A tomb located in the Shimon Ha’Tzaddik (Simeon the Just) neighborhood. According to tradition, Simeon the Just and his students are buried here. The tomb was purchased by the Sephardic Congregation Committee in Jerusalem in 1975.
Already in the Ottoman period, Jewish Jerusalemites would hold the Halaka ceremony (the ceremony celebrating the cutting of the hair from three-year-old boys) there, pray there and celebrate the Lag B’Omer festivities there. Throughout this time, they were forced to pay the Arab owner of a field in order to be able to pass through his field to get there. Over time, land in close proximity to the tomb was bought for residential purposes, a Jewish neighborhood was established and existed for about 94 years. In the War of Independence, the British announded that they would be unable to protect the Jews there, and they therefore had no other choice but to hastily leave.
Throughout the years, the neighborhood stood empty, until the beginning of the 21st century when its houses were redeemed. Today, there is a neighborhood surrounding the tomb, that is home to 22 families.Each day there are about 3,000 visitors to the tomb who come to pray, celebrate a Halake, and to celebrate Lag B’Omer. You’re invited too!
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