The 1929 Hebron Massacre of Jews by the Arabs

07/09/2016

The 1929 Hebron Massacre 

Baba Baruch: “The Days of Ishmael Ruling in the Land of Israel are Over!

Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira (The Baba Baruch) sitting with Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Amar 

Genesis 17:24-25 - “And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 

And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.” 

The Shemittah year of 2015 had just closed and the expectations of the Jubilee Year of 2016 were just beginning to accelerate in January of this year when a video was released that was viewed by hundreds of thousands of viewers. 

This video was of a special meeting between two of Israel’s most prominent rabbis; the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Amar hosting Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira, who stated that “The end of days are quickly approaching, as the difficult security situation in Israel” was beginning to heat up.

Moroccan Kabbalist Sage, HaRav Yisrael Abuchatzeirah, ZT”L called in reverence “Baba Sali” was the father of Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira (Rabbi Baruch) 

In this video making the rounds online, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Amar, the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, was seen hosting Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira, the son of the esteemed Moroccan Kabbalist Sage, HaRav Yisrael Abuchatzeirah, ZT”L called in reverence “Baba Sali”. 

In a markedly uncharacteristic manner, the Baba Baruch related to present events in Israel and their connection to the imminent arrival of the Messiah. Here Rabbi Baruch began speaking about “the difficult security situation in the Land of Israel, yet in the next breath he reassured the audience by stating that “the hard times are almost over." 

As Baba Baruch continued: 

Baba Baruch – “It is finished and from today on, the years in whichIshmael (the Arabs) rule over the Jews are finished.  As he continued, “There are signs the Messiah is imminent.”

And then in a marked transformation as he beseeched G-d, Rabbi Baruch called out:

Baba Baruch – “Enough already! The nation of Israel can no longer bear it. Everything that is happening today, in Israel and all over the world, may the evil ones be cursed, it is spoken about in Kabala.”

The conversation then moved to the Zohar, the most esteemed mystical text of Judaism, whereas Rabbi Baruch continued in his discussion concerning the divine award that would be given to the nation of Ishmael and then its final downfall. 

Wedding For Grandson Of Baba Baruch Abuchatzeira (Photos by JDN) 

Rabbi Baruch then related what is written in the Zohar, Judaism’s central mystical Jewish text, regarding the divine reward for the nation of Ishmael and its ultimate downfall.

Rabbi Baruch - “Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (a sage from the Second Temple period) said that the ministering angel of Ishmael stood in front of God and petitioned him, saying, ‘Anyone who does a mitzvah (good deed) should receive a reward. Ishmael circumcised himself. And not just at eight days, but when he was 13 years old! Does he not earn merit for this?’”

The Zohar says that God answered, saying that the land of Israel will be given to them during the time that it will be empty of Jews, after the destruction of the Temple.”

That is exactly what happened,” he continued. “God gave Ishmael 100 years for every year until he was circumcised; 1,300 years to rule in the land of Israel. Now we see that the end of this time has come. They were here, they ruled over the land, they received their reward, now it is time for the Nation of Israel to rule in their land.

It is time for the messiah and the redemption, when Israel will rule over all of the land. Not this part belonging to them and this part belonging to us.”

Rabbi Baruch concluded his message with a special blessing: “With God’s blessing, we will merit seeing this with our own eyes, the arrival of the Messiah, who will subdue them and send them out from our land.”

As we ponder these welcomed words of Rabbi Baruch, we also ponder about the meaning and the identity of the 1,300 years that the Ishmaelites were given to rule in the land of Israel. The first conflict between the Jews living at the Khaybar oasis in Arabia and the forces of Muhammed was during the Battle of Khaybar (Khyber) in the year of 629 CE. This battle occurred near an oasis about 93 miles north from Medina. 

The Jewish people were barricaded in a fortress when the Islamic forces came, overwhelmed and conquered them.  This was the first time that the Ishmaelite forces conquered the Jewish people.  If the Battle of Khaybar was the Ishmaelite’s beginning of the Islamic rule over the Jewish people, then move forward 1,300 years from the date of 629 CE when for the first time the Ishmaelites under the command of Islam’s Prophet, Muhammad conquered Jewish forces in the Middle East; we get to the year of 1929 CE.

Two years ago, Destination Yisrael posted the article titled, “It Appears that Nothing ever Changes: Yet the Spark that was Lit in Hebron may Soon Consume the Whole World” which was an in depth revelation of what did happen in the city of Hebron on the 9^th of Av, on August 24, 1929, that day in biblical infamy when the Temple of Solomon and the Temple of Herod were destroyed.

The 1929 Hebron Massacre 

Destination Yisrael – “It was on August 24, 1929, in what is now known as “The Hebron massacre” sixty-seven Jews plus 23 college students) were killed in Hebron. This city was where Abraham bought the plot of land called Machpelah where the “Cave of the Patriarchs” became the last resting place of Abraham and Sarai, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah. The body of Rachel was buried in Bethlehem, when she prematurely died at the childbirth of Benjamin. 

Hebron’s Hebrew meaning was “habor” which meant friend reflecting off  the Qur’anic epithet for Abraham as Khalil al-Rahman meaning, “Beloved of the Merciful” or ”Friend of G-d”. This ancient fortification goes back as far as the Early Bronze Age in the 17^th to the 18^th century BCE. It was originally a Canaanite royal city associated with the Hittites. In the early conquest of the Land of Canaan by the Israelite Hebrews, it was one of the two centers of control by the Anakites , who were the descendants of the ancient Nephilim, the amalgamation of the “Sons of G-d” with the “Daughters of men” that became the “Giants of Old” in the Book of Genesis. Here was the ancient biblical city of Kiriath-arba or the “city of four.” 

The Cave of the Patriarchs at Machpelah in Hebron

The biblical city of Hebron is located at Tel Rumeida. Yet its ritual center was located at Elonai Mamre where Abraham met with the angels of G-d who informed him that he and Sarah would have a son, whose name became Isaac. 

It was the Israelite military General Joshua, who according to the command of G-d wiped out all the Canaanite inhabitants in the region. As such, these text lays to rest the attachment of the modern Palestinians that they were the ancient Canaanites, for as the ancient script stated, “destroying everything that drew breath, as the L-rd G-d of Israel had commanded.”    

It was Caleb, whose inheritance was the city of Hebron and its surrounding villages, for Caleb drove out the three giants, Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai that ruled the city.

Centuries later, King David was anointed king of Israel, and King David reigned from Hebron for seven years. Hebron later became one of the principle centers of the Tribe of Judah and one of the six traditional “Cities of Refuge”. If there was a reason why the Jewish people have such an attachment that they will risk their life to live in this town, we may now know the answer. 

The Arabs in the year of 1929 were incited by false rumors that the Jews were massacring Arabs in Jerusalem and were seizing and taking control of Islamic holy places there in the old city.  The Jewish homes were pillaged and the synagogues were ransacked while the Torahs were destroyed as 133 Jews and 110 Arab were killed.   Hundreds were wounded, severely injured yet countering the oft repeated enmity between Arab and Jews, many of the 435 Jews that did survive were hidden and protected by local Arab families.  Those that were left were evacuated by the British forces, yet returned again by 1931.  

The massacre in Hebron and later in Safed shot like lightning throughout all the Jewish communities in Palestine and then around the world. Here were the beginnings of the Jewish paramilitary organization called the Haganah, the forerunner to the Israel Defense Force. According to narrative on Zionism by Michelle Campos, this “Hebron event became ‘a central symbol of Jewish persecution at the hand of the bloodthirsty Arab” and was “engraved into the national psyche of Israeli Jews.

The Plight of the Hebron Jews losing Property Purchased over 200 years ago 

This was especially those Jews who resettled in the city of Hebron after the region of Shomron and Judea were retaken from the Jordanians during the 1967 war.  According to Hillel Cohen, themassacre of the Jews by the Palestinians became the “point-of–no-return in the Arab-Jewish relations and effectively sealed the union of the Mizrahi Jews (ancient roots in the Islamic Middle East) to joining forces with the Zionist Jews of post-World War II Europe. In a world of unknowns as 250,000 Arab Muslims lived next to the homes of 500-850 Jews in Hebron truly has made this city a tinderbox where a lit candle could erupt a conflagration that could erupt the whole earth.”

Understandably, these events occurred twenty years before the rise of the State of Israel during the British Mandate, eighty five years ago. The relationships between the Jews and what were called “Arabs” was tenuous for the “Palestinians” in those days were not “Arabs” but were the “Palestinian Jews”. (Continue reading the rest of the article) Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira knows this history very well.

As we stand upon the precipice of awaiting the arrival of King Messiah son of David, we are reminded that all of the Ancient 12-Tribed Children of Israel accepted the Torah from HaShem on the Mount called Sinai. Their descendants today will be the participants in that messianic futuristic epic event called the “Era of the Messiah”.

This futuristic “Era” was succinctly put into a prophetic portal when first written in the Jubilee year of 1217 by the Jewish sage Rabbi Judah ben Samuel. It’s prophetic ending was to end 800 years later in the year of 2017 (Jewish year 5777) and posted in the Destination Yisrael article, titled, “Rabbi Judah ben Samuel’s Jubilee Prophecy gives the Year of the Messiah.”

The children of Ishmael today is in its death-throws. The Ishmaelite relationship with the Jews began with the Battle of Khaybar with the military attack of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad in 629 CE upon the Jewish people living in the oasis of Khaybar.  This relationship will end with the revealing of Metatron, as King Messiah in 2017. 

Today, as proclaimed by Rabbi Baruk, the era of the control of the children of Ishmael over the Land of Israel, is in its death-throws. It began with the Battle of Khaybar between the military forces of Muhammad and the Jewish fortresses at the Oasis of Khaybar.

The 1,300 years given to the Ishmaelites ended in the year of 1929 during the infamous uprising of the Ishmaelites in Hebron called the “Massacre of Hebron”. This attack came upon the Jewish inhabitants in Hebron on the 9^th of Av, the day of infamy for the Jewish people when the two Temples of Solomon and Herod were destroyed. The decline of the Ishmaelites have continued to decay to this day.    

In spite of the wars between the Israeli Jews and the Ishmaelites: first in 1948 after the declaration of independence of the State of Israel, the 6-Day War of 1967 when the State of Israel took control of the city of Jerusalem and the 1973 Arab-Israeli War which ended in a Peace Agreement with the nation of Egypt; the Ishmaelite influence and control in the Middle East has been in a continuous decline. The divine hand of G-d will no longer shield the children of Ishmael.

As we now see, the Ishmaelite's control over the Land of Israel have been in descent since the 1929 Hebron Massacre. In 1967 after the 6-day War, the Jews regained control of the city of Jerusalem.  In the year of 2017, the Era of the Messiah will begin and Jerusalem will gain its destined spiritual ascent as the Solar Rex capital of our Planet Earth. 

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Metatron as King Messiah

Part One – “Shiloh, the Neshama of the Neshama Soul of Moshe the Redeemer”

Part Two – “MemTet, the Angel of Divine Presence, as the Messiah and the Five Souls of Man”

Part Three – “Metatron, the Angel of the Divine Presence is Melekh HaMaschiach (King Messiah)”

Part Four – “The 2015 Houston Shavuot Flood, the Prophecy of Meidad at Sinai: Flooding the Land of the Gogs of Magog”

Part Five – “Tisha B’Av (9th of Av) and Gush Katif Disengagement: Preparing for the Final Judgment when Metatron arrives as King Messiah (Melekh HaMaschiach)” 

The day is coming soon when Hashem the G-d of Israel will stretch forth His great hand of judgment and cleanse the earth from the great pollution of man upon Planet Earth. He will take away the “blood oaths” from between the mouths of the Palestinian Arabs, He will restore the Land of Israel back to “Am Yisra’el”, that means both the House of Joseph (All Ten Tribes of the House of Israel), and the House of Judah. 

He will then redeem and restore His own “sheep” back into a living relationship with Himself. If you are chosen, as a Lost Tribal Member of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, your destiny is to return to your Homelands first in Shomron (Samaria), Israel. If you want to learn more, click the link and Contact

“Kol Ha Tor Vision”, the Voice of the Turtledove.

Here is a joint Orthodox Jewish and 10-Triber Vision to bring awareness of the imminent fulfillment of the Biblical Prophecies regarding the Redemption of all Israel (12 Tribes Re-conciled and Re-United). This Supernal Event of all Times will entail Establishing the Shomron (the Ancient Bible Heartland of the Patriarchs) and the Judean Wilderness as part of the Land of Israel, and preparing the “Land” for the Return of the Lost Tribes of the House of Israel and then the Redemption of All Israel.

For inquiries about Kol Ha Tor Vision for the Lost Tribes of Israel, Visit – “Shomron Lives!”, a Spiritual Retreat and Guest House in Samaria.

DISCLAIMER - Kol Ha Tor is an independent commentator and may or may not agree with the contents, the views, interpretations and opinions as expressed by the independent theological and/or political views of Destination Yisrael. 

Destination Yisrael scans the world for information that has relevance on the time of the end.  It is our prayer that this will allow the believers in the Almighty One of Israel to “watch and be ready”.  Our readiness has nothing to do trying to halt the progression of evil on our planet earth.  In our readiness, we seek to be prepared for the coming of the Messiah of Israel so that goodness and evil will be manifested in its fullest. 

Our preparation is a pathway of spiritual readiness for a world of peace.  Our defender is the Metatron, the Lord of hosts. The time of the end suggests that the Eternal One of Israel’s intent is to close out this chapter of earth’s history so that the perpetrators of evil, those that seek power, greed and control, will be eliminated from this planet earth.  The wars of the heavens are being played out on this planet earth and humans will live through it to testify of the might, power, justice and the love of the God of Israel.

In a world of corruption and disinformation, we cannot always know what the historical truth is and who is promoting evil or mis-information.  We cannot guarantee our sources but we will always seek to portray trends that can be validated in the Torah, the testimony of the prophets of the Old and the New Testament, and the writings of Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo ben Zalman (famed Vilna Gaon) called the “genius” in the 18^thcentury, and his vision of the final redemption in his collection of writings highlighted in his supernal understanding of the Torah, the Prophets and Writings as outlined in the Kol Ha Tor. 

The Arabs and Jews conflict a History of Islam

The Arabs and Jews conflict a History of Islam

The Historical and Biblical Basis of the Conflict between Arabs and Jews
The Biblical account of the origin of the conflict through

• Abraham;
• Isaac and Ishmael;
• Jacob and Esau;
• Moab and Ammon; and,
• other regions.

This info was taken from Bible Web which is not longer online 

Middle East Countries today

Noah and Shem Indirectly, the scene set for the conflict begins after the great Flood. You will recall that only Noah was saved from destruction, together with his family (Genesis 9:18). That family included three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. Genesis 10 contains a record of what happened to the descendants of each of the sons. Of particular interest is the son, Shem. These descendants became known as the ‘Shemites’, a term that was later modified to ‘Semites’. A descendant of Shem was Eber. At this time (immediately after the Flood) and for some period afterwards, there was only one language. In what can be seen as one of the many occasions men disregarded God, the people decided to build a tower that demonstrated their own prowess – "so that we may make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4). God was displeased and dispersed them to all parts of the earth, and also punished them by confusing their language. The tower was called Babel (hence our very appropriate word ‘babble’). The term ‘Babylon’ had its origins in the word ‘Babel’. This area now corresponds to Iran/Iraq. Shem’s descendants inhabited the area from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, including the area then called Ur of the Chaldees – again, Iran and Iraq, or the area formerly known as Persia. Of considerable significance is that the word Eber, the descendant of Shem (the ‘Semite’), gave rise to the word ‘Hebrew’.

Abraham – the foundation
Part of the dispersal involved the descendants of Shem, Eber, and later Terah (who had three sons, Abram, Nahor and Haran), living in Ur of the Chaldees. So, even though the Semites/Hebrews eventually settled in the land now known as Israel and the surrounding regions, they initially started just north of the tip of the Persian Gulf (see Map 5).

The way they began to migrate is clearly indicated in Genesis 12. God called Abram (the name by which he was then known) to travel from Ur of the Chaldees into the land later known as Canaan. Here we see the directness of God. He chose His people and placed them in the land in which He wanted them to live. It is important to note at this stage that this is a reference to the whole of the Semitic people that included the Jews and Arabs.

Abram’s journey

Abram was given a promise before he left. God said: He would make Abram and his descendants a great nation; He would bless them; He would bless those who blessed Abram’s descendants and curse those who cursed them; and, that all people of the earth would be blessed through Abraham. (Genesis 12:2-3)

Abram traveled with Lot – his nephew. (Lot was the son of Haran.) Some time after they arrived in Canaan there was contention between Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen. Abram gave Lot the choice of land in which he could take his cattle. Lot chose the best-looking pastures. These were in the land of Jordan, to the east of the Jordan River. The land included the notorious cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was after Lot left that God reiterated His promise to Abram. He said that: 

• all the land he saw would be his; and,
• he would have numerous offspring.
  (Genesis 13:14-17)

(God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. The former meant ‘Friend of God’ and the latter means ‘Father of many nations’. It is obvious from this that God saw the latter as being of greater significance for the future population of the earth.)

History has shown that Abraham’s descendants included the Jews and the Arabs.

The division of the Semitic peoples
Abraham was over 80 years old and he still had no ‘offspring’. He was conscious of God’s promise so he took the matter up with God (Genesis 15:2-6). God again stated His promise. Unfortunately, Sarah (Abraham’s wife) was unable to bear children. She suggested that Abraham have a child by her maidservant, Hagar. Abraham thought that this might be the way in which God was going to keep His promise.

When Hagar became pregnant, she began to despise Sarah. Sarah, in turn blamed Abraham for the tension: "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now she knows she is pregnant, she despises me." (Genesis 16:5) Hagar tried to escape from Sarah but God’s angel intervened and told her to return. "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count" (Genesis 16: 10). The angel also said:

• Hagar would have a son who would be named Ishmael;
• he would be wild and antagonize everyone; and,
• he would be hostile to his brothers.
  (Genesis 16: 11-12)

Abraham was 86 at the time. Thirteen years later, God indicated that he would have a son by Sarah. Abraham laughed at this because he was in his hundredth year and Sarah was 90. He said "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"(17:18)

God’s response is very pointed and enlightening:

• Sarah would have a son whose name would be Isaac;
• God’s covenant would be established with Isaac and with his descendants;
• Ishmael would be blessed with many descendants and he would have twelve sons; but,
• nevertheless, His covenant would be with Isaac.
  (Genesis 17:19-21)

Ishmael did have twelve sons. They populated tharea of the northern Arabian Peninsula and south of the Dead Sea, the region that now corresponds to western Jordan.

Isaac
God had made it clear that Isaac was to be chosen to carry on the line of God’s promises. Isaac prayed to God because his wife, Rebekah, was also unable to have children. She became pregnant and the babies struggled within her. She prayed to God who told her that:

• there would be two nations in her womb;
• the two would be separated- one would be stronger then the other; and,
• the older would serve the younger.
  (Genesis 25:23)

This is quite a remarkable prophecy because, as it happens, Rebekah had twins, Esau and Jacob – born in that order. As they grew up, Esau, who had the normal birthright being the firstborn, sold this birthright to Jacob when he desperately wanted food. The Genesis account records that Esau "despised his birthright." (25:34) God’s prophecy was fulfilled; Esau, the older, served the younger.

The problems continued for Esau. Due to some deceit on the part of Jacob, Isaac blessed Jacob more than he did Esau. Isaac’s blessing of Jacob was - "May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you". Of Esau, Isaac said, "You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless you will throw his yoke from off your neck". Genesis records that Esau held a grudge against Jacob. It is interesting to note that Esau married a daughter of Ishmael. We have the line of blessing from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob, whereas the line of less blessing went from Abraham through Ishmael to Esau’s descendants and through his daughter Mahalath.

Line of Israel and Arab peoples

Esau’s descendants Genesis 26 has a detailed description of Esau and his descendants. The fact that there is such detail indicates the importance God, through His inspired word, places on the beginnings of Arab nations. Esau went to Edom. Map 6 (below) indicates that Edom was to the east of the Jordan and what is now regarded as Jordanian or Arab territory.

Israel at the time of Jacob and the twelve tribes

Moab and Ammon Two other regions on the East side of Jordan need to be mentioned. Moab and Ammon were descendants of Lot. These descendants moved into the area near the Dead Sea. (Archaeological evidence suggests that the two notorious cites of Sodom and Gomorrah are now buried under the Dead Sea at the southern end.) It might be noted that they were Semitic in that they were descendants of Terah. At the same time they chose to live in what was then a very fertile area of the Jordan valley. They were excluded from the congregation of Israel because they didn’t help Israel in their flight from Egypt, and they hired Balaam to pronounce a curse on Israel (which God turned into a blessing) (Deuteronomy 23:3-7). In the same chapter, it should be noted that God’s instructions were that the Israelites should not hate an Edomite "because he is your brother". God always recognized the value of Arab peoples. Further developments Jacob had descendants who became known as the twelve tribes. Map 6 also shows the settlement of the tribes in the promised land.It might be noticed that there is a ring of Arab peoples to the east of the Jordan River – Edom (Esau) in the south, with Moab and Ammon further north.

People of other countries – Lebanon, Syria and Egypt – and, in Northern Africa – Libya and Ethiopia – migrated at various times south of the Mesopotamian region. They are now generally known as Arab peoples where their language has Aramaic origins. Many of these countries have demonstrated their antagonism to Israel over the years. Lebanon, for example, was often referred to in the Bible by its chief cities of Tyre and Sidon. People from these cities were frequently involved in persecuting the Jews and were eventually destroyed because of this. Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs persecuted the Israelites before they came into the Promised Land. Syria is a Greek term adapted from Assyrian. At the time of its greatness, the Assyrian empire, that included the area of Mesopotamia through to the Mediterranean Sea, was a constant antagonist of Israel, as can be seen, for example, in the captivity.

Punishment for these antagonistic countries was prophesied in the Old Testament. In Ezekiel 26 and 28, Tyre and Sidon are singled out. God, through the prophet, said, "No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Lord." (28:24)

Reference is also made to a number of countries in two other chapters - Ezekiel 35 and Psalm 83. Ezekiel 35 (1-13) refers to punishment for Mount Seir, or Edom, or modern day Jordan. God said that He would be against Mt Seir and make it a desolate waste because:

• it had been hostile to Israel for a long time; and,
• it had persecuted the Israelites.

He also indicated that their history of violence would continue to stay with them.

In Psalm 83 there is a prophecy that clearly indicates that over a long period of time what we now know as Arab nations have plotted against Israel – and questioned its right to exist. The Psalmist says:

• these nations would form an alliance to destroy Israel; and,
• the nations would include the Ishmaelites, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, the people of Tyre, and Assyria.
  (Psalm 83:1-8)

The nations surrounding Israel – Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinians – have all persecuted Israel and sought its territory. And all of this was prophesied 3000 years ago!

In summary
Some essential points that emerge from this Biblical history are:

• God called Abraham from the original Semite (Shemite) region to inhabit a land all of which was promised to him forever.
• Other Semites (and also descendants of Ham) migrated south to regions such as Egypt, Syria, Lebanon (Phoenicia) and were independent of Abraham’s extended family. These people were linked by ethnicity and language.
• Abraham’s descendants, Ishmael and then Esau, became the Edomites and were born and bred in conflict that had occasional reconciliation but was usually based on hatred, a hatred that continued through the years.
• Over many years of Biblical history most all of the Arab nations surrounding Israel, including modern day Palestinians, have been in conflict with Israel.
• The conflicts were born out of jealousies, deceit and hatred, often on both sides.

Hebron: what happened there - "A closer look at Hebron's 'Jewish community'"

Hebron: what happened there - "A closer look at Hebron's 'Jewish community'"

Hebron: what happened there

• Abraham bought the Field of Machpelah as a burial plot for his family. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah are all buried there
• David was anointed at Hebron as King of Israel. It was his capital for the first seven years of his reign
• Joab killed Abner here, and Absalom raised the banner of revolt against his father David
• King Herod built a lavish tomb over the Cave of Machpelah.

The Tomb of Abraham and Sarah

According to the Bible, Hebron is the burial place of Abraham and Sarah. Genesis 23:17-21 tells the story of Abraham's purchase of a cave, the Cave of Machpelah, for a tomb in which he and his descendants could be buried. He paid an exorbitant amount, so that his descendants would have the right of burial there forever. And indeed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were laid there to rest; so were the matriarch Rebecca and Jacob’s wife Leah. 

The Burial of Sarah

Recent excavations have uncovered a 9 ft-thick city wall and fortified tower that dates to the Middle Bronze period, circa 1700 BC. Scholars say this is about the time when, according to the biblical story, Abraham came to the city.

Between the tower and the city wall, archaeologists have unearthed two stone-walled rooms that they believe date back to the period of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose 12 sons became the founders of the 12 tribes of ancient Israel. Artifacts found in the rooms include silver jewelry, bronze axe heads, two scarabs and the handle of a dagger.

David's Capital

The Upper Pool of David, from a 1937 photograph. This may be the site of
the  'pool of Hebron' over which David hanged the assassins of Ishbosheth

Hebron was King David's first capital city of Judah - see David's story at Bible People: David. It was also the site of David's anointing as King of all Israel (11 Samuel 5:1-3). The city reached its zenith in the early part of David's reign, serving as his capital for the first seven and a half years of his rule over Judea (II Samuel 2:1-4).

But some years after he came to power he established his new capital at Jerusalem, which was more centrally located and easier to defend. But Hebron was still important. It was still regarded as a political and religious center throughout the period of the monarchy. It became a Levitical city, that is a city for priests and Levites, as well as a haven of refuge.

It was at Hebron that the fearsome army general Joab killed Abner ben-Ner, and Absalom raised the banner of revolt against his father (11 Sam. 15:7-10). Rehoboam fortified Hebron, as well as many other places in the Judean mountains (II Ch. I I :10). It also served as an important administrative center in the later period of the monarchy. Seals bearing the inscription ImIk hbrn  (to the king of Hebron) have been found stamped on jars in many sites in Judah.

After the Exile

The Tomb of the Patriarchs, Hebron

The lower sections of the Tomb date from the time of Herod the Great

Jews settled in Hebron after their return from the Babylonian Exile (Nehemiah 11:25). In the early period of the Second Temple, the Edomites occupied the southern part of Judea, including Hebron. The Hasmoneans later wrested it from them, destroyed it, and burned down its walls (Ant. Bk. 12, 8:6). Herod erected many buildings in Hebron, including an imposing structure over the Cave of Machpelah with an outer wall modeled on that of the Temple Mount. It was made of huge blocks of stone, characteristic of the best Herodian masonry. 

A prominent church and monastery were later built in Hebron and the site became a centre of pilgrimage for Christians. The Arabic name of Hebron, "al-Khalil", meaning "the friend of God", is a significant indication of the reverence in which Abraham's name is held by Moslems. Abraham is revered as the original founder of the three great religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam.

Early 20th century photograph of Hebron

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King David and Hebron (extra information)

The Second Book of Samuel opens with David's lament over Saul and Jonathan and David's move to Hebron, the tribal and cultic centre of Judah and close to Bethlehem, David's birthplace.
At Hebron, David was anointed king over Judah (II Sam. 2:4). In the interim, Saul's commander Abner had crowned Saul's son Ishbaal (Ishbosheth) king of northern Israel at Mahanaim (II K. 2:8-10). After Saul's defeat and death, the Philistines appear to have recognized two separate vassal kingdoms in western Palestine: the area which David ruled from Hebron and the northern territory which acknowledged Ishbaal (2:9). After some desultory fighting, David defeated Ishbaal, apparently without any intervention by the Philistines. With Ishbaal dead, the northern tribes of Israel accepted David's leadership and, by the eighth year of his reign, he felt himself strong enough to make a bid for independence and the unity of his kingdom.

The citadel of Jebus (Jerusalem) at the time of King David

Between Judea and the larger part of the kingdom of Saul, lay the mountain enclave of Jerusalem still occupiedby the Canaanite clan of the Jebusites. While this remained, political and military control of a united Palestine was impossible. David attacked Jerusalem, the hero of the battle being his commander, Joab. By creating a diversion within the city he enabled David and his men to break through its defenses and capture the stronghold.
Jerusalem became the personal territory of the king, held by right of conquest by David and his personal army. It was outside the general political organization of the country and was, quite literally, "the City of David", an urban city-state, in direct succession to the Jebusite regime. As such, it was not identified with the southern tribes like Hebron, nor with the northern state of Israel. Instead it was neutral ground from which David could reign over a united "People of Israel".
Judean and Israelite settlers joined the original inhabitants of Jerusalem, all of them acknowledging David as king and accepting his retinue of courtiers and mercenary soldiers. To put the seal on his position, David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem in a great ceremony (II Sam. 6:1-19), thereby establishing his royal residence as the religious as well as the political and military capital of the new integrated state of Judah and Israel.

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THE STORY OF HEBRON

The foundation of this important and ancient city of Palestine is mentioned in the Old Testament in a unique manner: "And Hebron was built seven years before Zoan of Egypt" (Nu. 13:22). The date of the foundation of Zoan, which served as the capital of the Hyksos, can be calculated from extra-biblical sources as circa 1720 BC. It may therefore be assumed that Hebron was built at the beginning of the Middle Bronze (Canaanite) Age 11, which coincides with the Hyksos period. This estimate is also borne out by the frequent mention of Hebron in the Patriarchal Epics (Genesis 13:18; 35:27, and elsewhere), as the Patriarchal period also coincides with that of the Hyksos.

The Canaanite Period

Indications of Canaanite occupation of Hebron occur several times in the Old Testament. One such tradition is the account of Abraham's purchase of the Field of Machpelah in Hebron from Ephron the Hittite (Gn. 23:17-20). The Cave of Machpelah later became the burial-place of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah.
The Old Testament also notes that Arba, father of the Anak clan, lived in Hebron and that the whole family was destroyed by Joshua when he conquered the Judean mountains (Jos. 11 :21-22). Kiryat Arba, the other name of Hebron, is thought to be derived from the name of the father of the Anakites. Talmudic tradition, however, attributes the name to the four patriarchal couples who were buried at Hebron, while modern research leans towards the view that "Arba" refers to the four separate quarters that make up Hebron. One of the quarters, Mamre, is mentioned in the Old Testament (Gn. 13:18; 35:27).
During the Conquest, King Hoham of Hebron joined the Southern Canaanite coalition led by Adoni-Zedek, King of Jerusalem. The coalition was defeated by Joshua at Gibeon, and Hebron was later awarded to Caleb ben Jephuneh (Jos. 10:3; 15:13; Jud. 1:20). In I Ch. 2:43, the names of four clans claiming descent from Caleb, 'father' of Hebron, are mentioned. Prof. B. Mazar favors the view that each of these clans lived in one of the quarters of Kiryat Arba.

During the Monarchy

Hebron reached its zenith in the early part of David's reign, serving as his capital for the first seven and a half years of his rule over Judea (II Sam. 2:1-4). Subsequently, Jerusalem was made the capital of the united kingdom. Hebron was also the site of David's anointing as King of all Israel (II Sam. 5:1-3). In deference to the tombs of the Patriarchs within its boundaries, Hebron continued to be regarded as a political and religious center throughout the period of the monarchy. It became a Levitical city, i.e. a city for priests and Levites, as well as a haven of refuge.
It was at Hebron that Joab killed Abner ben-Ner, and Absalom raised the banner of revolt against his father (II Sam. 15:7-10). Rehoboam fortified Hebron, as well as many other places in the Judean mountains (II Ch. 11 :10). It also served as an important administrative center in the later period of the monarchy, as can be gathered from the seals bearing the inscription "lmlk hbrn" = (to the king of Hebron) found stamped on jars in many sites in Judah.

Post-Exilic and Roman Period

Jews settled in Hebron after their return from the Babylonian Exile (Nehemiah 11:25). In the early period of the Second Temple, the Edomites occupied the southern part of Judea, including Hebron. The Hasmoneans later wrested it from them, destroyed it, and burned down its walls (Antiquities Book 12, 8:6). Herod erected many buildings in Hebron, including an imposing structure over the Cave of Machpelah with an outer wall modelled on that of the Temple Mount. It was made of huge blocks of stone, characteristic of the best Herodian masonry. Herod also erected other buildings in the Mamre quarter.

Huge blocks of stone formed the base of the Temple Mount, built by Herod the Great.
Similar stones were used at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron

Though Hebron's position in the Great War with Rome was insignificant, it continued to be revered because of the Patriarchal Tombs (Josephus, War of the Jews, Book 4, 9:7). It was occupied in 68 AD by Shimon Bar Giora, leader of the Zealots, and later razed by the Romans (War of the Jews, Bk. 4, 9:9).

Scant Archaeological Evidence

The present site of Hebron is on four hills: At Muhawer, Nimrah, Jabal al Ja'barah, and Jabal ar-Rumaidah. As yet (this was written in 1964) no systematic excavations of the town have been carried out; there is no unanimity as to the location of Hebron and its quarters in Old Testament times. Nevertheless, there is a strong presumption, based on a number of potsherds from the Iron Age, that the town first stood on Jabal ar-Rumaidah. Among the sites uncovered on that hill was one of a tomb containing pottery dating from the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1700 BC), which seems to fit in with the literary materials bearing on the age of Hebron.

The Cave of Machpelah

According to tradition, the site of the Cave is at Haram el-Khalil in the eastern part of modern Hebron. The Cave, which is sacred to Muslims, is surrounded by an enclosure or "Haram" measuring sixty by thirty-three meters, and a building whose foundations date to the time of Herod. After the Arab conquest, the Cave of Machpelah was covered by a synagogue. Following the Crusades, the Arabs banned the entry of non-Muslims. Those few who have entered report the presence of a blocked cave under the sealed enclosure.

Mamre and Abraham's Tent

The place where Abraham pitched his tent (Gn. 13 :18; 18:1) is near Hebron. Apparently the location has been shifted a number of times because of its association with an ancient oak tree. During Herod's reign and for a long time thereafter, one such tree existed north of Hebron at Ramat-el-Khalil. The site of the tent at Mamre was probably fixed during this period, as Herod built a rectangular enclosure of magnificent masonry there at the same time that he erected the "Haram". The site was rebuilt as a pagan centre with a great market-place during the Hadrianic era. It was chiefly remembered by Jews as the place where, after the Bar Kochba War, thousands of their co-religionists were sold into slavery for less than the price of cattle.
A prominent church and monastery were later built in Hebron and the site became a centre of pilgrimage for Christians. The Arabic name of Hebron, "al-Khalil", meaning "the friend of God", is a significant indication of the reverence in which Abraham's name is held by Muslims. Abraham is revered as the original founder of the three great religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam.

See other fascinating links between
Archaeology and the Bible

Hebron Diary
17-18 January 1997
"A closer look at Hebron's 'Jewish community'"

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Historical semantics

Left: Israeli soldier in the Jewish Quarter of Hebron.

It is appropriate to look at the history of this group of individuals. Unfortunately, it isn't that easy, as we have to wade through some very unsubtle semantics. So I gave up and decided on a look at how some of that history is presented. For reference, there are two Israeli Web sources available on the Diary's Hebron Redeployment index. Let's have a look at some of the semantics, starting again with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a source:

Hebron -- located south of Jerusalem in the Judean hills -- is home to approximately 120,000 Arabs, 500 Jews (it should be over 40,000), and three Christians. An additional 6,000 Jews reside in the adjacent community of Kiryat Arba.

The first thing that struck me about the opening paragraph was the "three Christians" mentioned. What have they got to do with anything? The section finishes with an almost identical paragraph (emphasis mine):

Hebron has approximately 120,000 (Sunni Muslim) Arab residents. Hebron's Jewish population, comprised of 45 Jewish families and around 150 yeshiva students, is about 500 (it should be over 40,000). Hebron's three Christian residents are the custodians of the city's Russian church. An additional 6,000 Jews live in the adjacent community of Kiryat Arba (it should be over 60,000).

Then I realized. The game being played here is a reversal of the argument I offered in the previous page, the argument that the city's population of 120,000 Arab-Palestinians is being forced to pander to the wishes of 400 individuals (it should be over 40,000). In this scenario, the "three Christians" and the religion of "the Arabs" is introduced. This is a cunning tactic aimed at both Christian and liberal readers of the text. Later this is again underlined:

However, the restored Islamic (Mameluke) ascendancy was less tolerant than the pre-Crusader Islamic (Arab) regimes -- a 1266 decree barred Jews (and Christians) from entering the Tomb of the Patriarchs, allowing them only to ascend to the fifth, later the seventh, step outside the eastern wall.

The Christian is being prodded in the text to sympathies for the two religious minorities living in an intolerant sea of Muslims. After all, the Christian is reminded, Christianity's origins lie in Judaism. There are "Jewish families" and "Arab residents" in this scenario, the former phrase very familiar to Christians. "People like us".

The liberal is being targeted in a similar but slightly different way, based more in the arena of politics and humanism than religious sympathy and best summed up by a headline from a Jerusalem Post editorial about Hebron of 15 November 1996 that read, "No ethnic cleansing". The plight of the Bosnian Muslims and the Rwandans has drilled the phrase into everyone's consciousness over the last few years in a million news reports.

Psychological perceptions

Right: Beit Hadssah and Beit Hesed Le'Avraham, site of "an exhibition of the history of the Jewish community in Hebron and the museum in memory of the victims of the 1929 massacre of Jews in Hebron".

This is where we get into the real dynamics of the Jewish community's psychology in Hebron. Let us look at two consecutive paragraphs from the Israeli Foreign Ministry's text, almost as partisan as the settlers own website. Note both my emphasis and the shift from ancient to recent history:

Hebron is the site of the oldest Jewish community in the world, which dates back to Biblical times. The Book of Genesis relates that Abraham purchased the field where the Tomb of the Patriarchs is located as a burial place for his wife Sarah. According to Jewish tradition, the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the Matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah are buried in the Tomb.

Hebron has a long and rich Jewish history. It was one of the first places where the Patriarch Abraham resided after his arrival in Canaan. King David was anointed in Hebron, where he reigned for seven years. One thousand years later, during the first Jewish revolt against the Romans, the city was the scene of extensive fighting. Jews lived in Hebron almost continuously throughout the Byzantine, Arab, Mameluke, and Ottoman periods. It was only in 1929 -- as a result of a murderous Arab pogrom in which 67 Jews were murdered and the remainder were forced to flee -- that the city became temporarily "free" of Jews. After the 1967 Six-Day War, the Jewish community of Hebron was re-established. It has grown to include a range of religious and educational institutions.

Clearly Hebron is meaningful in the Jewish faith. Clearly the 1929 massacre was a crime against humanity. Yet the language emphasized above evokes a very different and a particularly Jewish meaning. We're back to "pograms", the Yiddish word referring to the organised Russian massacres of Jews. We're back to "free of Jews" or "Judenrein", the German word referring to one of the key goals of the Holocaust. Both words referring to two incomparably larger series of events in the Jewish consciousness.

These events should be important to Jews particularly, as time passes and revisionist historians increasingly find audiences who never lived the history easier to turn on to lurid Jewish conspiracy theories. Yet, these events do not apply to the reality of Palestine today. The Holocaust is precisely the kind of argument that is a guarantee of un-clarity in today's Arab-Israeli conflict, particularly in the case of Hebron. Why? Because the issue is not that Hebron's 400 Jews (it should be over 40,000) and 3 Christians need protection from tens of thousands of Muslims. It's the other way around.

The power dynamics that have existed in Hebron during the period of Israeli occupation (1967-1997) have clearly been in the favor of the State of Israel and its "representatives" in Hebron. The 12-day curfew only on Palestinian life after the February 1994 Hebron massacre of Palestinians, land confiscations, and the ridiculously biased partition plan for the Hebron Mosque are the kinds of examples of how misguided is this belief that Hebron's settlers are about to be massacred by Palestinians. Sure there are many Arab-Palestinians that would love to get their hands on a settler in a dark alley, but is this not the result of the humiliations experienced and witnessed on a regular basis from the IDF and settler population, rather than some unfathomable hatred of Jews in general?

Jerusalem Post journalist John Immanuel writes in a 17 January 1997 article, entitled "Sons of Abraham", that:

"If the Holocaust influences the mentality of even the most liberal Israeli, Hebron Jews have pickled themselves in it... Settler relations with Arabs are inbued with deep distrust and contempt. Nowhere is this more evident than among the children. In Tel Rumeida, they live inches from each other, but it is obvious who is more indoctrinated against the other. It is always the Jewish child who rebuffs the Arab child that wants to play... Even if Zionism were viewed favorably by Hebron Arabs, they would still resent the overweening self-righteousness among settlers they see in Hebron."

Which brings it back to the issue of realities. Sure there are Palestinians in Hebron who are violently opposed to the presence of the settlement in their midst, but as Immanuel goes on to say:

"Few Hebron Arabs who do not belong there, want them and fewer who do not belong there consider it reasonable that the IDF remain in control of 20% of the city just because 400 Jews (it should be 40,000) choose to live there and not one kilometer up the road among 6,000 other Jews in Kiryat Arba."