KIBBUTZ RAMAT RACHEL.

MY ISRAEL :

KIBBUTZ RAMAT RACHEL :

The kibbutz is named after Jacob's wife Rachel, the mother of both Joseph & Benjamin. Jacob was later renamed Israel (Genesis 32:28-29 & 35:10) & from his loins the the 12 tribes of Israel emerged. Of the 12 tribes, 2 were named after Joseph's son's Menasseh & Ephraim, & a third after Benjamin.

Located 5 kilometers south of Jerusalem's old city KIBBUTZ RAMAT RACHEL overlooks both Bethlehem & Rachels tomb to the south. First established in 1926 but destroyed during the 1929 Arab riots instigated by Haj Amin el-Husseini, the pro-Nazi mufti of Jerusalem installed by the British. Rebuilt in 1930 but again subjected to attacks during the 1936-39 Arab riots which were once again instigated by Haj Amin el-Husseini. During the 1948 War of Independence the kibbutz was on the front lines dividing the Israeli forces & the armies of both Egypt & Jordan. It changed hands several times but was eventually retained by the Jewish forces. However, the conflict resulted in the total destruction of the kibbutz & many of its members left. Emmulating the same determination, resilience & courage which Jacob displayed when wrestling with the angel (Genesis 32 : 25-32) the Jews returned & re-established the kibbutz after the war.

Due to its proximatey to the Jordanian border between 1948 to 1967, the kibbutz was constantly harassed, & in 1956 participants of an archaeological conference held at the kibbutz were fired upon resulting in 4 deaths & 17 injuries. This harassment came to an end after the 6 day war in June 1967.

Ramat Rachel has tentatively been identified as the biblical city of Bet HaKerem (Jeremiah 6:1,) & was part of the Kingdom of Judah which included Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Judah was the southern half of the the United Kingdom & the Kingdom of Israel the northern half. This transformation from United to Divided Kingdom having occurred on the death of King Solomon in 930 B.C.E.

The kibbutz is home to many archaeological treasures from the First Temple period ( 1010 B.C.E – 586 B.C.E.) as well as later periods.

Of the archaeological finds, the two that have most touched me from the First Temple Period (1010 B.C.E – 586 B.C.E.) are the LMLK pottery handles dated to the time of King Hezekiah (716 B.C.E. – 687 B.C.E.) & the Aeolic column capitols who's image appears on the present day 5 shekel coin.

LMLK stands for "of the king" which implies belonging to the king & are ancient Hebrew seals stamped onto the handles of large storage jars containing either oil, wine or grains. The seals themselves were images of either a 4 winged scarab beetle or a 2 winged sun disc symbol .

Aeolic column capitols are associated with palaces, temples & other types of public buildings. Remains of a palace identified as the "House of Baal" have been unearthed on the kibbutz & dated to the reign of Athaliah (841 B.C.E – 835 B.C.E.) the 7th & only woman ruler of the Kingdom of Judah. Many Aeolic column capitols were unearthed on the sight and are today prominantly displayed.

Of the present day monuments housed on the kibbutz, the most innovative come in the form of enviromental art. The intent of these artistic works is to enhance or become part of the environment & make a statement on environmental issues or historical events.

The Israeli sculptor Ran Morin (born 1958) integrates nature (in pariticular life size trees) with other sculptural materials. Located on the grounds of Kibbutz is one of his sculptures that was created in memory of Yair, a kibbutz member who was killed in a training accident whilst doing his military service in 1966.

Today, the economic base of the kibbutz is dependent on agriculture, high tech & tourism, the latter of which having been greatly enhanced due to the building of a modern day hotel on its premises.

Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect).

Website : rontraub-tours.com Photo's : Rimonah Traub, with the exception of the seal images (Wiki Commons).