30,000 Attend Hebron Passover Festival, Celebrate 50th Anniversary

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- Staff
27/04/2016

(Photo: Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked speaks in front
of the Tomb of Machpela on Monday.)

Approximately thirty thousand people participated in the annual Passover
music festival in Hebron held in front of the Tomb of Machpela, burial site of the
Biblical Matriarchs and Patriarchs on Monday, April 25, 2016.

This year’s event was held in honor of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the
liberation of Hebron during the dramatic Six Day War of 1967.

Veterans of those heady days in the late 1960s as well as elected officials
spoke at the special ceremony. Rabbi David Lau, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi and son of former
Chief Rabbi and Holocaust survivor Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau stated, “This large and holy
crowd has gathered here to begin the jubilee celebrations of the liberation of Judea and
Samaria… We have come here to mark 50 years from when we returned, and this time it is
a full return because we will never have to stand at the “seventh step” in order to pray
with Mother and Father. As we have merited this, may we merit to have full return and to
settle the nation of Israel in its land.” He also quoted the prophet Jeremiah (31:15)
saying, “restrain your voice from weeping… thy sons have returned to their
borders.”

Rabbi Lau referred to the infamous seventh step of the staircase that once
led into the Tomb of Machpela complex. For about 700 years, Ottoman officials forbade
Jewish residents from entering beyond this point.

Rabbi Haim Druckman, a founder of the Gush Emunim movement in the 1960s, and
an Israel Prize laureate reminisced about the first days of the return to the
city.

“I was privileged to attend the first modern seder in Hebron. In the morning
when we went from the edge of the Cave of the Patriarchs, we were singing and dancing
with a Torah in our arms. We were initially afraid to ride by Arab run public
transportation, but there was no other bus. There were white flags of surrender in all
the windows of the city. What changed? We started talking about the land itself. We went
back to the forefathers. We returned to the matriarchs. We went back to where it all
began. It was clear to everyone that we’re back. And all of reality was different.
Hebron is the foundation of all the renewed communities in Judea and Samaria… I can
not promise you peace. I can only promise I will do everything in my power to stand up
our historical rights for the sake of all citizens of the entire
country.”

(Photo: 30,000 people visited Hebron on Passover. Credit: Shlomo
Alegra.)

Deputy Minister of Regional Cooperation Ayoub Kara, an Israeli of Druze
ethnicity celebrated both Passover and the Druze holiday commemorating the Biblical
prophet Jethro, whom they call Nabi Shu’ayb. Minister Kara praised the Jewish community
of Hebron stating, “without you, the rest of us wouldn’t be able to visit here today.
You strengthen the security of Israel. We will continue together to protect the State of
Israel for generations.”

Minister Kara also spoke in Arabic and addressed the Arab resident of the
city who fall under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. “Israel is a
democracy,” Minister Kara stated. “The Palestinian Authority does not offer you any
salvation. We are all in this together, and we can learn to live in peace. Only under
Israeli sovereignty will your rights and your lives be insured. Without Israel there is
ISIS.”

Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan echoed the growing sentiment in the
Israeli public for sovereignty stating, “today, after 50 years, we need to move up
another level. We have been liberated from the yoke of foreigners, but now we must
connect Judea and Samaria to the rest of Israel and establish sovereignty over all the
areas, starting right here with Hebron.”

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked stated, “I am certain that in this city Jews are going to
continue to live, as the saying goes ‘from antiquity to eternity.’ This spirit, which
brought you to settle in the City of our Fathers inspired others to climb other hilltops
and raise their new communities… and this same spirit will lead us, your representatives
in the Knesset and government, to give you support, to fulfill your great vision — the
vision of settling the land.”

Members of Knesset from a variety of different political parties including MK
Bezalel Smotrich, MK Shuli Mualem-Rafaeli, MK Nissan Slomiansky, MK Moti Yogev and
others.

Hebron residents who spoke included CEO of the Jewish Community of Hebron Uri Karzen,
and spokesperson Noam Arnon. Other speakers included the CEO of the Council of Judea and
Samaria Sheila Adler and Rabbi Menachem Felix who led the effort to repatriate Judea and
Samaria in the 1970s.

(Photo: Festive services inside the Tomb of Machepla complex,
built by King Herod the Great 2,000 years ago.)

Following the jubilee ceremony was the annual music concert. Performers
included Haim Israel, Itzik Dadya, Udi Davidi, Bini Landau, Uziah Tzadok, Gershon
Freishtat, Pirchei Yerushalayim, and more.

A highlight for many of the thousands of visitors was the rare ability to
walk through the hall of Rebecca and Isaac, the largest room on the Tomb of Machpela
complex and location of the entrance to the actual underground double caves. The hall is
closed for Jews most of the year except for ten days. The smaller Jewish side of the
complex is closed for Muslims expect for ten days corresponding to Muslim
holidays.

Also open for visitors was the Cave of Othniel Ben Knaz, the first judge of
Israel who took over leadership after the passing of Joshua, located about 200 meters
west of Beit Hadassah, at the top of a rocky incline. The burial cave is located in what
is today known toward as Policeman’s Square on a busy residential street. The carved out
compartments in the sides of the cave correspond with how the Mishna, in Bava Batra 101
describes the traditional burial practices of the Jewish people of that time
period.

Throughout the generations, it has been revered as the tomb of Othniel Ben Knaz, brother
(kinsman) of Caleb and has been mentioned by many historic travelers such as Menachem
Mendel of Kamenitz and J. J. Benjamin.

On the day of the festival, hundreds walked to the cave, which before the
1929 massacre, was part of the thriving Jewish neighborhood of the city.

The local Judea Brigade Commander who helped arrange the visit was quoted by
Israel National News as stating, “For me personally, it was inspiring to see the
hundreds of visitors, citizens together with tourists from abroad, on a secure trip to
the tomb of Othniel ben Kenaz. We are proud to have escorted this
visit.”

Special tours to the old Jewish Quarter including the “Kabbalist’s Corner”
were held. Today the area is a busy casbah, and is usually off limits to Israeli
civilians. Other highlights included tours of the new archaeological excavations near
the Tomb of Ruth and Jesse which includes ancient olive presses and mikvot [ritual
baths] and the new state-of-the-art 4D documentary movie at the Beit Hadassah museum of
Hebron history.

Kosher-for-Passover food, locally made arts and crafts and children’s
activities were on hand as well.

Source notes:

* Hebron
Launching 6 Day War Jubilee Celebrations Early

* Hundreds of Jews in
rare visit to tomb of Othniel ben Kenaz

* Hebron rally
kicks off celebrations for Six-Day War jubilee

* Thousands in Hevron
for Pesach celebrations

* The
Hebron Community Invites Am Yisrael During Chol Hamoed