Famous Rabbis and Historical Jewish Figures Buried in Israel
Israel is the final resting place of many of the most influential rabbis and Jewish figures in history. Their burial sites are found in Jerusalem, Tiberias, Safed, Meron, Hebron and Bnei Brak, and many continue to attract visitors from around the world.
This guide explains who is buried in each location, why these figures remain historically significant, and where you can learn more about the cemeteries in which they are buried.
Famous rabbis and Jewish figures by location
Hebron
The Patriarchs and Matriarchs
Burial place: Cave of Machpelah
Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivka, and Yaakov and Leah are the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Jewish people. Their burial place is described in Bereishit.
Tiberias
Rabbi Akiva
Burial place: Traditional tomb of Rabbi Akiva
A leading sage of the Mishnah who became one of the central teachers in Jewish history.
Rambam — Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon
Burial place: Tomb of Maimonides
Author of the Mishneh Torah and Guide for the Perplexed, and one of Judaism’s most influential legal scholars and philosophers.
Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes
Burial place: Traditional tomb of Rabbi Meir
A major sage of the Mishnah whose name is closely associated with charity and prayer.
Meron
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
Burial place: Tomb of Rashbi
A prominent Tanna traditionally associated with the Zohar and the annual Lag BaOmer gathering.
Safed
The Ari — Rabbi Yitzchak Luria
Cemetery: Ancient Cemetery of Safed
The leading figure of Lurianic Kabbalah, whose teachings transformed Jewish mystical thought.
Rabbi Yosef Karo
Cemetery: Ancient Cemetery of Safed
Author of the Shulchan Aruch, one of the foundational codes of Jewish law.
Rabbi Moshe Cordovero
Cemetery: Ancient Cemetery of Safed
A major sixteenth-century kabbalist known as the Ramak.
Jerusalem — Mount of Olives
Ohr HaChaim — Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar
A renowned Torah commentator and kabbalist whose commentary remains widely studied.
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook
The first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Mandatory Palestine and an influential Jewish thinker.
Jerusalem — Har HaMenuchot
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
One of the leading halachic authorities of the twentieth century and author of Igrot Moshe.
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
A widely respected Jerusalem posek known for clarity, sensitivity and expertise in modern halachic questions.
Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv
A leading halachic authority whose rulings influenced communities throughout the Jewish world.
Jerusalem — Sanhedria
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
Former Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel and author of the extensive responsa series Yabia Omer.
Bnei Brak
Chazon Ish — Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz
Cemetery: Shomrei Shabbat/Zichron Meir Cemetery
A formative twentieth-century authority who helped shape Torah life in Bnei Brak.
