Shocking Discovery: Russian Church Restricts Visits to Kivrei Neviim, Places Crosses on Stairwell

A Jewish activist organization is calling for urgent intervention from the Israeli government, alleging that the Russian Orthodox Church is blocking access to what is known as the “Tomb of the Prophets” on Har Hazeisim and has erected Christian symbols at the entrance to the holy site, both of which are violations of Israeli law.

The site is widely believed to house the kevarim of the last nevi’im; Chaggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

In a letter to Israel’s Minister of Religious Affairs, MK Rabbi Michael Malchieli, the advocacy group Jews United demanded immediate state action to remove the Christian symbols from stairwell railings and restore access to the site, after the church had restricted entry to certain times and days and requiring an appointment to enter on Sundays.

It isn’t clear when the symbols were added to the railing, but photos from 2017 show the stairs without the symbols.

“This is not just a burial site,” said Nachi Weiss, Chairman of Jews United, in a statement. “It’s a living symbol of our people’s spiritual and historical continuity. Blocking access is an offense to our sacred legacy and our basic right to connect with it.”

The organization has laid out three primary demands for the Israeli government: guarantee unrestricted access for Jewish prayer, return oversight of the site to a recognized Jewish heritage body, and immediately remove the recently installed crosses.

Fayga Marks, Project Director for the Jews United foundation, told Belaaz that the crosses are a recent addition. “They’re new,” she stated. “Exactly how new we can’t figure out.”
Marks described an unproductive attempt to get answers from the church officials who control the property.

“The call today with the Russian Orthodox Church went alright until we started asking questions,” Marks explained. “The minute we started asking them about when they installed this new railing, they got very suspicious, told us we need to speak with their lawyers and hung up on us.”

Har Zeisim is one of the oldest and most important Jewish cemeteries in the world.

“Our right to pray at our ancestors’ graves does not disrespect any religion—but there is a clear line between respect for others and erasing our own identity,” the organization’s press release stated.

The letter to the Ministry of Religious Services was sent with photographic documentation of the new installations at the tomb’s entrance.

Marks clarified some of the legal aspects of the situation.

“According to Israeli law and the agreements signed with the church, the site is supposed to be open to everyone,” she told Belaaz. “Under Israeli law protecting holy sites, of which the Tomb of the Prophets is one, desecrating the site by putting up crosses is an offense punishable by up to seven years in prison.”

“No other entity, whetherthe Israeli government owns the land or not, is allowed to come in and start putting up symbols or desecrating the site. They are violating the agreement.

“By taking control of the site, they are also violating the law that holy sites and gravesites in Israel must be accessible to the public.”

Marks contrasted the situation with the kevarim on Har Hazeisim with Kever Rachel and Me’aras Hamachpelah, which are sometimes closed to the public.

“Now, regarding a place like Me’arat HaMachpela or Kever Rachel, I can tell you that they sometimes try to manage issues like homelessness. They might close the site for two or three hours under the guise of needing to clean the place and then reopen it. Me’arat HaMachpela is a lot more complicated, but for a place on Har HaZeitim, it’s supposed to be accessible all the time.

Marks did, however, agree that keeping the kevarim open overnight was not necessary.

“If someone came and locked it at 10:00 PM until 6:00 AM the next morning, I could understand that, but the keys should be in the hands of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, currently under Minister Michael Malchieli from the Shas party.

“The reality is that we see a lot of sites, including the Tomb of the Prophets, that the ministry just doesn’t seem to care about. It’s only when major issues happen that require intervention, and when people start screaming about it and bringing it to the media, that the reality on the ground starts to change.”