site, perhaps dating back to the early Israelite kingdom and showing occupation by the Babylonians, Persians, Romans and Hasmoneans. An archeology park is now under development.
Benjamin Mazar and Moshe Stekelis conducted the first scientific excavations at the site in 1930-1931. Yohanan Aharoni conducted a more thorough series of digs from 1959-1962, and he tentatively identified it with biblical Beit Hakerem ("house of the vineyard"; Jeremiah 6:1). It had been given the name "Height of Rachel" by the kibbutz, but the ancient remains had been called Khirbet es-Sallah in Arabic. Yigael Yadin, another excavator but one who never dug at this particular site, suggested that the palace excavated by Aharoni dated to the reign of Athaliah, and he identified it with the "House of Baal" recorded in 2 Kings 11:18.
One of many important artifacts uncovered at the site are LMLK seal impressions found on broken jar handles, most of which bear one or two enigmatic words that continue to puzzle researchers. Gabriel Barkay, another excavator who worked at the site in 1984, claims that the ancient name of the site may have been MMST, one of the four mysterious words.[4] Supporting Barkay is a potsherd found by Aharoni that may contain a painted depiction of Hezekiah, the king reigning during the period these jars were manufactured. However, more handles with HBRN (Hebron) and ZYF (Ziph) inscriptions have been found at Ramat Rahel than MMST.[5]
Renewed excavations began in 2004 under the direction of Oded Lipschits and Manfred Oeming. According to Lipschits, the site may have been known as Gerut Kimham ("House of Chimham") per Jeremiah 41:17.[6]