On Wednesday, in honor of the date of passing of Moses' brother Aaron the Priest, several hundred Jews made a midnight trek to the traditional gravesites of two of Aaron's sons, Itamar and Elazar. The holy sites lie in the Arab village of Awarta, near the Jewish town of Itamar, just south of Shechem (Nablus).

The date of Aaron's death, the first day of the month of Av, is the only date of death specifically mentioned in the Torah. As Aaron's presumed place of death is in Jordan, the date is commemorated by visiting his sons' tombstones.

The sites were recently vandalized by Arabs, and most of the damage was covered in honor of this week's visit and prayers.