Jewish-Ethiopian MK, Foreign Ministry Cadets meet at Tomb of Machpela

Member of Knesset Dr. Avraham Neguise, the head of the
Knesset Absorption Committee and a Jewish-Ethiopian rights activists, toured
Hebron this week with his staff and with heads of the Jewish community.



While MK Neguise was at the Tomb of Machpela, ancient burial site of the
Biblical Matriarchs and Patriarchs, he spoke with a group of Foreign Ministry
cadets who coincidentally came to tour the city at the same time.

 

(Photo: Dr. Neguise talks to Foreign Ministry
cadets)



“It is so important that you are here,” said Dr. Neguise, who had just returned from a
public advocacy trip abroad. “I am familiar with the issues that our enemies raise,
and so it is important for us to learn about our roots, so you can be prepared to
stand against all obstacles. You are now better equipped to explain the State of
Israel, our history, and our connection to this land.”

 

(Photo: Dr. Neguise with leaders of the Jewish Community of Hebron.)

 

During the tour, MK Neguise was interviewed by Israeli radio on issues
pertaining to the Jewish-Ethiopian community. He is discussing the idea of
bringing more Ethiopian Jews and other immigrant communities to the city to
build a connection with the story of Hebron. “We have to find a special day to bring
Ethiopian Jews to the city on a pilgrimage” he said.



The arrival of MK Neguise was preceded a few days earlier by another official,
Minister of Science, Technology and Space Ofir Akunis. After taking part in a
circumcision ceremony at the Tomb of Machpela, he stated:

“I am finishing a tour of Hebron, city of our fore-mothers and forefather, and I am here
at the foot of Tomb of Machpela, the beginnings of the amazing 3800-year-old story of
the Jewish people. I have been hearing the recent claims by parts of the international
community which deny the ancient connection of the Jewish people to this land. However,
no amount of propaganda, and no effort to deny or smudge the basic truth will succeed.
We were born in these places, and this is where our fathers walked. We are
here to stay, to build, and not to leave. We are here to ensure the growth of
places like the Jewish community of Hebron, Kiryat Arba, and all of Judea
and Samaria, as well as the Gallil, the Negev, development towns, the coastal
plain and the big cities. This is our land, and it is the basic right of a people to
their homeland. Our homeland is the land of Israel, and here we will
stay.”

 

(Photo: Minister Akunis with leaders of the Jewish Community of Hebron in the
Tomb of Machepla complex.)

 

(Photo: Minister Akunis with IDF soldiers protecting the State of Israel
stationed in Hebron.)

 

(Photo: Minister Akunis in the Museum of Jewish History of Hebron in the Beit
Hadassah building.)