Crowds are expected Saturday night to visit Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, the resting place of the Biblical Matriarch. The annual pilgrimage takes place on the anniversary of her passing.
Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, published a letter on Wednesday calling upon people to take care not to inadvertently cause the breaking of the Sabbath day of rest in arriving at the holy site. He called upon worshipers to try and arrive about three hours after Shabbat has ended so as not to over burden security services or maintenance workers.