This weekend marked the 97th anniversary of the 1929 Hebron massacre.
The memorial events in the month of Av include Tisha B’Av, the day of mourning for the destruction of the Temple and the day of remembrance for the riots of 1929 (18th of Av). These occurred in a month when due to summer vacation, school is not held but rather a time of family trips and recreation. This has led to the educational system hardly touching the issue and large parts of the Jewish people being relatively unaware of them.
Of course, the fast of Tisha B’Av is better known, thanks to the law prohibiting the opening of entertainment venues, which was passed after much debate, and reminds the Jewish people of the historical event that establishes the memory of the destruction and the 2,000-year-old hope.
But the events of the 1929 riots are much more unknown, except for the term itself, which is accepted by large parts of the nation as an expression of something antiquated and irrelevant. On a recent television program, a question was asked – “In what Hebrew year were the 1929 riots?” and the respondent answered – “In the year 1948”).
But it must be remembered that the 1929 massacre was a watershed event in Zionist history, which could have collapsed the entire movement, and miraculously turned from a dangerous fall into a turning point for growth, revival, and building.
The riots of 1929 took place in August in dozens of communities throughout the country, from Tzfat and Haifa in the north to Hulda and Be’er Tuvia in the south. Almost 150 Jews were murdered, out of about 150,000 Jews living in the Land of Israel at the time; this means that about one in a thousand of the Jewish residents in the country were murdered in the riots, within about 10 days.
During the riots, terrible atrocities were committed, chillingly reminiscent of the events of October 7, 2023. The most monstrous massacre took place in Hebron, where the ancient community were helpless victims of rape and torture.
The riots revealed at once the weakness of the Jewish community, the cruelty of the rioters, and the helplessness of the British government. In the face of this, a question mark was placed on the very ability to exist and continue the Zionist movement and its ability to be a magnet for Jews who would continue to immigrate, the building and the establishment of the national home.
To understand the depth of the crisis, one can imagine, God forbid, such a reality, when nothing is certain, there is no significant Jewish defensive force, the Jewish communities are surrounded by a cruel and unrestrained enemy, hostile indifference on the part of the British Mandate government, in a security and economic crisis with an unknown future.
But miraculously, as Chief Rabbi Kook wrote, the depth of the crisis became a lever for building and growth. As a result of the riots, a number of fundamental changes occurred, both in the British government system and in the internal organization of the Jewish community.
In place of the failed and hostile Commissioner John Chancellor, a sympathetic Commissioner was appointed, Arthur Wauchope, who expanded the gates of immigration and allowed hundreds of thousands of Jews to immigrate from dangerous Europe to the Land of Israel.
At the same time, following the disturbances, a fundamental change occurred in the Jewish defense system. The Hagana organization was re-established as a national organization, with systems that began to function in the areas of command, recruitment, training, procurement, intelligence, etc. This organization later formed the basis for the establishment of the Israel Defense Force. The severe setback was a challenge that led to revival and renewal.
Here in Hebron, the riots of 1929 are not just a forgotten historic story, but a founding event. The ancient Jewish community was eliminated. About seventy Jews were massacred, dozens were injured, and hundreds of the survivors were expelled and left destitute. The historical image of Hebron was a “City of Slaughter” as Kishinev was called by Haim Nahman Bialik after the pogrom in 1903.
When the people of Israel returned to Hebron after the miraculous victory in the Six Day War, the Jewish quarter was destroyed, covered in ruins and garbage. A few houses remained, and bloodstains on the floors, a reminded of the blood of the martyrs that had been spilled.
The remains of the Avraham Avinu synagogue were buried under rubble and turned into a cattle pen. The ancient cemetery, with the mass graves of the martyrs of the riots at its center, was destroyed, shattered and desecrated. And above all, the dangerous and threatening shadow of traumatic memory hovered.
And here in Hebron, the returnees faced a double challenge:
On the one hand, to remember and not to forget. Not to forget the horrors, not to let the ancestral city sink into the abyss of oblivion, and not to let terror win. It was clear to the first settlers of Hebron that the victory over terrorism will be achieved first and foremost through revival, building and creation, and bringing new life to a place where lives were cut off so cruelly.
And on the other hand, to detach Hebron from the image of a “city of slaughter” and to restore to it its dignity and status as the city of the patriarchs and matriarchs, the ancient capital of Judah, the city of King David, the city of roots and the heritage of the Bible.
The project of Hebron’s revival is indeed an expression of the victory over terrorism, but it is much more than that: it is a project with solid and deep foundations, from the days of the nation’s beginnings and over thousands of years. Even if there were riots in Hebron, we must rise up, come to our senses, and restore life to the first and oldest city in Jewish heritage and annals.
These two approaches were expressed during the settlement process and the perpetuation of the heritage in Hebron.
In the first period, when quite a few survivors of the riots were still alive, Hebron elders and community members would visit Hebron frequently, and actively participate in the memorial rallies held annually. The events of the massacre were remembered, commemorated, and prominently displayed in the Hebron Museum at Beit Hadassah, leaving a strong impression on visitors. The mission to rebuild Hebron so as not to let terror win was a vivid feeling and a powerful motivator. Sometimes it seemed that the cries of the massacred and tortured still echoed in the destroyed houses and abandoned rooms, calling to us – “Do not forget us!” Bring Jewish life back here!” This was the natural and clear response of the generation returning to Hebron.
But slowly, over time, the emphasis shifted to a broader historical perspective. The vast majority of the survivors of the riots are no longer alive, and the sharp memory of the events has faded. In the Touching Eternity museum at Beit Hadassah, the riots are of course remembered, but in a more softened version. The harsh images are not shown to the general public. They are available online for those interested, and the similarity to October 7th is clear and chilling.
The story of the riots is told by three eyewitnesses, one of whom also tells of an Arab man, considered a ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ who saved his family. The redemption of Hebron is presented not as a response to the riots of 1929, but as an expression of the deep aspiration of the people of Israel to return to their homeland, to the city where their ancestors lived and worked.
Dr. Noam Arnon, Hebron, August 2026.
