Holy Blood: The Rachel's Tomb

The Most Sacred, The Most Volatile

The holiest sites are often the most explosive.

This is the story of the sacred sites in the Land of Israel, places where history stands still, yet continues to ignite the region's fiercest conflicts. These sites frequently dominate global headlines and dictate the political agenda of the Middle East. This is the epicenter of the conflict preventing peace between Jews and Palestinians: The Temple Mount, Joseph’s Tomb, the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Cave of Machpelah), and Rachel’s Tomb.

The series provides an intimate look at the spirit of sacrifice among both Jews and Palestinians, who do everything in their power to maintain their presence and proximity to what they hold sacred—even at the cost of erupting violence. It offers a rare, inside perspective on these holy sites and the believers dedicated to them by any means necessary.

Episode Description: The Rachel's Tomb

"For Rachel our Mother, I am willing to give up Paradise and reach the gates of Hell," says Evelyn Haies, an American Jew who used her own savings to purchase a home within the Rachel’s Tomb compound.

Rachel’s Tomb is located in Bethlehem, existing as a fortified Israeli enclave within the Palestinian Authority. This is the site where Rachel, the wife of the biblical Jacob, was buried. To Jews—and particularly Jewish women - Rachel is the ultimate holy matriarch; she is the mother to whom one can weep, seeking her intercession for a marriage match, fertility, or domestic peace. In the Quran, Rachel is mentioned in a less favorable light, and some Muslim interpretations view her more critically as a figure who led Jacob astray.

The protagonist of this episode is Evelyn Haies (60), an Orthodox Jewish American from Brooklyn who arrived at the compound in the early 1990s and was immediately captivated by the spirit of Rachel. Following lengthy negotiations, she purchased her home from a Palestinian family for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At times, she appears as a female version of Don Quixote. However, as time passes and the conflict intensifies, Evelyn discovers a militant inner strength. While the site becomes a living nightmare for her, she refuses to give up.