LIFE IN JEWISH HEBRON

March 28, 2007

LIFE IN JEWISH HEBRON
From: AFSI: Mideast Outpost [http://mideastoutpost.com/] or http://www.afsi.org/OUTPOST/2007/Outpost_2007_04.pdf

(Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of articles Outpost will publish on the most important Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, the much maligned "settlements.")

If the Jewish people has undeniable rights anywhere on earth it is in Hebron. Hebron, numbered among the four holy cities (with Jerusalem, Tiberias and Safed) is the first Jewish city in history. It is the place where the Jewish national patriarchs lived and were buried. Their burial plot – Ma'arat HaMachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs—was the first Jewish property purchased in the Land of Israel, and one of the Jewish people's most impressive monuments was built atop it.

The Jewish community in Hebron existed for thousands of years until it was brutally displaced in 1929—after Arab marauders murdered, raped and burned to death scores of Jews and dispossessed the community of properties that included hundreds of acres of real estate. Not surprisingly, after Israel's conquest of Judea and Samaria in the Six Day War of 1967, the restoration of Hebron loomed large as a goal for many Jews. In 1967 a group of religious Jews rented the Park Hotel in Hebron for the Passover period – and refused to leave. Pressure grew upon a reluctant government, which then allowed the group to settle on empty land adjoining the city, which became Kiryat Arba. But the Jews of Kiryat Arba did not give up on their goal of returning to Hebron itself.
A tragedy paved the way for the renewal of Jewish life in Hebron. In 1975 a baby boy named Avraham Yedidya was born to famous Hasidic artist Baruch Nachshon and his wife Sarah, who were among the first Jews to come to Kiryat Arba in 1968. Three months later Sarah found her newborn baby lifeless in his crib. The young mother was beside herself. "Everything in this world has a purpose," she thought to herself. "What was the purpose of her three- month old son?"

Sarah Nachshon decided that Avraham Yedidya would be buried in the ancient Jewish cemetery in Hebron. The cemetery had been last used to inter Jews slaughtered in the 1929 riots in Hebron. It is minutes from the traditional graves of Ruth and Jesse and overlooks Ma'arat HaMachpela. Perhaps, Sarah thought, this was the purpose of Avraham Yedidya, to take part in a sad but vital part of renewing Jewish Hebron. After almost fifty years, the Jewish cemetery of Hebron would again be utilized as a Jew's last resting place.

Late in the afternoon the funeral procession left Kiryat Arba for the ancient Jewish cemetery in Hebron. Then, suddenly, the mourners encountered soldiers and roadblocks. "No, you may not proceed to the cemetery," the soldiers ordered the mourners, "the cemetery is off-limits. You must bury the baby in Jerusalem."

One of the car doors opened. A short woman stepped out, with a bundle in her arms. "Are you looking for me—are you looking for my baby? My name is Sarah Nachshon. Here is my baby, in my arms. If you won't let us drive to the cemetery we will walk!"

Men with shovels and flashlights, and women, Kiryat Arba residents, walked through ancient Hebron in the early evening. They passed Ma'arat HaMachpela. They passed the sheep sty atop the 450 year-old Abraham Avinu synagogue, left in ruins, destroyed by the Jordanian occupiers and Hebron Arabs. Blockades, set up to stop the crowd, were pushed aside. Senior officers gave orders over their walkie-talkies: "Stop them—don't let them proceed"—but the soldiers, overcome by the scene, radioed back: "We can't stop them. If you want, come here and do it yourselves." The procession continued, past Beit Romano, Beit Shneerson, home of Menucha Rachel Shneerson Slonim, granddaughter of the "Ba'al HaTanya," up the steep hill to the ancient cemetery.

Sarah Nachshon released the body of her tiny son and it was lowered into the freshly dug grave, only meters from the mass grave of the 1929-Tarpat riot victims. Mustering her voice, Sarah spoke: "Four thousand years ago our Patriarch Abraham purchased Hebron for the Jewish People by burying here his wife Sarah. Tonight Sarah is repurchasing Hebron for the Jewish People by burying here her son Avraham."

Four years later a group of 10 Jewish women and 40 children resettled Hebron, moving into the abandoned Beit Hadassah building, just minutes from the cemetery. One of those ten women was Sarah Nachshon.

One of the most common questions I receive, from journalists and tourists alike is: What's it like to live in Hebron? What's everyday life all about?

There is a stereotype attached to places like Hebron, similar to the Wild West. In all honesty, it's generally not like that.

So, what is it like? Usually, life is a routine, just as it is elsewhere in Israel and around the world. I can speak for myself and I think this fairly represents most people here. I get up in the morning, pray, eat breakfast, and then go to work. There are many men who arise early for prayers at Ma'arat HaMachpela and then attend a daily Talmud class.

Each person has his/her own employment: there are men who study Torah in a yeshiva or kollel; a few men are sofrim (scribes); others work in some aspect of education, many here in Hebron or in Kiryat Arba. There's a doctor who lives in Hebron who has clinics around the county. We also have musicians, artists, nurses and office workers living in Hebron. Of course, during the day, the kids are in school, either in Hebron or Kiryat Arba. Those of high school age and above may study and live away from home, as is wont in Israeli religious society. After-school youth groups, clubs, library and homework assistance are all part of every day life.

Shopping, a post office, doctors and dentists, a medical center with up-to-date technology can all be found in Kiryat Arba. There are several supermarkets that are less than 5-10 minutes from our homes. Orders can also be given over the phone and delivered to our door. In other words, for the most part, it's not difficult to be self-sufficient within a radius of 10 minutes from our homes.

So when is life not so normal? One day last week my cell phone rang at about 4:50 in the morning. One of my colleagues was on the phone: Excitedly she said, "Get here fast, the police are here…" (In truth, not even my wife can get me out of bed so fast, especially at that time of the morning, but…)

And of course, as I write ( March 20), the Hebron community's purchase of Beit HaShalom (The House of Peace), between Kiryat Arba and Hebron, and our moving into the building, has radically changed my personal daily schedule and the lives of many others. [See: http://www.hebron.com/english/article.php?id=315] Many Hebron families have, as a result of the purchase, moved into the new building, albeit temporarily, in order to maintain possession of the structure. People are spending days and nights there, helping with necessary renovations. Hebron's Talmud Torah has started giving classes there. A neighborhood, where up until a few days ago Jews had no presence, is now thriving with Jewish life: men, women, many children and multitudes of visitors.

This kind of event generally does not occur elsewhere. In Hebron, this is the second time in a year that this type of 'adventure' has transpired. So in some ways it could be concluded that life in Hebron is quite different from just about anywhere else in the world.

And of course it's not normal for your own government to restrict your movements and ignore your most basic rights in the city where you live. Today Jews are allowed to enter only three percent of the municipal area of Hebron. Yet thousands of Arabs continue to live in the Israeli zone. The Palestinian Authority is deliberately establishing institutions in this area for the express purpose of "strangling" the Jewish community by attracting masses of Arabs.

Although the 1997 "Hebron Accord" stipulated that Jews should enjoy total freedom of movement in Hebron and the right to visit and worship at shrines such as Elonei Mamre and the Tomb of Otniel ben Katz, its provisions are totally ignored. Jews find it virtually impossible to register title to land. In the past 20 years the Israeli government has issued permits for only three buildings. Offspring of the Jewish community who marry and wish to live in their community cannot do so—due to the racist Jews-only building restrictions.

Under blatantly discriminatory guidelines from the State Attorney's Office, the Israeli government uses law-enforcement as a technique to harass the Jewish community. The procedures require the police to invest unprecedented resources in personnel, funds and motor vehicles in order to monitor the Jews. As a direct result of this over-enforcement there is wholesale opening of investigation files for trifling offenses and inconsequential activities, often ending with acquittals or closure of files on technical grounds. This adds up to a grievous, ongoing blow to the personal freedoms of the Jewish residents of Hebron, coupled with cumulative damage in the form of files that besmirch the inhabitants with criminal records—files that would not have been opened anywhere else in Israel.

One last point: it is important to keep in mind that no one is being forced to live in Hebron. All the people who reside here do so because they want to be here. Anyone who wishes to leave, for any reason, can do so. However, most people stay, regardless of the difficulties and the 'abnormalities,' despite the terror attacks and murders that have claimed dozens of casualties in Hebron's Jewish community since the "second Intifada" that began in September 2000.

They remain because it is a privilege to live in Israel's first Jewish city, and to walk in the footsteps of Avraham and Sarah, and King David. Despite the problems, Hebron is our home, and we are honored to be residents of such a holy city.

Of course, there are those who would say that we are crazy for wanting to live here. So be it: Crazy or not, Hebron is here to stay, and so are its Jewish inhabitants.

Buying a building in Hebron

March 26, 2007

Last week Hebron's Jewish community received a green light from its attorneys, Eitan Geva and Nadav HaEtzni. The deal was completed to their satisfaction. We could move in.

The community purchased a 4,000 sq. meter structure, overlooking the road between Hebron and Kiryat Arba. A complicated and expensive affair which took several years to conclude, the building was purchased from its previous owner for approximately $700,000 through an office in Jordan.

As soon as the final legalities were finished, it was decided to take possession of the newly-owned property. A group of students from Yeshivat Shavei Hevron, together with Hebron community residents, moved in.

Such a transaction, anywhere else in the world, would not even make the local papers. People buy and sell property every day, not only for hundreds of thousands of dollars, but for millions of dollars. However, Hebron is different. Purchase of a building in Hebron makes international headlines. "Isn't this a provocation?" "Is the community trying to expand?" "Why did you take over a 'palestinian' house?"

Let's take one question at a time: An Arab contractor claims the building belongs to him and says he has the papers to prove it.

Any Arab suspected of selling property to Jews is considered to have committed a capital crime, the punishment for which is death. A year ago Muhammad Abu al-Hawa was killed for such a crime. "Fatah gunmen in Jericho have claimed responsibility for the murder, condemning the victim as a "traitor." In a leaflet, the gunmen threatened to kill any Arab who dares to sell his house to Jews." (The Jerusalem Post, April 16, 2006).

To further prove the point, a few days ago, while being interviewed by CNN correspondent Ben Weidman, an Arab woman interrupted our conversation, speaking to him in Arabic at a rapid pace. When she had concluded I queried, "what did she say." Weidman replied that she wants copies of the sales documents in order to put the seller on trial. Another Arab resident of the area told Ga'alie Tzahal radio journalist Guy Varon, "If the Jews really did buy it, all the more power to them. But we will find the seller and chop him up into tiny pieces."

This being the case, any Arab who is suspected of dealing with Jews, immediately yells 'counterfeit' – I didn't do it! In this particular instance, however, the Arab in question really did sell the property, but he didn't know it was being sold to Jews. He thought the deal was with another Arab. To prove the point, the police have been given a video of him counting the money.

Is the community trying to expand? There are dozens of families on a waiting list to live in Hebron. The first generation's children are marrying and many of them wish to reside in Hebron. However, there are no available apartments. In order to build in Hebron (on empty, undisputed Jewish-owned property) permits reaching the heights of the Defense minister must be obtained. Given the current political climate, such permits are very difficult to receive. Purchasing from Arabs is dangerous (for them), expensive, and very intricate. It isn't often that a seller is found and a workable deal formulated. However, if such an occurrence presents itself, why not? Because we are Jews? Should a Jew be prevented from purchasing property in Hebron, Maryland, or any of the other 11 Hebrons in North America because he was Jewish, headlines and legal actions due to racism and anti-Semitism would be immediate. Why is it that only in the original Hebron, the first Jewish city in Israel, should Jews be forbidden from legally purchasing a building, only because we are Jewish? Why should such a purchase be considered a provocation?

How does this building affect security in the region? According to high-ranking officers, this structure, which was previously used by the IDF to station guards, will only enhance the area's security due to its strategic location between Hebron and Kiryat Arba.

It is important to note: There are all kinds of rumors floating around, of various sorts and sizes. According to our sources, a police investigation has determined that the sale was fully 'legal.' However, the Defense Minister, Amir Peretz isn't overly interested in legalities and wants us out. He may very well be looking for an excuse to issue an expulsion order. Clearly, any such order could only be defined as racist and anti-Semitic. The Arabs can renovate, build and purchase as much as they so desire. Only Jews, because they are Jews, must be prevented from all of the above. This is, of course, an unacceptable exploitation of authority for political reasons, despite the validity of the purchase.

Finally, this building has been named "Beit HaShalom" – the House of Peace. It is our fervent desire to live in Hebron peacefully with our neighbors. We seek neither violence nor confrontation. But we do demand the right, our legitimate right, to continue to live in the city of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. This year marks the fortieth anniversary of Israel's return to Hebron in the 1967 Six-day war. What better a way to commence this celebration than to purchase and populate a new building in Hebron!

Give New Leadership a Chance

Give New Leadership a Chance
March 1, 2007

I'm joining the Likud - and voting for Feiglin.

From David Wilder

Many years ago, following the election of Yitzchak Rabin, when the Oslo Accords were still in pre-diapers, and people were looking at each other in shock, with fear and huge question marks in their eyes, the most common question was: What do we do now?

I remember town meetings, clandestine gatherings and, more than anything else, words. Lots and lots of words. Talk is cheap; it relieves tension and seems to be a good way to 'virtually' solve problems. If nothing else, talk is a good way to rid yourself of built-up frustrations.

But not everyone talked. I remember the first genuine activity against the Rabin-Peres plans to expel us from our land. What's the best answer to planned expulsion? Of course, expansion.

A new group had popped up out of nowhere called Zu Artzenu. I clearly remember a meeting at a hotel in Jerusalem, where the talk wasn't theoretical. These guys were organized, had a specific agenda and weren't talking double-talk. It was impressive.

Those guys, as I recall, were two: Moshe Feiglin and Shmuel Sackett. I have no recollection of them from that time, but their first national project, called Mivtza Machpil, called for expanding all Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Not kept a secret, the operation was looked upon by 'the authorities' as a test case: How would they react to organized groups opposing the expulsion policies of Rabin-Peres?

One cold night, I told my wife that I was going out for a little while to participate in the first Mivtza Machpiloperation, in Kiryat Arba. It was a few days before I arrived back home, having later been arrested with a few dozen others for daring to sit in an abandoned shack within the municipal boundary of Kiryat Arba, but outside the community fence.

I have no idea how many communities actually doubled themselves, but clearly Mitvtza Machpil was an overwhelming success. Like a foghorn across a zero-visibility sea, the operation screamed out loud and clear: we will not sit back and do nothing as building is outlawed and our land is dismantled.

Zu Artzenu c
Only one political figure in the Likud could possibly be trusted to be prime minister.
ontinued planning and implementing other national protests, including a sit-down strike that was to paralyze the state of Israel. For this magnificent show of civil disobedience, Feiglin and Sackett were tried and convicted for sedition. Anyone who still had any illusions of democracy, Rabin-Peres style, were in for a surprise.

Despite their newly labeled, dangerous criminal status, Feiglin and Sackett didn't despair. Such individuals are far from trivial emotions like hopelessness. Just as Zu Artzenu was uniquely impressive and creative, they decided to continue forward.

 

In 1998, they founded Manigut Yehudit, which means "Jewish Leadership." Not the kind of leadership Israel has so long been faced with, but true Jewish leadership, pillared upon Torah and Eretz Yisrael, the fear of G-d, and appreciation and acknowledgment of the Divine sanctity of our homeland.

Feiglin continued to surprise; this time, by not going the way of the world and forming a new political party. Rather, he and Sackett decided to become a faction within the already existing Likud, with the hope and expectation to 'capture' the party - to create a solid majority of normal, healthy Israelis who realized that peace was preconditioned on one firm fact: Eretz Yisrael belongs to Am Yisrael - the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people. Period. As Manigut Yehudit affirms: "The state of Jews must be transformed into a Jewish State."

A few months ago, I authored an article in which I stated that only one political figure in the Likud could possibly be trusted to be prime minister. I made a mistake. Because the man I named was not Moshe Feiglin. And it should have been.

Anyone with eyes in their head, taking a good look around at current events in Israel, cannot help but be blinded. Blinded by absurdity, stupidity and disgust. The leaders of the Gush Katif expulsion are falling one by one, like dominoes standing in a row. The deteriorating security in southern Israel is clearly the result of the fall of Gush Katif. Yet, the so-called defense minister has again declared that the answer to Israel's problems is continued expulsions, this time from 'illegal hilltop settlements.'

The prime minister refuses to look the Israeli population in the eye and admit the errors of his ways. Rather, his excuse for postponing the "convergence" or expulsion plan number two - which involves abandoning almost all of Judea and Samaria - is politically motivated. There is no realization that Eretz Yisrael has to remain in Jewish hands.

This week, the Israeli cabinet was to hear an intelligence briefing concerning the security outlook for the next year. What country in the world would allow the details of such an 'intelligence briefing' to be broadcast on public radio, even before it was presented to the nation's ministers? Why should Israeli radio broadcast the intelligence briefing's conclusions that "war in the north is not expected this year." Why broadcast such analysis to our enemies, loud and clear? Total stupidity.

Israel is not in need of a new political party. It is in need of a new kind of leadership.

And of course, let's not forget the corruption investigations against so many of the Israeli top brass.

There is much more - media, education, economics. But I think the message is clear. Israel is not in need of a new political party. It is in need of a new kind of leadership and a new type of leader. At the current time, I have become convinced that the only person who represents such leadership is Moshe Feiglin.

Is he perfect? Probably not. But then again, nobody is. However, the fundamentals upon which he bases not only his beliefs, but also his actions, are authentic. He is the farthest thing alive from the original sin of almost all politicians: he cannot be bought. For if he could be bought, he would have either formed a separate party, joined forces with other breakaways, or found a way to accept a juicy deal with his primary rival for Likud leadership, Binyamin Netanyahu.

We have already seen what Netanyahu can do. He caused irreparable harm to Hebron and to all the State of Israel: he met Yasser Arafat, he abandoned Hebron and he signed the Wye River Accord. Why give this man, with his record, a second chance? What has he done to deserve any trust or faith? Nothing. Nothing at all.

A friend of mine has, for years, been trying to get me to register with the Likud, thereby allowing me to vote for Moshe Feiglin for party leadership. B'ezrat HaShem, with G-d's help, that is what I am going to do. Let's give new, true leadership a chance.