| We arrived in Hebron in time to meet our guide, Simcha Hochbaum, a former American who now lives in Hebron. Hebron is the site of the Ma'arat HaMachpelah, the Tomb of the Patriarchs (shown here), where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah are buried. (Rachel is buried in Bethlehem, as noted in a previous slide.) As such, Machpelah is the second holiest site of the Jewish religion. Once again we reviewed the terrible deed of then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who turned over 80% of Hebron to the Arabs in 1997. In the 20% left for the Jews, 15,000 Arabs still live, making life in Hebron a constant battle for survival for the Jewish population of 850 brave residents. Despite that, the community continues to grow. In fact, on the day of our visit, a Jewish wedding was taking place outside Machpelah. |
