01In brief
The Ramat Rachel shooting attack was a terrorist assault on September 23, 1956, in which gunfire from a Jordanian position struck participants in an archaeological conference at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, on Jerusalem's southern edge. Official and reference listings report four people killed and 16 wounded. Later press accounts report 17 injured and state that one of them died afterward. The victims were attending an Israel Exploration Society congress and touring excavations at the kibbutz. The shooting occurred amid recurring Jordanian-Israeli border friction in Jerusalem after the 1948 War of Independence.
02Background
Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, situated on high ground at the southern edge of Jerusalem, was founded in 1926 by members of the Gedud HaAvodah work group, some of whom had previously worked in construction and stone dressing in Jerusalem.[5][7] It was destroyed by Arab attackers in 1929, affected again during the 1936–39 riots, and in 1948 was captured and destroyed by Egyptian irregular troops before being recaptured and rebuilt in 1952.[8]
During the War of Independence, the kibbutz served as one of Jewish Jerusalem's forward defensive positions. It changed hands several times during the fighting, was completely destroyed, and ultimately remained in Israeli hands.[5] The subsequent armistice line left Ramat Rachel almost entirely surrounded by Jordanian-controlled territory, with only a narrow corridor connecting it to the nearby Talpiot neighborhood.[7]
Border fire was a recurring feature of divided Jerusalem. Jordanian sentries sometimes fired into Israeli areas, exchanges of fire occurred on several occasions, and Arab infiltrators occasionally killed civilians in outlying districts.[6] This geography left Ramat Rachel exposed to nearby Jordanian positions and formed the immediate context of the 1956 shooting.
03Course of Events
On September 23, 1956, participants in the 12th conference of the Israel Exploration Society gathered at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel to tour the archaeological excavations.[3] A group climbed to the roof of the kibbutz's water tower to hear archaeologist Yochanan Aharoni explain the site below.[3][4]
While the group was assembled on the roof, a Jordanian sniper opened fire from an army post near the Mar Elias Monastery, overlooking the kibbutz from adjacent Jordanian-controlled territory.[3] Four people were killed and 16 others were wounded according to official and reference listings.[1][2] Later press accounts report 17 injured and say that one subsequently died.[3][4]
Among those killed was Yaakov Pinkerfeld, an archaeologist known for survey work at David's Tomb.[4] A later Ynet account described the four dead as world-renowned archaeologists.[7]
04Aftermath
The September 23, 1956 shooting appears in an Israeli government map of major terror attacks against Israeli civilians between 1948 and 1967.[2] The incident also reflected the broader danger along the Israel-Jordan border in Jerusalem, where Jordanian military positions sometimes fired into Israeli areas and Arab infiltrators occasionally killed civilians in outlying districts.[6]
Ramat Rachel remained exposed to nearby Jordanian positions until the Six-Day War of 1967, when the border moved away from the kibbutz's fences and ended the immediate threat that had shaped life there since the War of Independence.[7]
05Historiography
Accounts agree that firing from a Jordanian position killed four members of an archaeological gathering at Ramat Rachel in September 1956.[5][6] They differ on the number wounded and the eventual death toll. The Jewish Virtual Library and an Israeli government map list 16 wounded,[1][2] while later Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post accounts report 17 injured and state that one of them later died.[3][4]
The government map and Jewish Virtual Library classify the incident as a terrorist attack, while Encyclopedia.com describes firing from a Jordanian army post.[1][6]
Sources
- 1Jewish Virtual Library, Terrorism: Worldwide Terror Attacks on Jewish Targets, accessed on September 29, 2026.
- 2Israeli Government, Israel in Maps, accessed on September 29, 2026.
- 3The Times of Israel, accessed on September 29, 2026.
- 4The Jerusalem Post, Historic Ramat Rahel, accessed on September 29, 2026.
- 5Encyclopedia.com, Ramat Ra?el, accessed on September 29, 2026.
- 6Encyclopedia.com, Jerusalem, accessed on September 29, 2026.
- 7Ynet, A winter outing at a kibbutz like the old days in Jerusalem, accessed on September 29, 2026.
- 8Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Glossary of Israeli Parties and Personalities - 1948-1981, accessed on September 29, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What was the Ramat Rachel shooting attack of 1956?
The Ramat Rachel shooting attack was a terrorist assault on September 23, 1956, in which gunfire from a Jordanian position struck participants in an archaeological conference at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, on Jerusalem's southern edge. Official and reference listings report four people killed and 16 wounded, though later press accounts report 17 injured and state that one of them died afterward. The victims were attending an Israel Exploration Society congress and touring excavations at the kibbutz.
Why was Kibbutz Ramat Rachel particularly vulnerable to Jordanian fire?
Following the 1948 War of Independence, the armistice line left Ramat Rachel almost entirely surrounded by Jordanian-controlled territory, with only a narrow corridor connecting it to the nearby Talpiot neighborhood. This geography exposed the kibbutz to nearby Jordanian positions, and border fire was a recurring feature of divided Jerusalem, with Jordanian sentries sometimes firing into Israeli areas and Arab infiltrators occasionally killing civilians in outlying districts.
How did the 1956 Ramat Rachel shooting attack unfold?
On September 23, 1956, participants in the 12th conference of the Israel Exploration Society climbed to the roof of the kibbutz's water tower to hear archaeologist Yochanan Aharoni explain the site below. While the group was assembled there, a Jordanian sniper opened fire from an army post near the Mar Elias Monastery, which overlooked the kibbutz from adjacent Jordanian-controlled territory.
Who was Yaakov Pinkerfeld?
Yaakov Pinkerfeld was an archaeologist known for survey work at David's Tomb who was among those killed in the Ramat Rachel shooting attack on September 23, 1956.
When did the threat to Ramat Rachel from Jordanian positions finally end?
The immediate threat to Ramat Rachel from nearby Jordanian positions ended with the Six-Day War of 1967, when the border moved away from the kibbutz's fences, concluding the danger that had shaped life there since the War of Independence.
Why do different sources give different casualty figures for the Ramat Rachel attack?
Accounts of the attack agree that four members of an archaeological gathering were killed, but differ on the number wounded and the eventual death toll. The Jewish Virtual Library and an Israeli government map list 16 wounded, while later Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post accounts report 17 injured and state that one of them subsequently died.