The Tomb of Rachel is considered the third holiest site in Judaism. It is located near the entrance to Bethlehem on the Jerusalem-Hebron Road. According to Genesis 35:19, Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin while she and Jacob were traveling from Beth-El to Hebron and that a pillar was erected in memory of her on the way to Ephrat. Jewish tradition teaches that Rachel weeps for her children and that when the Jews were taken into exile, she wept as they passed by her grave on the way to Babylonia.
The actual "tomb" consists of a rock with eleven stones upon it, one for each of the eleven sons of Jacob who were alive when Rachel died in childbirth. Over the centuries, the rock was covered by a dome supported by four arches. The dome structure was eventually enclosed by Sir Moses Montefiore, who added a second room.
In the 1990's, due to the deteriorating security situation, the original domed structure was fortified and enclosed inside a building with a hall from the entrance
The Tomb of Rachel is considered the third holiest site in Judaism. It is located near the entrance to Bethlehem on the Jerusalem-Hebron Road. According to Genesis 35:19, Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin while she and Jacob were traveling from Beth-El to Hebron and that a pillar was erected in memory of her on the way to Ephrat. Jewish tradition teaches that Rachel weeps for her children and that when the Jews were taken into exile, she wept as they passed by her grave on the way to Babylonia.