Hebron Liberation Day celebrated with festivities, conference

The day of Hebron’s liberation was celebrated in the City of the
Forefathers with festivities and a special conference.

 

Yom Hevron or Hebron Day takes place on the 29th of Iyar on the Hebrew
calendar and marks the day in which the city was liberated from the Jordanians who
occupied it for 19 years and barred entry to Jews. It follows Jerusalem Day in which the
Israel Defense Forces liberated the Old City of Jerusalem and reunified the city during
the Six Day War of 1967.

 

Last year celebrations were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This
year, with the success of the vaccine and the dramatic drop in coronavirus infections,
celebrations resumed on a smaller scale with a parade for children and singing and
dancing in front of the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

 

At the historic site, special prayers were held for the safety of those affected by the
rioting, rocket attacks and shootings throughout the country. A special prayer was
recited for the IDF forces engaged in Gaza as part of Operation Guardian of the
Walls.

 

Events were organized by the Jewish community of Hebron and the municipality
of Kiryat Arba.

 

A day before, on Jerusalem Day hundreds took part in a bicycle event that
started in Kiryat Arba and ended in Jerusalem and special mini-marathon is planned
for Thursday in Hebron.

Eliyahu Libman, head of the Kiryat Arba local council called it a complicated week
with the the difficultly of the attacks mixed with the celebrations. He said both
Jerusalem Day and Hebron Day are of great importance in the history of the Jewish people
in Israel and the Diaspora.

“It is a great privilege for us to develop Kiryat Arba and Hebron and preserve this
place where our forefathers and mothers are buried. We will continue to grow and
develop,” he stated.

 

 

Rabbi Shlomo Goren, chief rabbi of the IDF virtually single-handedly
liberated the city on June 8, 1967. Due to a miscommunication, he assumed he would meet
up with the rest of the Israel army in Hebron and along with a driver, took a jeep to
the city, then under Jordanian control. Yet he arrived before the army and as he drove
through the historic streets, saw white flags of surrender flying from the windows of
the homes.

Rabbi Goren was able to enter the Tomb of the Patriarchs and became the first non-Muslim
to freely enter and pray at the site in 700 years.

For the full story click
here.

CONFERENCE CELEBRATES HEBRON HISTORY

A conference was held at the Touching Eternity visitor’s center and museum at Beit
Hadassah for Hebron Day. Dr. Noam Arnon who recently earned his doctorate for his
comprehensive research on the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs was honored and
spoke about the archaeological artifacts found inside the cave. He discussed
his research which helped authenticate the Jewish origin of the structure which was
built by King Herod the Great as a memorial to the founders of Biblical
monotheism.

Other speakers included Dr. Gershon Bar-Cochva who spoke about the Land of Israel during
the Nazi era. Among the historical documents he displayed was a telegram from leading
Nazi party member Heinrich Himmler, a main architect of the Holocaust, to Haj Amin El
Husseini, a leader of an Arab faction in the Land of Israel. In the letter, Himmler
stated that he sought the annihilation of the Jewish people and was supportive of
Husseini’s actions against Jews in what was then the British Mandate of
Palestine.

Ariye Klein spoke about events leading to the Six Day War. He mentioned that the Jabari
clan of the Hebron hills region at the time advocated approaching Israel peacefully.
Veteran Hebron pioneer Shmuel Mushnick spoke about the early days of the new settlers
and his successful career as an artist. Rabbi Hillel Horowitz who serves as mayor and
head of the Jewish community of Hebron city council also spoke. The event was moderated
by Yishai Fleisher, international spokesperson for the Jewish community of
Hebron.

 

 

 

 

* Hebron Liberation
Day Celebrates Freedom of Worship – 2016

* We Have Come Home!
Jerusalem/Hebron Day – 2017

* Hebron Day Celebrated
in the City of the Patriarchs – 2018

* Rabbi Goren in His
Own Words: How I Liberated Hebron

* The Rabbi Who
Conquered Hebron Single-Handedly

 

HEBRON CONTACT INFORMATION