Inside BAR

According to Genesis 49:29–31, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah are all buried in one place, in the cave of Machpelah in Hebron. A massive enclosure built by Herod the Great still surrounds the traditional site of Machpelah. In “Patriarchal Burial Site Explored for First Time in 700 Years,” Nancy Miller examines the mysteries and legends that have grown up around the ancient burial field. Miller also describes the efforts to explore the caves in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the most recent report, in 1967, of a young girl who was lowered down a narrow shaft on a rope by General Moshe Dayan.

Nancy Miller, who from 1979 to 1980 was on the editorial staff of BAR, lives in New York City where until recently she served as editor of Congress Monthly, the magazine of the American Jewish Congress. Now a freelance writer, Miller has published in numerous magazines and newspapers.