SHA’AR HAZEITIM

acquire a piece of eternity

Sha'ar HaZeitim is the final section being developed on Har HaZeitim

Har HaZeitim, also known as the Mount of Olives, is adjacent to the Old City of Jerusalem and is one of the most prominent and significant sites in Jewish history.

It is named for the olive groves that cover its slopes. According to Jewish tradition, Har HaZeitim is the site where the resurrection of the dead will begin when Moshiach arrives. As a result, it has been a cherished burial site for Jews throughout the ages. Many Jewish leaders, scholars, and personalities from biblical times to the present day chose to be buried there, including prophets, kings, and rabbis.

Today, Har HaZeitim remains an active burial site and is visited by thousands of Jews every year who come to pay their respects to their ancestors and loved ones.

History
Sha’ar HaZeitim

In bce

1000

Jewish burial is conducted for the first time on the southern edge of the mountain.

in BCE

1010

David flees Absalom and arrives at the site. Establishing the first scriptural mention of Har HaZeitim.

IN AD

70

After the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews start to celebrate Sukkot on the mountain in place of the Temple Mount.

in

1947

Meir Feinstein and Moshe Barazani die for their underground activities within the Irgun and are buried on the mountain. The leader of the Irgun, Menachem Begin, requests to be buried by their side eventually.
Non-Israeli Christian pilgrims were allowed to visit the mount, but Jews of all countries and most non-Jewish Israeli citizens were barred from entering Jordan and therefore were unable to travel to the area.

From

1949-
1967

Har HaZeitim is in Jordanian hands from the War of Independence to the Six-Day War, and no Jewish burial takes place on the mountain.

in

1964

The Intercontinental Hotel is built at the top of the mountain.

in

2010

An American organization was formed to restore ancient gravestones on the site, and refurbishment work commences. The Israeli government has started to provide security escorts to the site free of charge.

in

2022

Respected American business people buy private land on the mountain's eastern slope.

in

2023

Planning of the cemetery begins, with the purpose being exclusively for foreigners. Israel's most expert architects, urban planners, and contractors meet to plan an unprecedented and innovative modern cemetery like never seen before. Work on the site commences as well.

Points of interest

01- 0N

Temple Mount

Located within Jerusalem’s Old City and the site of both Holy Temples, the mountain contained the holiest site in all of Judaism, the place of the Holy of Holies. According to Jewish tradition, the entire world rests on a foundation stone in the center, as does God’s presence, always.

It is here that the Third Temple will be built, ushering in the final redemption in the time period of the Messiah. Millions of people come to the Western retaining wall of this site, the Kotel, each year to pray.

City of David

The original settlement of Jerusalem built by King David after he conquered Jerusalem in 1000 BCE, this complex south of the Old City contains a multitude of historical places of significance.

King David’s palace, the Gihon spring used in the Temple, Hezekiah’s irrigation tunnels, and much more. The area is now a major tourist attraction, and is also the site of a renewal of the Jewish community that once stood there.

Hebrew University

Since 1918, this prestigious institution on nearby Mount Scopus is world renowned for its high level of academic scholarship and research. First Israeli President Chaim Weizmann, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Martin Buber and Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook were all involved in its founding.

It has graduated 15 Nobel Prize winning laureates, two Field Medalists and three Turing Award Medalists.

Tomb of Avshalom

Situated on the very beginning of the western slope of the Mount of Olives, Avshalom’s Tomb is an ancient rock-cut tomb in which the rebellious son of David is buried.

The top of the monument is meant to resemble a flower.