Day Three: Knowing the Land of the Bible

Today we headed south of Jerusalem, into the Judean hills. We began our tour with a visit to Hebron, the ancient Jewish city which was the home to Abraham and Sarah for much of their lives and where G-d sealed his covenant with Abraham. With our tour guide, Iddo, out for the day to be at his son's graduation from the officer's program of the IDF, we enjoyed the company of a host of other passionate and inspiring guides for today's visits. In Hebron, we spoke with Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum, an American born resident of Hebron who described the unique and tenuous situation that exists in the city.

Rabbi Hochbaum speaks to the group outside a Jewish trailer in Hebron

Hebron is divided between the Arab and Jewish populations there in an 80% to 20% split, respectively. Although Arabs may enter into the Jewish section, Jews are prohibited from entering the Arab territory. Additionally, building in Jewish Hebron is generally not permitted and in one particular area, permanent residences were never permitted to be built. As a result, seven trailers were set down in the area and are inhabited at great sacrifice of personal comfort by seven Jewish families.

At the monument for Shalhevet, a little girl murdered in Hebron by a terrorist sniper 

Children playing happily at a playground in Hebron

A five hundred year old Torah scroll in a five hundred year old synagogue--Beit Kenesset Avraham Avinu

At Ma'arat Hamachpelah--The Cave of the Patriarchs

Following our visit in the residential area of Hebron, we visited Ma'arat Hamachpelah--The Cave of the Patriarchs. Though the cave that serves as the burial place for Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah is underground, a massive building of Herodian design was placed on top of it to mark the location and serve as a house of prayer. After walking the same ground that our patriarchs and matriarchs, it was an emotional experience visiting the site of their grave. We recited some psalms and some personal prayers at this holy spot.


We continued on to Kfar Etzion and learned about the significance of the spot in regards to Israel's war for independence. Though it finally fell to the Arabs, the valiant efforts of the residents of Kfar Etzion staved the enemy off for long enough to prevent them from easily marching on Jerusalem, thus preserving Jewish control over much of the city. 

Our main guide for the day, Eve Harrow, spoke strongly about her belief in maintaining a Jewish presence in areas such as Kfar Etzion and Efrat, her home city, which was our next stop.

Mayor of Efrat, Oded Revivi, explains the layout of the city

Upon arriving in Efrat, we were greeted by its mayor, Oded Revivi, who showed us around. He took us to one particular spot where we were able to see that Efrat is separated from an Arab village by just one small road, without any barriers or fences in the way. Despite the close proximity, the two cities enjoy a friendly coexistence and there appears to be no outward animosity on behalf of the Arab villagers over having to share the area with Jewish neighbors. Oded then brought us to Efrat's emergency medical center, constructed to cater to the emergency medical needs of Efrat's residents during closures of the road leading up to Jerusalem. He mapped out the city's plans for expansion and the hope to soon double in size following the expiration of the building freeze that had previously been placed upon Jewish settlements.

We headed back to Jerusalem and enjoyed a break for dinner before meeting up at David's Citadel, just inside Jaffa Gate in the Old City for the sound and light show. The show is exhibited inside the David's Citadel complex (actually a misnomer--it really served as a palace for King Herod), as colorful images and scenes depicting the history of Jerusalem are projected onto the walls of the ancient buildings.