The 11th of Marcheshvan marks the traditional anniversary of the passing of Rachel Imeinu (the Matriarch Rachel).
For centuries, Jews have prayed in Bethlehem at Kever Rachel (Rachel’s Tomb), a symbol of the Biblical promise of the Jewish return to their homeland.
In 1945, Yaffa Tevuah was a 22-year old Lehi fighter imprisoned by the British in the women’s prison in Bethlehem. While being taken back and forth to Jerusalem for questioning at the British Police headquarters, she passed by Kever Rachel and recognized the landmark from pictures that hung in her home as a child in Moldavia. Seeking courage when facing her British interrogators, she drew strength from Rachel Imeinu and comfort from her sense of returning home.
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