The Shavei Hevron yeshiva, located in the historic 19th century Beit Romano building, was approved for a new 1,000 square meter facility. The approval was part of an announcement by the Higher Planning Council of the Civil Administration for 576 housing units throughout Judea and Samaria.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated, “bringing thousands of new residents to Mitzpe Jericho and establishing a new building for Shavei Hevron Yeshiva in the city of the patriarchs are both moving and important.” He added that creating normalized civilian communities in barren tracts of land “bolsters Israel’s security and sets clear facts that prevent the establishment of an Arab terrorist state in the heart of the country.”
Beit Romano was built in 1879 by the wealthy Sephardic merchant, Haim Yisrael Romano and marked the establishment of Jewish neighborhoods outside what was considered the Jewish ghetto of Hebron. The Istanbuli Synagogue was established on its premises which served Jewish worshipers whose families had escaped the Spanish Inquisition. In 1912, the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe purchased the building and surrounding land and it became a Chabad yeshiva.
During World War I, the British turned it into a police headquarters. It housed the victims of the 1929 Hebron massacre before they were evicted from the city.
In 1982, the Shavei Hevron yeshiva was founded and has since grown to over 450 students with branches throughout Israel.
Since the Hebron Accords of 1997 which divided the city, the Palestinian Authority run Hebron Municipality has been responsible for approving building, planning and maintenance in both the Arab and Israeli sections. Hebron Jews have long complained that they receive almost no services from PA officials while the Arab side has experienced rapid growth, including a new 17-floor Crown Mall, all off limits to Israelis.
This week the Civil Administration announced approval for Israeli residents of Hebron to be able to govern themselves independently of the PA. The Shavei Hevron extension marks the first time in almost 30 years that Israel was not required to seek permission from the PA for zoning approval in Hebron.
Other projects denied by the PA-run Hebron Municipality include roofing over the Jewish section of the Maarat HaMachpela to prevent flooding and structural damage.
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