Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat Visits Hebron

July 27, 2016



Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat visited Hebron on Wednesday. He was toured by long-time
Hebron representative Rabbi Hillel Horowitz, who serves as head of the Cemeteries
Council in Jerusalem and works closely with Mayor Barkat. Joining the tour was Uri
Karzen, Director General of the Jewish Community of Hebron and other local
representatives.

Mayor Barkat visited the Tomb of Machpela in Hebron, burial site of the founding fathers
and mothers of the Jewish nation. 

Inside the monumental Machpela complex, Mayor Barkat  participated in afternoon
prayer services, and afterward was honored with a special “Mishebeirach” prayer in which
Rabbi Horowitz blessed the mayor with continued success in his service for the Jewish
people and the State of Israel.

 

(Left to right, Uri Karzen, Rabbi Hillel Horowitz, Mayor Nir
Barkat.)

Standing in front of the ancient Jewish site, Mayor Barkat issued the following
statement:

“First of all, I am happy to be here. I came to see and to share with the residents of
Hebron, to come and pray in the City of the Fathers, and the Cave of Machpela. I was
here a few weeks ago to console the parents of Hallel Yaffa Ariel [the 13-year-old
girl who was murdered in her bed by a terrorist], and even then I was impressed by the
power of this community and their determination. Today, I am on a more in-depth tour, to
sit with heads of the community and to hear about their challenges. I was very impressed
by the importance of this place, and was again impressed by the determination of the
residents.” 

 

(Mayor Barkat meets with local IDF soldiers helping protect the 700,000 annual
tourists.)

Barkat compared Jerusalem and Hebron commenting, “we have a lot in common. Not just the
religious/historical aspect, but also similar challenges in housing, economic
development, cooperation with our cousins, and security challenges that we must know how
to deal with. We have a lot in common and I came to strengthen and connect with the
residents [of Hebron] from Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.”

 

(Mayor Nir Barkat and Hebron community leaders.)

When the mayor first arrived and was greeted by the community, Rabbi Horowitz mentioned
the words of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, who stated in
the introduction to the book Sefer Hevron in 1970:

“We will make a great and awful mistake if we fail to settle Hebron, neighbor and
predecessor of Jerusalem, with a large Jewish settlement, constantly growing and
expanding, very soon… Hebron is worthy to be Jerusalem’s sister.” 

Mayor Barkat requested a framed plaque of Ben-Gurion’s words for his
office.

 

(The mayor views photographs of artifacts found inside the underground
double cave.) 

Approximately 700,000 people visit the site every year, especially on pilgrimage
holidays such as Sukkot and Passover where the Jewish Community hosts music festivals.
Hebron and the adjacent community of Kiryat Arba have a combined population of almost
10,000 Israelis, while Hebron’s Palestinian Authority population is about
180,000.

 

Elected officials to have visited Hebron this summer include Jerusalem
Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin,
Deputy Knesset Speaker Nava
Boker (Likud), MK Oded Forer (Yisrael
Beiteinu), MK Dr. Avraham
Neguisse (Likud), MK Roy
Folkman (Kulanu) and others.

 

(The mayor receives a blessing from Rabbi Hillel Horowitz during afternoon
prayers.)

 

 

 

United States contact info:



http://www.hebronfund.org

1760 Ocean Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11230

718-677-6886

info@hebronfund.org



In Israel contact the offices of the Jewish Community of Hebron at:

http://en.hebron.org.il/

02-996-5333

office@hebron.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hebronofficial

 

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