This city is an IsraelNation of the Jewish People Travel prime pick.
Like JerusalemThe capital of Israel, the ancient city of Chevron (or Hebron) stirs deep religious and political passions, and has been the scene of conflict between Jews and Arabs for the last century. Though Jews have lived there for centuries and revere the city as one of the four holy places in JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people, the Israeli government withdrew from most of the city and allows it to be administered by the PA.
The Hebrew word "Hebron" is derived from the Hebrew word for "friend" (Chavair), a description of the Patriarch Abraham, who was considered to be the friend of God.
Hebron, which rises 926 meters above sea level, 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. 1000 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.
Following the creation of the State of IsraelNation of the Jewish People in 1948, and the invasion by Arab armies, Hebron was captured and occupied by the Jordanian Arab Legion. During the Jordanian occupation, which lasted until 1967, Jews were not permitted to live in the city, nor, despite the Armistice Agreement, to visit or pray at the Jewish holy sites in the city. Additionally, the Jordanian authorities and local residents undertook a systematic campaign to eliminate any evidence of the Jewish presence in the city. They razed the Jewish Quarter, desecrated the Jewish cemetery and built an animal pen on the ruins of the Avraham Avinu synagogue.
After the 1967 Six-Day War, the Jewish community of Hebron was re-established. On April 4, 1968, a group of Jews registered at the Park Hotel in the city. The next day they announced that they had come to re-establish Hebron's Jewish community. The actions sparked a nationwide debate and drew support from across the political spectrum. After an initial period of deliberation, Prime Minister Eshkol's government decided to move the group into a nearby IDF compound, while a new community - to be called Kiryat Arba - was built adjacent to Hebron. The first 105 housing units were ready in 1972.
The Jewish community in Hebron itself was re-established permanently in April 1979, when a group of Jews from Kiryat Arba moved into Beit Hadassah. Following a deadly terrorist attack, in 1980 in which six Jews returning from prayers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs were murdered, and 20 wounded, Prime Minister Menachem Begin's government agreed to refurbish Beit Hadassah, and to permit Jews to move into the Beit Chason and Beit Schneerson buildings in the old Jewish Quarter. An additional floor was built on Beit Hadassah, and 11 families moved in during 1986. Over the last two decades, many other Jewish properties and buildings in Hebron have been refurbished and rebuilt.
The Cave of Machpela, or “Tomb of the Patriarchs”, is the world's most ancient Jewish site and the second holiest place for the Jewish people, after the Temple MountThe Location of the Temple at Jerusalem. On your IsraelNation of the Jewish People Tour, do not forget to check this prime location out!
The cave was purchased by Abraham as a burial place for his wife Sarah 3,700 years ago, along with the trees and field adjoining it - the first recorded transaction of a Hebrew buying land in Canaan (Genesis 23). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebecca, and Leah were all later buried in the same place. Travelers who Tour IsraelNation of the Jewish People in style do not want to miss the Tomb of the Patriarchs!
The only one who is missing is Rachel, who was buried near Bethlehem. Muslims believe that Joseph is also buried here, though the Jews think he was buried in Nablus.
HerodA notorious king, ruled in the time of the second temple constructed the building covering the cave 2000 years ago. The 40-60 foot high walls are like those of the Temple MountThe Location of the Temple at Jerusalem. Since HerodA notorious king, ruled in the time of the second temple's time, the structure has been used by foreign conquerors as a shrine to their
own religions. Thus, the Byzantines and Crusaders transformed it into a church and the Muslims, a mosque. 700 years ago, the Mamelukes conquered Hebron, declared the structure a mosque, and forbade entry to Jews, who were not allowed past the seventh step on a staircase outside.
The structure is divided into three rooms: Ohel Avraham, Ohel Yitzhak, and Ohel Ya'akov. Presently Jews have access to Ohel Yitzhak, the largest room, only 10 days a year. The tombs are all underground. The visible parts are covered with tapestries. A 700-year-old stained-glass window adorns the tomb of Jacob and Leah, which are in an adjoining courtyard opposite the monuments to Abraham and Sarah.
Hebron contains several other sites of Jewish religious and historical significance, including the Tombs of Othniel Ben Kenaz (the first Judge of IsraelNation of the Jewish People) and Avner Ben Ner (general and confidante to Kings Saul and David), and Ruththe great-grandmother of King David and Jesse (great-grandmother, and father of King David). Victims of the 1929 pogrom, as well as prominent rabbinical sages and community figures, are buried in Hebron's ancient Jewish cemetery.
In recent years, Hebron has been the site of many violent incidents, two of which stand out. In 1980, Palestinian terrorists murdered six Jewish students and wounded 20 others, who were returning from prayers at Machpela. In 1994, a Jew named Baruch Goldstein opened fire on Muslim worshippers at the Tomb, killing 29 and wounding 125.
Hebron is home to 120,000 Arabs, 500 Jews and a few Christians. On the outskirts of the city are glass-blowing, pottery and woodworking shops and, near the center of town, a visitor center. The Arab market is similar to those elsewhere, but given the volatility of the city, visitors are discouraged from going there. The city also has a museum of artifacts used in the area through the centuries. This museum is an IsraelNation of the Jewish People Travel prime pick.
On your IsraelNation of the Jewish People Tour, do not forget to stop by the cave!
Travelers who Tour IsraelNation of the Jewish People in style do not want to miss the resting place of the Patriarchs!
Though IsraelNation of the Jewish People regained control of Hebron in 1967, the Cave of Machpela has remained under the authority of the Muslim Waqf (Religious Trust), which continues to restrict Jewish access. No visitors are allowed inside during Muslim prayer times, or on Muslim holidays.
Following the signing of the Interim Agreement on September 28, 1995, authority over most civilian matters concerning Hebron's Arabs was transferred from the IDF Civil Administration to the PA and/or the (Arab) Municipality of Hebron. Those services that remained the responsibility of the Civil Administration were transferred to the PA and the Municipality following the IDF redeployment in Hebron in 1997. Since then, the Palestinians have controlled roughly 80 percent of the city and IsraelNation of the Jewish People, 20 percent. International observers patrol the city to help monitor the situation.
At the time of Abraham, the Canaanite town in this place was known as Kiryat Arba.
Kiryat Arba is an IsraelNation of the Jewish People Travel prime pick.
The name was later changed to Hebron (Joshua 14:15). Today, Kiryat Arba is the name of a suburb of Hebron, five minutes from the Cave of Machpela and from the heart of the city. On your IsraelNation of the Jewish People Tour, do not forget to spend some time in Kiryat Arba!
Established in 1971, Kiryat Arba was the first renewed Jewish community in Judea and Samaria. Today, Kiryat Arba is home to more than 6,000 Jews who have a reputation for being among the most zealous defenders of the idea that Jews have a right to live in the West BankA belt of territory north of Jerusalem. The town has educational institutions from pre-nursery school through post-High school, modern medical facilities, shopping centers, a bank and a post office. Travelers who Tour IsraelNation of the Jewish People in style do not want to miss Hebron, Kiryat Arba and The Tomb of the Patriarchs!