Thousands of Jews entered Kever Yosef in Shechem overnight and into Wednesday morning, with hundreds remaining for what organizers described as the largest daylight Shacharis at the site since the Second Intifada.

The visit marked a major change from the limited nighttime entries that have taken place for years under heavy IDF protection. More than 50 armored buses brought Mispalelim to the compound, where Tefilos, dancing and singing continued through the night and into the morning. Volunteers distributed food and drinks, including cholent, kugel, cakes and drinks.

The entry was secured by Israeli forces. Mispalelim came from across Israel and abroad for the 41st day of the Omer, known in Kabbalistic Mesorah as “Yesod ShebeYesod,” a day associated with Yosef HaTzaddik. Natanel Shnir, from the Kever Yosef administration, called it a “historic operation,” saying, “inside people are crying and praying, and outside there is joy and dancing. It’s a mini-Meron.”

The event also became call for restoring a permanent Jewish presence at the site. The campaign is being led by Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, MK Tzvi Sukkot, Rabbi Dudu Ben Natan, whose son Shuval Ben Natan fell in battle in southern Lebanon, and other activists. They are pushing for a staged return to the site, including the return of the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva.

Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich said the Tefilah was part of a wider national return. “The Jewish people are returning home to every part of our land. Kever Yosef is living testimony to the unbreakable bond between the Jewish people and its land,” Smotrich said. “This Tefilah is another stage in a historic correction and in strengthening our hold on the Shomron.”

Dagan called the morning “historic” and said, “Victory in the war means a full return to the tomb of Yosef HaTzaddik.” MK Tzvi Sukkot’s son, Hallel David, named after Sukkot’s grandfather Rabbi Hillel Lieberman, celebrated his Upsherin at the site. Lieberman was murdered near Kever Yosef after the IDF withdrew from the compound in 2000.