Back in their own land

The ancient site of Ramat Rachel (Rachel’s Heights) is located high on a hilltop above the Rephaim Valley, midway between the Old City of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. 

It is strategically situated, overlooking the roads that in antiquity were the major arteries leading from Jerusalem to the south and the coastal plain in the west.

 

view of the Judean Desert

Overlooking the panorama of modern day Jerusalem’s Old City, the Dead Sea and the Judean Hills, kibbutz RAMAT RACHEL is a place with a rich history. Today, the kibbutz is within Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries. The kibbutz was established in 1926 by 10 pioneers of the Gdud haAvoda* labor brigade.  

The Battalion that built Ramat Rachel 

Joseph Trumpeldor

Gdud haAvoda, a socialist Zionist work group in Mandate Palestine, was founded in 1920 by pioneers from the Third Aliyah.The group had three work focuses: work, settlement and defense. In order to avoid antagonizing the British authorities, the "defense" part was dropped. The Brigade, initially consisting of 80 members, was named after Joseph Trumpeldor, who had been killed at Tel Hai by Arabs. The group drained swamps, paved roads, (like the Tzemach-Tiberias road), worked in agriculture and construction. In Jerusalem, they built the garden suburbs of Rehavia, Beit Hakerem and Talpiot and constructed the YMCA building and the King David Hotel. The Battalion established several kibbutzim, including Ein Harod, Kfar Giladi, Ramat Rachel and Tel Yosef. Later, many former members joined the Solel Boneh construction company after learning their trade in the battalion. Despite an ideological split, in 1925 the group had over 650 members. Gdud haAvodah was dissolved after several kibbutzim (Ramat Rachel amongst them) formed the HaKibbutz HaMeuhad movement. 

The stony plot of land, situated on a 803-meter high hill south of Jerusalem, had been purchased from the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

During the 1929 Arab Riots, Ramat Rachel was burned to the ground. The settlers returned a year later and rebuild the kibbutz, which began to flourish. They had a chicken coop, a dairy, bakery and laundry and even established a trucking company.

Ramat Rachel, 1944

When the 1948 War of Independence broke out, 200 members and 150 children made Ramat Rachel their home. 

During the heavy fighting, the kibbutz changed hands several times but eventually was conquered by a Palmach unit. 

The Arab Legion, comprising of Egyptian and Jordanian soldiers, had been based at the nearby Mar Elias Monastery.

After the war, only 42 kibbutzniks returned, among them a few war widows, who believed in the kibbutz’s future. The enclave was now located on the new border with Jordan and surrounded by Arab villages. Everything had been destroyed during the war, and the Israeli government offered no help – they were on their own.  

Ramat Rachel was now located directly on the new border with Jordan, surrounded by Arab villages, and completely cut off from any other Jewish settlement. 

Added to that, the dairy, bakery, laundry and chicken coops had all been destroyed by the enemy.

In 1967, during the Six Day War, Ramat Rachel was the target of intensive artillery shelling from Jordanian positions. On one side of the Kibbutz, the well-entrenched Jordanian Bell Outpost was strongly fortified. A small IDF force surprised the Jordanian Legionnaires. Presuming the post had been secured, they were killed by enemy soldiers who had been hiding out in one of the trenches. There is a monument to the fallen soldiers near the trenches of this outpost. 

Memorial to the fallen IDF soldiers at the Bell Outpost

After the Six Day war, the future of the kibbutz began to look brighter because they were now within the boundaries of the Jerusalem municipality. 

When the youth hostel proved successful, a big hotel and sports center was built. 

On the outskirts of the kibbutz, one still can visit the bunkers and trenches and a memorial to those who fell during the heavy fighting between 1948 and 1967.

Most tourists staying at the hotel, or those attending a convention, don’t realize the many other attractions Ramat Rachel has to offer. There are many.

• The Yair Overlook was named after a Yair Engel, who was killed in a military accident in 1966.
• Eyal’s Farm was created in memory of another kibbutznik, Eyal Yoel, who was killed during the 2002 Defensive Shield Operation. 
• Between 1931 and 2004, six archeological digs took place at Ramat Rachel. The archeological garden has finds dating from the Frist Temple period to the Byzantine era, spanning a period of 1,600 years.

And then there is art. Lots of it.

David Polus

David Polus immigrated to Eretz Israel at the end of the third wave of immigration and joined Yitzhak Sadeh's group of quarry workers in Migdal Zedek, near Petah Tikvah. Eventually, he became a sculptor. Each work depicted some heroic event in the history of the Jewish people from biblical times to the birth of Zionism. 

"Eretz Israel is a temple,

 I don't wish to bring just ordinary statues into it." 

David Polus 

The sculpture of mother Rachel was inaugurated in 1954 at Ramat Rachel. The matriarch Rachel holds a torch in one hand while sheltering two children.

“Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” Thus says the Lord: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall come back to their own country.” 

Jeremiah 31:115-17 (ESV)

Israeli artist Ran Morin is known for his art involving full-sized living trees and two of his creations can be found at Ramat Rachel.

Oak Tree at the Yair Overlook 

Ran Morin 

At the Yair Overlook, Ran Morin’s oak tree growing out of a large pile of stones is a ‘small’ piece of art compared to the majestic “Olive Columns” in the center of the Olive Park. The original plans were to place the statue in the Ramot neighborhood, but Morin wanted it to be in an open area. 

Ramat Rachel was a fitting place, as Morin’s grandfather, one of the kibbutz founders, is buried in the nearby kibbutz cemetery. 

Seventeen rows of olive trees lead to the central monument – three olive trees planted atop 15 meters high columns. The 80-year old trees are connected to a computerized built-in system that monitors the irrigation. Three paths lead away from the triangular base of the trees. 

This unique piece of art is full of symbolism:

The hidden roots of the olive trees, symbolizing the past, bring forth the tree standing in the present. This tree will continue to grow into the future. The artificial columns raising up the trees represent Nature which is controlled by man, who restricts its growth by the stone base. Three pillars; three olive trees; three steps from three directions; three times past, present and future.

Three, often used in ancient cultures, are the minimal elements needed to build either a physical or spiritual structure. This number is prevalent in the Jewish culture (three Patriarchs and Matriarchs) but also in Christianity: the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

The Olive tree, one of the seven species growing in Eretz Israel, represents beauty, freshness and fertility. This work of art symbolizes the return of the Jewish people to the land, whose roots again will be joined to the earth. 

Exactly like the Lord God promised:

“There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, 

and your children shall come back to their own country.”