Volunteers Restore Desecrated Kever of Elazar HaKohen in Awarta

In a nighttime operation requiring special coordination, volunteers from the groups Jews United and Reclaim Our Heritage have restored the kever of Elazar HaKohen, the son of Aaron, after the sacred site was vandalized. The tomb, located in the village of Awarta, had been, rachmana litzlan, desecrated with antisemitic graffiti and physical destruction.

The restoration effort comes amid heightened concerns over the security of holy sites in the region. The operation follows just days after the nearby Cave of the Shivim Zekenim was, rachmana litzlan, set ablaze and severely damaged.

The mesorah regarding the location of the kever is reported in the Sefer Kaftor VeFerach, written by a Rishon.

Leaders of the volunteer groups framed the restoration as a necessary response to what they perceive as government inaction and a move to bolster Jewish morale.

“This action restores Jewish morale and honor that has been trampled on — for every Jew, even at the other end of the world,”  Nachi Weiss, Chairman of Jews United said in a statement shared with Belaaz. “If antisemitic graffiti appears on a synagogue wall abroad, it makes headlines immediately. Yet here, in the heart of the Land of Israel, the tombs of figures central to our people’s history are desecrated repeatedly — and the government does not place this at the top of the national agenda. If the government will not act, then we will. We will restore the crown to its former glory and show that the Jewish people never abandon their spiritual and cultural heritage.”

Fayga Marks, Founder & CEO of Reclaim Our Heritage, stressed the active duty to protect these historical sites, linking their physical preservation to their spiritual value.

In a statement shared with Belaaz, she stated: “We have an obligation. If we do not ensure and fight that our history receives the honor it deserves, then it is reduced to words in a book with no living value. If you believe Israel is the Holy Land, and that this inheritance belongs to us, then you must treat it with proper respect — not discard it like trash.”

In a concluding joint statement, the organizations emphasized that safeguarding Jewish heritage is not merely about preserving the past, but about securing a legacy for the future.

“What we received as a sacred and splendid inheritance, it is our duty to pass on preserved, alive, and eternal to the next generations,” the statement from Jews United and Reclaim Our Heritage concluded.