THROUGH THE LAND OF ISRAEL II: Visiting Hebron (29 August, 2008)

Let me share the experience of visiting one of the most ancient biblical cities called Hebron. Many who are familiar with this part of world will be in a state of shock or aversion if you ask them for a suggestion in making a trip to Hebron. I can still feel the uneasiness in my Professor's eyes when I told him about the plan. Home to approximately 130,000 Arabs, 530 Jews, and 3 Christians, Hebron is a fuming volcano, ever ready to erupt at any moment. In simple words, this is where you find the maximum hatredness between Jews and Arabs. Today’s political situation makes Hebron inside the West Bank region of Palestine and highly vulnerable. If you are an Israeli or a foreigner visiting Hebron, you need to take certain precautions. At least carrying a valid identity card (preferably the passport) is a must for an outsider. Also you may enter West Bank without much scrutiny at the Israeli check post, but be prepared for a thorough verification of your identity on return. I took all the necessary documents and left the rest to God. I take this opportunity to thank my colleague and friend Ofer for his company and guidance and without his support I could have not made this trip. I should admit that his vast experience in the region as an ex-Israel Defense Force (IDF) member, helped me to roam inside the much communal sensitive city perimeters, which otherwise could not be comfortable. Thank you Ofer.

Before I started, I had only a rough idea about the area, but believe me walking through those narrow streets and alleys; known locally as the Khasba was an entirely different experience. On either side of the streets, located at the ground floor are Palestinian shops that are permanently closed and sealed. The residential houses are above these shops and if you observe carefully, most of the windows that open to the streets are sealed or fenced by iron cages. People still leave in some of these houses and such extreme measures are taken for the security of Jewish people who walk below the streets. It may appear shocking, but on the other side when you realize that Jews were targeted frequently from these windows, it is hard justify anyone. The streets are almost deserted and for a moment I thought I was walking through a ghost city. At times we were interrupted by a few Jewish kids roaming here and there with their bicycles and of course the Israeli soldiers were present at every junction. While Ofer showed me where he used to stand and guard the city, I could feel the nostalgia in his eyes. At those times the market where he used to patrol was crowded with Arabs and Jews and busy with vehicles roaming frequently. He could still remember the name of the Palestinian guy who ran a tea shop in the area and the slaughter house where camels were butchered.

Today the whole area (known as the Gross Square) is so calm and silent that it takes a lot of imagination to visualize a busy market. If you walk through the deserted streets, every corner will have many painful tales to share drenched with much blood and tears. The gruesome memories could be sensed still fresh and raw in the fearful eyes of its Jewish and Arab inhabitants. The vicious cycle of violence and counter-violence continue like a never ending story and for time being the region is temporarily calm. My intention was not to scare you or show how brave I was, but to give you an idea about the situation. On the other hand if you think why this place invites so much communal violence and known as the “City of Terror”, I don’t think you need to put your extra brain to find the answer. What else could be the reason other than something related with religion? Yes, Hebron or Chevron (Heb) has one of the most jealously guarded religious sanctuaries in the world and it is sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians. The most ancient Jewish site (older than Jerusalem) and the second holiest city of Judaism (after Temple Mount in Jerusalem) is located 30 km south of Jerusalem and 45 km south east of Beer Sheva in the West Bank Territory of modern Palestine.

What I am going to discuss now may appear irrelevant or confusing to many. However, the complicated situations prevailing here on both religious and political fronts are so haphazard that without knowing the importance of the site it would be too vague to perceive what actually is going on. You will be surprised to know that the root cause of all these conflicts converges at a cave inside the city! Interestingly, Hebron is built around a burial cave called Marat HaMachpelah (Heb) or the Cave of Machpelah (see the link to the official site http://www.machpela.com/english/). No doubt, if the burial complex happens to be the family tomb of a person who laid the foundation of worlds three greatest religions, it has to be something very special. He is Avraham to Jews, Abraham to Christians and Ibrahim to Muslims. Today, followers of Abrahamic faith comprise two-third of mankind. For religious Jews, Christians and Muslims, the significance of this tomb is beyond words and to visit the cave is considered a privilege, a divine blessing and a life time opportunity. According to Bible, Cave of Machpelah or the Tomb of Patriarchs is where the Abraham and Sarah; Jacob and Leah; and Isaac and Rebecca were buried some 4000 years ago (Gen. 23:19; 25:9; 49:31; 50:13).

The Hebrew word Machpelah means double and some say that it is because of the pairs buried here. Others say that the cave was constructed as a double cave. Some say it was a cave within a cave, or a cave above a cave. In Bible (Genesis 23), Abraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah for his wife Sarah’s burial for 400 shekels of silver. Biblical significance of Hebron does not end here. Hebron is also known as Kiryat Arba (Genesis 23:2) and Mamre. Abraham witnessed the destruction of Sodom from Hebron (Genesis 19:27-28). When Moses sent spies to land of Canaan they came back with a report about the giant Anakim living in Hebron and as a result they were afraid to enter the Promised Land. The punishment for disobeying God was to wander in the desert for next 38 years (Num 13:22). Later, when Israelites conquered the Promised Land, Caleb the colleague of Joshua removed the Anakim and settled in Hebron (Joshua 14:6-15). It is from Hebron, King David ruled Israel for 8 years before he made Jerusalem as the capital (II Sam 5:1-5). It is also from Hebron that Absalom proclaimed his kingship and made alliance against his father King David (II Sam 15). The burial places of Ruth and Jesse, the ancestors of King David are still visible in Hebron today. The Hebrew root of Hebron is kh-v-r, which means to "bind"; thus khaver in Hebrew means a "friend". Since Biblical and Quranic texts call Abraham as "the friend of God" it is quite natural that the city is named after him as Hebron. Interestingly, Arabs still call it al-Khalil, the city of the friend.

Here are some very interesting traditions about this cave. (1) Jewish legends hold Abraham knew through a prophecy that the cave was the resting place of Adam and Eve (first man and woman); as a result he chose Machpelah his family tomb. On the contrary, Christians maintain a tradition that the skull of Adam, at least, is buried under Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. While for Muslims Adam is buried in Mecca and Eve in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). (2) Prayers to God ascend to heaven through the Temple Mount in Jerusalem but only after making a stop through Machpela! (3) Machpelah is adjacent to the entrance to the Garden of Eden and it is the gateway through which souls enter into heaven. (4) The Patriarchs are not dead but "just sleeping" inside the cave and always praying for their children throughout generations. In the 10^th cent AD, Muslims built an annex and called it as the Tomb of Joseph (son of Jacob). However, Biblical narratives firmly place Joseph’s remains in Shechem (modern Nablus). Jewish people therefore strongly deny the Muslim claim for the Tomb of Joseph in Machpelah but consider the site as where the head of Esau (brother of Jacob) is kept. According to Jewish Talmud, Esau tried to prevent Jacob's burial in the cave and Esau's head was removed by Jacob’s grandson Chushim (son of Dan) and was placed in the cave. All together, if you count both groups’ claims, there are at least 10 people buried in this complex! I know it is too much confusing. Well don’t put so much pressure on your brain and skip if it’s really unbearable.

Over and around the cave, churches, synagogues and mosques have been built throughout history. Today the whole complex is enclosed by a structure built by King Herod about 2000 years ago. The cave complex is 200 ft long, 115 ft broad and 50 ft tall. Some of the stones remain exactly the same as erected by King Herod (first cent BC). It is considered as the most ancient and finest relic of Jewish architecture. The two minarets you see are built by Mameluks in 1260. The Mamluks forbade Jews from entering the site, only allowing them as close as the 7th step on a staircase outside the building. It was only 714 years later in 1967, when Israel conquered Hebron, the restriction was lifted and the steps were later destroyed. In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, an orthodox Jew entered Machpelah, took a rifle and killed 29 Palestinian Muslims and injured 125 others, before being lynched to death by survivors. The resulting riots left an additional 26 Palestinians and 9 Israelis dead. Since then the cave complex has virtually turned into a heavily guarded fort.

In brief, the present structure is roughly divided into three rooms with six tombs representing the resting place of the patriarchs and the matriarchs. These tombs or cenotaphs are just symbolic and built in the late 14th century by Mamluks. The original biblical caves are inside the mosque that harbours the new tomb of Isaac and Rebecca. The current situation is some thing like this….. The northern room has the tombs of Jacob and Leah and only Jews are allowed here. The central area has the tombs of Abraham and Sarah where I think both are allowed. The largest and the most important is the southern room. This hall is actually a mosque (built over a 4^th century church) with Isaac and Rebecca's tombs and only Muslims are allowed inside. The mosque has the only known entrance to the original doubled (Machpelah) caves which lies deep under the ground. The original caves were rediscovered accidentally in 1119 AD, by a monk named Arnoul. The caves were filled with dust, and after removing the dust, Arnoul found bones; believing the bones to be those of the Biblical Patriarchs, Arnoul washed them in wine, and stacked them neatly. A few years later Muslim leader Saladin captured Hebron and sealed the cave opening, only to be rediscovered by Israelis in 1967. The discovery happened with the help of a small 12 year old Jewish girl named Michal who climbed down this small opening (26 cm diameter) and found a secret tunnel. Later, in 1981, Dr. Seev Jevin, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, climbed down through this narrow entrance, went down 16 steps and crawled along a 20-meters long, 60-cm high and 100-cm wide tunnel in order to reach a 3.5 x 3.5 meter room and finally through a passage to a second smaller room. It was like a discovering a cave inside a cave, the double cave or Machpela. He found clay shards dating from Biblical times (almost 4,000 years old), pieces of a lamp and an intact wine jug! Today, the secret opening to the cave is concealed under a carpet and forbidden to explore. The waqf (Muslim Religious Trust) controls 81% of the building, including the mosque. As per recent agreements only 10 days in a year, both groups are allowed to visit exclusively all the sites. Thus if I want to see the original Machpela Cave, which is inside the Muslim Mosque, it is possible only 10 days in a year.

Ok enough with all the scary stories. Moreover, the tensed situations are confined largely to the regions adjacent to the Machpelah Cave in the Old City. New Hebron has many pleasant things to offer. The unique Hebron Glass and its legendary Hebron Grapes are world famous. The secret of colourful Hebron Glass lies with a few Palestinian families and they have kept the trade alive since 700 years. Because of the ideal climate for cultivation, Hebron's grapes are renowned from ancient times. A Jewish tradition has Noah, after the flood, bringing a vine from Mt. Ararat to Hebron, and an Arab tradition recognizes Noah's grave in Dura (Biblical Adoraim), five miles to the west of Hebron. During the exodus from Egypt, Moses sent spies to the Promised Land and they reached Hebron and returned from the Valley of Eshkol ("grapes") with a cluster of grapes so large that two had to carry it on a pole. Today, the image of the two bearing grapes is the official symbol of Israeli tourism. When the Babylonians, in 586 BC, destroyed Jerusalem and took all the inhabitants to exile, the vintners and farmers of this region was left untouched. May be they wanted the wine! (Jeremiah 52:16). One can still find huge bunches of grapes in Hebron's vineyards that weigh 3 kg. Hebron's alternate name is Kiryat Arba (city of four). Some say it is derived from the man Arba, the greatest among Anakim giants who lived here (Josh 14:15). It may also due to the four products, grapes, olives, grain and milk which Hebron served as emporium. The most popular explanation is attributed to the four couples buried in Machpelah.

I started from campus at 5.30 am in "O"s car. If you are using the public transport; Egged bus 160 from Jerusalem Central Bus Station goes directly to Cave Machpelah. We went to Beer Sheva and from there took the highway 60 to Hebron. Getting green signal from the check post, we entered West Bank. My first experience with Palestine was about to follow. The morning dew and cool temperature made the trip very pleasant. As we approached the city, "O" wanted me to lift the car window planes. Well I was in an Israeli car with yellow number plate, so there are possibilities of stones being thrown at you! At some of the junctions near the villages, roads on either side were jammed with concrete blockades for security reasons. Despite some of these unpleasant views, the way to Hebron was green and beautiful with vineyards, olive orchards and vegetable fields. Through the modern Jewish settlements of Mamre and Kiryat Arba we finally reached the Machpelah Cave. At the entrance to the Cave Complex there was strong presence of Israeli Border Forces in their olive green uniforms with all sorts of military gadgets. However, they were less bothered about me and I just had to pass through an automatic scanner which was expected from everyone. Later, I came to know from "O" that the officials wanted an assurance from him that I was not a Muslim. Since I was entering the Cave to the tombs of Jacob and Leah where Muslims are not allowed, the rules had to be obeyed. Just like the Muslim entrance to the tombs of Isaac and Rebecca are banned to the Jewish people. May be I could have accessed the later also, but I guess the chances are remote on a Friday.

I was just remembering our traditional prayers where God is always the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob. Today, I am standing exactly at the same place where all of them are together….I know it is a different feeling. The next journey was through the narrow alleys adjacent to the cave, the most sensitive part of Hebron and I have already described the experience. Saying bye to Hebron, we took the alternate route 317 to see the Judean Desert, the ancient city of Susiya (3^rd cent AD) and the Jewish settlement called Asael (see details along with photographs uploaded). After spending a good time with the orthodox Jewish community at Asael, we bid good bye to West Bank and returned to Israel. I was expecting a long list of queries at the check post, as I was now entering Israel from Palestine. At times small incidents are exaggerated to very big issues and one always expects the worst things to happen in Israel, but most of the times the opposite happens. May be because I was with an Israeli citizen everything went smoothly. He could be the biggest guarantee for my identity… I was inside Israel, safe and back to home. After doing a little bit of shopping in Beer Sheva we were back home by 4.30 pm.