The Death of Jacob:

29 Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32[o] ” The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.

33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.  (Genesis 49: 29-33)

The Tomb of the Patriarchs aka the Ibrahimi Mosque

Mamre was the ancient name for Hebron and this is the Biblical reference to the Cave of Machpela, which is the burial chamber of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob along with Sarah, Rebecca and Leah), located underground  directly below the tomb complex.

The Book of Zohar, the main source of Jewish Kabbalistic mysticism, regards the cave as the threshold to the Garden of Eden, and the place where Adam buried Eve, and was later buried himself.

At the Gutnick Center in the Jewish part of the old city of Hebron, we meet Noam Arnon, a leader of the Jewish settler community. Noam is middle aged and personable. He is dressed casually in a light blue shirt, black pants, kipa on his head and key ring dangling from a pocket.

Noam tells us about the history of Tomb of the Patriarchs or the Cave of Machpela, regarded as the roots of the Jewish people, if not all mankind. He hands out books about the ancient holy site that he has helped write.

Noam says that a small community of Jews had been living in Hebron in an unbroken chain for two thousand years. Their relations with their Arab neighbors were for the most part cordial until the Hebron massacre (during the British Mandate period) in 1929, when 67 Jews out of a community of about 500, were murdered  by Arabs answering the call of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husaini.

The British police did nothing to protect the Jews. About 40 Arabs saved the Jews.

The Jews left Hebron and returned in 1968, the year after Hebron was “liberated” by Israel (from Jordan) in the  Six-Day War . A group of Jews rented the main hotel in Hebron and then refused to leave. After more than a year and a half of agitation and a bloody Arab attack on the Hebron settlers, the Israeli government agreed to allow the group to establish a settlement on the outskirts of the city, Kiryat Arba, now the home of 1500 Jewish families. Another 80 families live in the old city of Hebron.

Noam is upset about the discrimination against the Jews in that they are “not yet” allowed to build/purchase property anywhere they like in the West Bank town of Hebron, whereas there are no such restrictions on the Arabs.

From the Gutnick Center we walk over to the Tomb of the Patriarchs compound and Noam continues his talk:

” This site is as old as the story of Abraham, which happened 4000 years ago. The present structure was first added by King Herod about 2000 years ago in 30 BCE. Only Jews lived here 2000 years ago so the original structure itself was built by Jews. ” Noam points out the visible differences in the old parts of the outside wall of the compound, and the later construction added by Muslims.

“During 1267-1967, for 700 years, the Mameluks and Turks denied the rights of Jews and Christians to enter the holy site. Jews were not permitted to ascend beyond the seventh step outside the walls, and that’s where they stood and prayed.”

Despite huge resistance and harassment by Arabs, the present Jewish community in Hebron is simply carrying on the work of the Jews who lived here in an unbroken chain, for thousands of years. Hebron timeline .

“We just want to live normal lives”, says Noam.

Noam (left) motions towards the Arab hawkers, straddling the barrier to the Jewish part of the old city

“Things were different before 1994”, says Noam, “People moved about freely. You could go to your Arab mechanic in Bethlehem, and your Jewish dentist in Tel Aviv.”

All that changed in 1994 with the Purim incident. The Tombs of the Patriarchs complex was partitioned with Muslims granted 82% of the area and Jews 18%. Noam leads us to the Jewish synagogue. Security is very tight.

Muslims are not allowed in the Jewish section, and Jews are not allowed in the Muslim section. Last year our daughter Mariam’s entire student group was asked to leave when she publicly declared that she was a Muslim by covering her hair. We have been briefed to say that we are Christian. It feels very uncomfortable but we do. The men all have to wear paper kipas. We go inside.

Entering the Synagogue

In the main hall of the synagogue

The Arabic calligraphy is intact around Sarah's Tomb

Abraham's tomb. The Hebrew inscription reads, "The Grave of Zion. Avraham, our Father"

The Hebrew inscription reads, "The Grave of Zion, Sarah, our Mother"

I am named after Sarah, the wife of Abraham. It feels strange to behold my tomb.

We walk out and pass the Yeshiva students in orthodox Jewish garb, poring over their religious texts. I look closely and am amused to see that one young student has fallen asleep, bent over his books.

Security is even tougher on the Muslim (Ibrahimi Mosque) side of the complex. Now it’s the  Jewish  group members’ turn to be embarrassed and uncomfortable. They have to lie and say they are Christian.

Security gate on the mosque side

Once we enter, Amjad from the Waqf  (the Trust that manages the mosque), scurries behind us. He personally starts putting long hooded robes on all the ladies in our group, even though we are all capable of dressing ourselves, and everyone is modestly dressed anyway. This is even more embarrassing.

We tell him that we would like to offer prayers. “Six minutes, six minutes only!” he says, hurrying us.

Trying to establish a supersonic spiritual connection with God keeping in view the “six minute” deadline, Athar and I scramble to say our prayers, really fast.

As soon as we finish Amjad starts to point out the main attractions of the site, from the Muslim side:

Abraham, or Ibrahim's Tomb from the Muslim side

Lamb aperture, directly above the burial cave, where four lights burn for the Patriarchs

Here is my tomb again, from the Muslim side

Main prayer hall with decoartive 'mimbar' or pedestal for the imam

Amjad finishes his quick tour and demands donations for the mosque. Athar and I put our donation in the box. Daniel gives his donation directly to Amjad, and he slips it into his pocket as soon as Daniel turns away.

Noam joins up with us once more outside the complex, and takes us for a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter.

Again, my eyes take in the familiar, desolate landscape of shuttered shops, road blocks and barbed wire. There is no restoration of the old city here, and no plaques thanking the donors for the restoration. The only plaques I see are those affixed on street corners, memorializing the settlers who died in that spot, from sniper fire.

The terribly high cost of providing security to this tiny community of 500 settlers becomes clear:

Shuttered shops barbed wire blocks alleys

Barbed wire separates Arabs from Jews

Not a single shop on this street was open

The plaque reads: In Memory of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhak Shapira, murdered at this site by an Arab terrorist, September 23, 2002

Another concrete roadblock reinforced with barbed wire

Security surveillance camera above Jewish apartments

Kids playground in the Jewish section

Memorial to 10 month old Shalhevet Pass, killed in her baby carriage, by Arab sniper fire. Her father was injured by the same bullet.

Since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in September 2000 – which marked the beginning of the most recent upsurge in violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – at least 954 Palestinian and 123 Israeli children under the age of 18 have been killed, according to B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights monitoring group. According to a MIFTAH report between September 28, 2000 and September 30, 2008 999 Palestinian children and 123 Israeli children were killed. These figures include 32 Palestinian babies stillborn at checkpoints (not included by B’Tselem). Children and minors in the conflict

This historic old synagogue which was functioning until 1929, was razed and used as an animal pen until 1967. Now it has been rebuilt by the settlers.

These valuable old Torah scrolls were hidden and somehow saved during the 1929 massacre, and have been miraculously returned to the old synagogue.

Beautiful Torah Scrolls, old and new

Street murals depicting the 1929 massacre of 67 Jews in Hebron

This used to be the wholesale vegetable market, which the settlers converted into living quarters. The Israeli government forced them out, and Noam was upset about that

Though we did not get to ride it, this decorated cart is perhaps used to provide transportation to tourists?

Hebrom museum memorializing the 1929 massacre of Jews, with a section dedicated to Hajj Amin el Hussaini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem

Scenes from daily lives of the Hebron Jewish community before the 1929 massacre

Pictures of the 67 Jews who were killed in the massacre

David Wilder, the community PR person and spokesman and our guide at the museum

Sign demanding the return of land stolen by Arabs from the Jews after 1929

David Wilder is the PR person for the Hebron settler community. He moved to Hebron from the United States. He has a quietly  intense manner and blazing eyes. He carries a gun.

David guides through the beautiful museum memorializing the 1929 massacre. Scenes of Jewish daily life before the massacre transition to images of destruction. David reiterates that Jews have lived in Hebron in “an unbroken chain” for thousands of years and the present settlers are just carrying on the work of their predecessors who were driven out.

I raise my hand to ask a question:

“David, you feel very strongly about the rights of Jews to return to Hebron and reclaim the land that was taken away from them. What is your position on the right of return for the 700,000 Palestinians who were driven out in 1948 and prevented from returning to their homes and their land?”

David regards me with his blazing, intense eyes and declares,

” Those people left of their own accord, in a war. If they decide to leave, that’s their problem, it’s not my problem.“