Surrounded by a Sea of Enemies: The Jewish Community in Hebron

January 7, 2014

4 min read

Hebron Cave of the Patriatchs
Hebron Cave of the Patriatchs
Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron (Photo: Wiki Commons/ Travail)

When God told Abraham to go to the land he would show him, He told him it would belong to his descendants — one day.  Abraham was merely a guest in someone else’s home at the time, so when he lost he beloved wife, he needed to purchase a burial plot for her.  That plot, known today as the Cave of the Patriarchs, was the first legal foothold Abraham gained in the Holy Land.  Along with the Temple Mount and the city of Shechem (Nablus), Hebron — where the Cave is located — is one of the only places described in the bible as having been paid for in full.

Hebron Map
(Photo: Israel Defense Forces)

Despite the legal claim, Hebron is subject to much controversy today.  Significant to all three Abrahamic religions, it is considered one of the four holiest cities of both Islam and Judaism.  The city is divided amongst its residents along primarily national lines: roughly 80% of the city, the H1 zone, is under Palestinian rule, while the remaining 20% is under Israeli control.  The two communities have a troubled history, alternatively living in peace and strife with one another.

There has been an nearly continuous Jewish presence in Hebron since the days of the conquest of Israel in the times of Joshua. The Cave of the Patriarchs, however, changed hands over time between Christian and Muslim control, and Jews were banned from entering the sacred site.

In modern times, before the establishment of the State of Israel, the Jewish community was small but vibrant.  The residents got along well with their Arab neighbors until 1929, when a massacre left 67 Jewish men, women and children dead.  The British rulers of the time relocated the surviving Jews, many of whom were protected paradoxically by their Arab neighbors, to Jerusalem for their own safety.

After the declaration of the State of Israel and subsequent War of Independence in 1948, Hebron remained in Arab hands, bouncing from Egyptian to Jordanian control.  In 1967, however, Israel gained control over the holy city and Jews returned to the city David Ben Gurion called “Jerusalem’s sister,” a city that had been King David’s first capital.  Once again, they were able to enter the Cave of the Patriarchs and pray there.

Today, Jews are banned from entering the H1 zone, but some 30,000 Palestinians live in H2 among 700 Israelis.  There are mosques located in Jewish neighborhoods and synagogues beside Arab homes.  Roughly 2,000 IDF soldiers are stationed in Hebron, “to protect the public today in order to ensure calm for tomorrow,” explains Company Commander Major Lior Lieberman of the Givati Brigade.

Hebron IDF
Jewish worshipers are accompanied by heavily armed IDF soldiers every Saturday on the Sabbath to pray at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. (Photo: Wiki Commons/ Friends123)

The soldiers are responsible for guaranteeing the safety and freedom of worship of residents.  Although this usually means protecting Jewish residents from hostile neighbors, it can also mean the reverse.  During the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), the Cave of the Patriarchs was closed to Jewish worshippers.  “On this day specifically, only Muslims have access to the holy place,” Lieutenant Colonel Avi Bitton explained as more than 3,000 Muslim worshipers left the Cave of the Patriarchs after morning prayers on the holiday. “Our role is to ensure that they can come, pray and get home in safety and tranquility…we are much more flexible and less restrictive with Muslims who come to pray. It is a holy day for them, but we remain very vigilant.”

The Israeli government has taken greater steps in ensuring that people of all religions have greater access to their holy sites across Israel. Israeli President Shimon Peres, in his New Year’s speech, stated that “Israel has always been and will always remain committed to freedom of worship, freedom of religion.” He elaborated that Israel  “will continue to guarantee access to holy sites for all.”

More recently, as reported by the Tzapit News Agency, it was discovered that Palestinians living in Hebron have now begun to use humanitarian vehicles as cover to launch attacks against the Jewish community. One organization, the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), has been active in Hebron since 1994. The stated mission of the TIPH is “to promote by their presence a feeling of security to the Palestinians of Hebron and to help to promote stability in the city.”

The Palestinian residents have been using TIPH vehicles more frequently as shields while launching rock attacks against Jewish vehicles, many which can turn deadly. Once the attackers make their way back to the Palestinian controlled H1 zone, it is nearly impossible to capture them and bring them to justice.

Hebron-SupportPetition-600WIDE

Hamas is also known to have a presence and large following in Hebron. Never missing an opportunity to destabilize relations with Israel, attacks against soldiers are becoming all too frequent. Close handed knife attacks against individual soldiers and firebombs hurled at IDF security posts are on the rise. This past September, during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, when thousands of worshippers crowd their way to the Cave of the Patriarchs, IDF soldier Gabriel Koby was shot and killed by sniper fire while on patrol in the Jewish quarter.

The Israeli civilians living in Hebron and its environs are grateful for the soldiers’ presence.  They often provide refreshment and encouragement for soldiers stationed in the area, both on and off duty.  The soldiers are needed, unfortunately, to protect them from conflicts such as Monday’s altercation between a group of Arab farmers and Jewish shepherds.

Hebron, with all its complexity,  is, and continues to be, an important and integral part of Jewish history and religion.

Share this article

Donate today to support Israel’s needy

$10

$25

$50

$100

$250

CUSTOM AMOUNT

Subscribe

Prophecy from the Bible is revealing itself as we speak. Israel365 News is the only media outlet reporting on it.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter today to get all the most important stories directly to your inbox. See how the latest updates in Jerusalem and the world are connected to the prophecies we read in the Bible. .