From the Liveblog of
Friday, March 7, 2025
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews escorted by IDF to pray at Rav Ashi burial site on Lebanon border
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews were escorted by the military this morning to the apparent burial place of a Babylonian scholar on the Lebanon border, after weeks of illegal attempts to reach the site.
Rav Ashi is believed to be buried in the hills near Manara in the Galilee panhandle. The shrine marking his burial spot straddles the Blue Line border position and is situated within a militarized compound hemmed in between an IDF post and a UNIFIL base.
Footage published by Army Radio shows the ultra-Orthodox Hassidim praying at the site this morning.
Over the past several weeks there were several incidents of Hassidim crossing Israel’s border barrier to try and reach the tomb from the Lebanese side, and clashing with IDF troops amid the attempts.
The IDF is reported to have reached arrangements with the Hassidim to allow them to pray at the site after it was entirely closed off amid the fighting with Hezbollah. Several years ago, the IDF had similar escorted visits to the tomb.
לראשונה: מאות חסידים הגיעו לפנות בוקר להתפלל את תפילת שחרית בקבר רב אשי, במובלעת בשטח לבנון, באישור צה״ל ותחת אבטחה צה״לית pic.twitter.com/yfs8c6cSK2
— דורון קדוש | Doron Kadosh (@Doron_Kadosh) March 7, 2025
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