Roughly 30 Jewish worshippers were attacked early Friday morning after entering the site of Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem, Samaria, without prior military coordination, Israeli officials said. The group, believed to be affiliated with followers of Eliezer Berland, came under fire and had stones hurled at them by Arabs shortly after arriving at the site.
The IDF said that four people sustained light injuries and were treated on-site by emergency responders. An ambulance was dispatched to evacuate the wounded. The army and medical teams arrived to assist the group under attack.
תיעוד מהרשתות הפלסטיניות באיזור שכם: עשרות חסידים רצים לכיון קבר יוסף לאור יום בלב העיר שכם.
וכל זאת לאחר שבמערכת הביטחון הודיעו על ביטול הכניסה המסורתית לקבר יוסף כמידי שנה בליל ההילולה. pic.twitter.com/UOyzjtFqFE— מאחורי ‘הפרגוד’ (@moshepargod) June 27, 2025
Channel 14 described the incident as “very serious,” criticizing the worshippers for endangering their own lives as well as those of the soldiers sent to protect them. The network reported that the outcome could have been far deadlier, raising concerns over potential casualties or kidnappings.
Joseph’s Tomb, regarded by many Jews as a sacred burial site of the biblical patriarch, lies within Area A of the liberated territories under full Palestinian Authority control following the Oslo Accords. While the IDF regularly facilitates coordinated nighttime pilgrimages to the tomb, especially on the eve of the new Jewish month and other significant religious dates, unauthorized visits are considered highly dangerous and are strongly discouraged.
The incident occurred on Rosh Chodesh Tamuz, a date with particular spiritual resonance for Jews. Despite repeated Israeli assurances that Jewish access to the tomb would be preserved, the site has been the target of repeated attacks and desecrations over the past two decades.
EHUD BARAKH & ELIEZER BERLAND
During the Second Intifada, in October 2000, Arab rioters — including some PA Police in disguise — stormed and torched the tomb. That attack led to the death of Madhat Yusuf, a 20-year-old Druze Border Police officer, who bled to death after Israeli commanders, following a directive from then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak, delayed rescue efforts to avoid further escalation.
It was not the first time former Prime Minister Ehud Barak faced accusations of abandoning Israeli soldiers in the field. His 2000 decision to unilaterally withdraw IDF forces from South Lebanon — without coordinating with Israel’s local allies in the South Lebanon Army — left many exposed to Hezbollah reprisals and led to what critics described as a humiliating retreat.
Barak’s conduct in both the Joseph’s Tomb incident and the Lebanon pullout earned him the derisive nickname “Ehud Barakh” — a pun on the Hebrew word “barakh,” meaning “fled.” Detractors have long pointed to these episodes as emblematic of a leadership style marked by abrupt withdrawals and a failure to take responsibility for their consequences.
The events of Friday morning revived longstanding grievances over the site’s status, Israeli military policy, and what many perceive as the Palestinian Authority’s failure to protect Jewish heritage sites under its jurisdiction.
Eliezer Berland, founder of the Shuvu Banim sect associated with the Breslov Hasidic movement, has a long and controversial criminal history marked by sexual abuse, fraud, and cult-like control over followers.
In 2012, Berland fled Israel amid multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment by female followers, some underage. He spent several years evading extradition, traveling through Morocco, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the Netherlands, before being returned to Israel in 2016. In a plea bargain, Berland confessed to two counts of indecent acts and assault, serving a reduced prison sentence.
Despite his criminal convictions, Berland retained a devoted following, many of whom view him as a tzaddik. He continued to exert influence from prison, and after his release, resumed his religious activities, often drawing large crowds.
In 2020, Berland was arrested again—this time for operating a fraudulent healing scheme. He sold fake remedies and blessings, promising miraculous cures for cancer and other serious illnesses, defrauding followers of millions of shekels. He was convicted of fraud, exploitation, and tax offenses, and sentenced to an additional 18 months in prison.
