Show that you too Care

 

 

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October 30, 2006

 

Well, it's that time of the year again.

 

"What time?" you ask.

 

The holidays are over, the rain and cold are starting to move in. Hebron tours continue, but that's nothing new. So, what time of the year is it?

 

According to the Hebrew calendar, tomorrow, the ninth day of Heshvan, is a momentous day in the history of Hebron.

 

Hebron has known many famous residents. Starting with the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, through the days of King David and the Maccabees and Bar Cochva, Hebron's earth has been covered with many prestigious footsteps. Even today, we are honored by the visits of famous Torah scholars and Rabbis, illustrious guests and entertainers. And perhaps above all, hundreds of thousands of 'amcha beit Yisrael,' simply the people of Israel.

 

However, the anniversary of one of the most esteemed visitors who ever came to Hebron and visited Ma'arat HaMachpela, the tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, was exactly 840 years ago tomorrow. He writes, "On the first day of Shabbat (Sunday) the ninth day of the month (of Heshvan) I left Jerusalem for Hebron to kiss the tombs of our Patriarchs at the Ma'ara. And on that same day I stood at the Ma'ara and worshiped, praise to the L-rd, for all. And these two days, the sixth (having arrived in Jerusalem and visited the Kotel – the Western Wall) and the 9^th (having arrived in Hebron and prayed at Ma'arat HaMachpela) of Heshvan, I pledged would be as a festival of prayer and joy, with food and drink. G-d should assist me with everything and to keep my pledge, Amen."

 

These words were written by none other than Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, better known as the Rambam, or Maimonides, one of the greatest Jewish Torah scholars and thinkers to ever live. There are few people whose teachings have had such a significant influence on the lives of multitudes of Jews throughout the ages as the Rambam. >From his words, it is clear that this visit to Hebron was one of the highlights of his life. One can only imagine this righteous person, standing by the tomb of the first Jew, Avraham Avinu, our father Abraham, beseeching G-d to bring the final redemption, pleading for the ingathering of the exiled, and the rebuilding of Eretz Yisrael and Jerusalem. So it was, in 1166,  And it is something of a day of quiet celebration still, in Hebron.  

 

I guess you could say the Rambam was lucky. He had the privilege to be in Hebron (before Ma'arat HaMachpela was declared off-limits in 1267) and to pray at the 2^nd holiest site in the world, second only to Temple Mount, which he had visited only a few days earlier. And thank G-d, hundreds of thousands of others make their way to Hebron today, many for the same reasons that Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon came, eight hundred and forty years ago. To pray at the Tomb of the Patriarchs, to identify with their roots, to experience such an experience that can only be experienced in Hebron.

 

When people ask me why we live here, why reside in Hebron, a city seemingly fraught with dangers, surrounded by adversity, the answer is simple. If we didn't live in Hebron, no one today would be able to do what the Rambam did eight centuries ago. The Maara was off-limits to us for 700 years – from 1267 until our return in 1967. There is no doubt, as our 'neighbors' tell us, that should they control this sacred site, (G-d forbid), it would be totally inaccessible to all non-Moslems.  We have to hold tight to our heritage to prevent it from being 'stolen' by enemies, some of who desire to wipe us out physically and others, spiritually.

 

Many, Jews and gentiles, even those who don't make it for a visit in Hebron, find strength and encouragement in the very fact that Jews have returned home – to our home in Eretz Yisrael, to Jerusalem, to Hebron. The fact that Jews can send prayers directly to the Cave of Machpela, that they can see pictures and movies of our holy sites, the fact that Jews are living on their land, is, in and of itself, a source of pride and of spiritual energy.

 

It is important to know that those of us living here are, do so, not because we are coerced to do so, rather, because we want to be here, to live in the shadows of our ancestors, to walk in footsteps of our Forefathers, to bring a Jewish city, left in ruins, back to life.

 

One of the people who has had the privilege to not only live here in Hebron, but to bring Hebron into the lives of thousands, is my friend Simcha Hochbaum. Simcha and his wife Lea made aliyah, that is, they came to live in Israel, about eleven years ago from the Lower East Side in Manhattan, New York. Simcha was 'shul rebbi' – a student of R' Shlomo Carlebach, of blessed memory, and a Rabbi in his own right.

Simcha and Lea didn't leave New York for Tel Aviv or even Jerusalem. They came straight to Hebron. There aren't too many people who have done that. Today, with their beautiful family, they are one the pillars upon which Hebron rests.

 

Simcha has two jobs. Every night be drives from Hebron to Beit Shemesh to teach at the distinguished Yeshiva founded and headed by Rabbi Jay Marcus, Reishit Yerushalayim. Simcha is one of the most popular teachers at this Torah institute, and invests much time and energy with his young students, many of whom remain close to him for years following conclusion of their studies at the Yeshiva.

 

However, during the day Simcha takes off his Rabbi hat, and puts on a Hebron cap. He is known as Mr. Hebron – the person who introduces hundreds and thousands to Hebron's sites and sounds. As Hebron's director of tourism, Simcha leads groups from Jerusalem to the ancient walls in Tel Rumeida, to the Beit Hadassah museum, to the Avraham Avinu synagogue, (which is about 50 meters from his own home), and finally to Ma'arat HaMachpela.

 

Simcha's tours aren't just tours – they are an event – a spiritual event second to none. That fact that many people 'come back for more,' returning year after year to again experience another 'Simcha tour' speaks for itself.

 

Next week, Simcha Hochbaum will the recipient of the Rabbinic Leadership Award at the Hebron Fund/Jewish Community of Hebron annual banquet in New York. He is well deserving of this honor. Because even when he isn't wearing his 'Rabbi Hat' he is doing what he does best – educating. Teaching Jews and gentiles about one of the holiest places on the globe.

 

Simcha would be honored to have you join him, honoring Hebron, honoring others who too have dedicated themselves to helping Am Yisrael get back on its feet in Eretz Yisrael, in Hebron, after 2,000 years of 'being away from home.'

 

I too will be in New York, together with my friends and colleagues, Noam Arnon and Rabbi Hillel Horowitz. And of course, Yossi Baumol, executive director of the Hebron Fund will be there to greet you also.

 

For those of you who have been in Hebron, this is a chance to again participate in keeping Hebron's thriving Jewish community strong, showing not only us, but people around the world how important Hebron is to you.

 

For those of you who have never been in Hebron, well, I guess I could say Hebron is coming to you. We'd love to meet you and let you meet us. 

 

You can still make reservations easily at: www.hebronfund.com or call 1-718-677-6886. If you don't live in the NY metropolitan area you can still show that you care: Dinner Journal Blessings can be sent in via the Hebronfund website or the above-listed phone number. The journal is closing tomorrow so don't wait too long. Send in your blessings, thanks and best wishes to Simcha Hochbaum and the entire Hebron Jewish community. Show that you too care.

 

And thanks very much. From all of us

 

With blessings from Hebron.

An open letter to: The Honorable Robert Rydberg, Ambassador to Israel from Sweden

 

 

22 November 2006

 

The Honorable Robert Rydberg
Ambassador

Embassy of Sweden
Asia House
4, Rehov Weizmann
64 239 Tel Aviv
Israel

Fax: 03 718 00 05

ambassaden.tel-aviv@foreign.ministry.se

Dear Mr. Rydberg,

We have been informed that the Swedish foreign ministry has appealed to the government of Israel concerning an attack on Swedish citizen Tove Johansson, in Hebron, on Saturday afternoon, 18 November 2006. According to press reports, Ms. Johansson is a member of the extremist Palestinian organization International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and was in Hebron as part of a protest against the Israeli presence in the city.

We would like to clarify several points concerning this incident:

1. The Jewish community of Hebron rejects any and all unnecessary violence of all kinds, by anyone, be they Arab or Jewish. This is community policy, and is enforced to the best of our ability.

2. ISM has had a presence in Hebron for over a year, and other foreign organizations, including TIPH, CPT, and others have had a presence in Hebron for a number of years. Very rarely, if at all, have there been any violent incidents between Hebron's Jewish residents and members of ISM. Community residents do their best to ignore them. At most, there are verbal exchanges between the two sides. We are unfamiliar with complaints issued by ISM activists against Hebron's Jewish residents.

3. In accordance with the above paragraph, and keeping in mind the fact that over 30,000 Jews visited Hebron on 18 Nov 2006, celebrating the purchase of the Tomb of the Patriarchs for the Jewish people by Abraham some 3,700 years ago, it is clear that the perpetrator(s) of the attack were not residents of Hebron's Jewish community.

 

a. Hebron residents do not, and have not, physically attacked ISM members in Hebron.

b. Hebron's residents are known by security forces in the city, and anyone participating in such an attack would have been easily identified and apprehended. However, the police have yet to identify or arrest anyone who participated in the attack.

c. According to press accounts, one of the perpetrators was quoted as having said, "I have a flight to France tonight."

d. The fact that an overwhelming majority of the people in Hebron on Saturday, 18 Nov 2006 were not Hebron residents, along with the above-mentioned facts, is clearly proof that no members of Hebron's Jewish community participated in the attack against Ms. Johansson.

4. According to press accounts, police and other security forces requested, prior to the attack, that Ms. Johansson and other protesters vacate the area, due to the sensitivity of their presence. It must be remembered that strict Sabbath observance forbids use of cameras and other such equipment. Photographing people who object to use of cameras on the
Sabbath is extremely sensitive and many people object to being photographed on the Sabbath. Ms. Johansson and others were requested by Israeli security forces and others to refrain from photographing Sabbath observers, however, they refused this request. This, of course, does not justify physical attack, however, clearly, had the protestors acceded to this request, most likely the attack would have been avoided.

5. According to various internet accounts, the attackers yelled, "we killed Jesus and we will kill you too." According to eye-witnesses at the scene, this accusation is false. No such phrase was uttered.

 

6. In addition, according to some written accounts, Ms. Johansson did not receive proper first-aid care from medics that arrived at the scene. This is also a blatant lie. Medics from the Hebron community arrived in a community ambulance, determined the cause of the injury, and then treated Ms. Johansson just as any other injured person is cared for. The Hebron Jewish community ambulance, together with medic and driver, drove Ms. Johansson to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, according her full treatment.

 

7. Finally, the presence of ultra extremist anti-Israel – anti-Jewish organizations such as ISM and other such groups in Hebron is, as can be understood, extremely  unpopular amongst Hebron residents and community supporters. Their presence is clearly provocative, with the goal of aiding Arab terrorists who attempt to murder Hebron Jewish residents and support the aim of expelling Jews entirely from the city. As stated above, Hebron's Jewish community does its utmost to ignore these people, despite the trouble they cause the community, action which, at times, borders on clear incitement against Hebron's Jewish residents as well as Israeli security forces in the area. The fact that during such a huge Sabbath celebration, ISM members saw fit to continue public protest, utilizing instruments as cameras on the Sabbath, and photographing people against their will on the Sabbath, is a tremendous provocation. Again, unnecessary violence cannot be justified, but neither can overt public provocation against such a large gathering. Had they refrained from demonstrating, the attack would not have occurred.

8. In conclusion, the Jewish community of Hebron would suggest to the Swedish Foreign Ministry that in order to avoid any other unpleasant incidents in Hebron, that all Swedish citizens, including members of TIPH and others, such as Ms. Johansson, be requested to stop their politically provocative anti-Jewish activities, leave Hebron immediately and stop interfering in internal Israeli affairs.

Sincerely,

David Wilder    Noam Arnon
Hebron Community Council Members
Spokesmen
The Jewish Community of Hebron

hebron@hebron.org.il

 

Little Warriors

 

Please pray for the baby: Yair Nisi ben Roni Bat-tzion who was critically injured in an auto accident

 

November 24, 2006

 

Shabbat is starting in just over an hour, but there are some things that you feel like you have to write, even if time is short. I was busy earlier with a group from Lakewood, New Jersey, and only now can sit for a few minutes. I hope I manage to express my thoughts lucidly.

 

It was just a week ago that we hosted, here in Hebron, somewhere in the vicinity of 30,000 guests. No, they didn't all eat at my home in Beit Hadassah. We split them up amongst the families in Hebron and Kiryat Arba. : ) – Well, almost. We had something over 20 at our Shabbat table. That was considered small. Others had between 50 to 100 guests.

 

Some ate in tents set up all over, receiving Shabbat meals preordered from Hebron's hospitality center. Friday, during the day and all night, as well as all day Saturday, was amazing. So many Jews walking the streets, visiting the sites, just being here, in Hebron and Kiryat Arba, was really an event to be experienced. It is very difficult to express in words.

 

The preparations for such a weekend are long and consuming. People worked day and night for weeks to try and insure that everyone arriving would have a place to sleep and food to eat. And even those who didn't make reservations wouldn't be left out. (We had two fellows from Ashdod who 'showed up at the last minute' looking for somewhere to eat and sleep. We gave them a place on our floor and at the table. Many others did the same, welcoming 'unexpected' guests.)

 

People from all over the world come into Hebron particularly for this Shabbat. From the United States, from Europe, you name it and they are here. Kids, adults, everyone.

 

Shabbat Hebron, every year when we read in the Torah about Abraham's purchase of the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the Caves of Machpela, is always special. But this year was extraordinary. At least as far as I was concerned.

 

Last Friday morning our apartment beepers started buzzing. Sometimes they inform us of an engagement and at other times of a rescheduled community event, or even of a security problem. However, last Friday morning the buzzing beeper had other news for us: "Mazal Tov to Itzik and Oriya Pass on the birth of a new little baby boy."

 

Itzik and Oriya have two little girls. But they should have three, for Oriya gave birth to three girls. The first of those, their oldest daughter, was named Shalhevet, and over five years ago she was shot and killed by an Arab terrorist from the Abu Sneneh hills, overlooking the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. Shalhevet was in her stroller, with her parents at her side when the killer started shooting. Itzik was hit in the legs; the bullet went through Shalhevet's head, killing her instantly.

 

What does a family do following such a tragedy, their first-born plucked from them, at only 10 months of age? Itzik and Oriya are strong people, filled with faith and love of their land, their people and their G-d. It certainly wasn't easy, but with support from family and friends, and people all over the world, they were able to overcome their sorrow and mourning. Today they live only meters from the very spot where Shalhevet was shot and killed, with their two other daughters playing outside in the playground adjacent to where their oldest sister was murdered.

 

And after three girls, Oriya Pass gave birth last Friday to their first son.

 

Early this morning, at the 'Kollel' (Torah Study Hall) opened in Shalhevet's memory in that same Avraham Avinu neighborhood, family and friends, from Hebron and all over Israel, celebrated the new baby's 'Brit Milah' – ritual circumcision. During the ceremony the baby was named, David Tzuri; David, in honor of Itzik's father, David Pass. Tzur, in Hebrew, means a hard stone, and connotates strength, and is sometimes a synonym for G-d (as is suggested in the Israeli Declaration of Independence). King David, writing in Psalm 144 says  "'Baruch Tzuri,' praised be my rock (my strength – my G-d), who teaches my fingers battle and my hands war." Of course, King David started ruling here in Hebron for over 7 years before moving up to Jerusalem. So the name, David Tzuri has much meaning, for the family, privately and symbolically, relating to all of us, teaching us all.

 

Following the loss of a child, so tragically, the Pass family didn't give up, they didn't run away. They battled, for the right to continue to live, in Hebron, in Eretz Yisrael, to continue to have children, who too can play in the city of the Patriarchs, and worship at Ma'arat HaMachpela. At the present these rights entail battle and war, privately and publicly, by each and every individual, and by the State. Sometimes these legitimate rights, to live freely and safely in our homeland are forgotten by some, but others, like Itzik and Oriya Pass, won't let them be forgotten. They are raising children, who in their very being are warriors; the fact that they live here in Hebron, or anywhere in the Land of Israel makes them so, whether they desire it or not. These little warriors are the future of our people in our land – and little David Tzuri, together with his two sisters and the others that are yet to be born, are the best memorial their oldest sister, Shalhevet, could ever have.

 

To the extended Pass-Zarbiv family, Mazal tov – best wishes for many other happy occasions. From all of us in Hebron.

 

Simcha

Simcha by David Wilder The Jewish Community of Hebron October 22, 2006   Well, I guess life is somewhat back to normal, whatever that is. The holidays concluded a week ago, and that's given me time to take a deep breath and start to recover.   Maybe that's not the correct phrase to use; recovery sounds like recuperating from something like surgery or other, not-so-positive events. In this case recuperation is not from anything negative. To the contrary: nothing could have been more positive. But still, recuperation was called for. That's what happens after Hebron was privileged to host over 100,000 people during the week of Succot. That's right: over one hundred thousand people. And somewhere between 50-60,000 plowed their way into the city on Monday of Chol HaMoed, the second intermediary day of the week-long festival. After a week like that, one must sit back, take a deep breath, and begin to figure out how to channel all the energy generated by such a week. I'm  now starting to get back onto my feet.   Succot is always a happy holiday. Spending seven days in 'booths' – wood, or cloth-walled shacks, with many people eating all their meals and sleeping outside every night, is an invigorating experience.  It is also humbling. One of the major concepts of Succot is pure faith. Strip a person of his security blanket, the protected rooms of his house or apartment, and the protection of a leak-proof roof over his head, and command him to reside for a week with palm-leaves or some other type of branch acting as a ceiling, and four flimsy walls around him, is a very good reminder of what we really are, And anyone who thinks otherwise can take a short journey in time back to the Tsunami, or 9/11. Our real protection clearly comes from above. The succot holiday is a good, annual reminder.   Actually throngs started flocking to Hebron not during Succot, but about a month and a half earlier, at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul, the last month on the Jewish calendar. According to reliable statistics, some 50,000 people arrived in Hebron from the beginning of Elul until Succot. So, altogether, in the space of just under two months, about 150,000 people  visited Ma'arat HaMachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and the Jewish community of Hebron. That's a lot of people.   During the holiday week there were tours available in multiple languages. Walking down the street I bumped into groups speaking Russian, French, Spanish, Hebrew and English. Various vendors filled the park across from the Ma'ara, selling everything from wine to postcards. Hebron children lined the streets, offering food and cold drinks to the visitors. Other Hebron residents presented their wares, including art, jewelry and ceramics, all hand-made. It was a site to see.   The BIG day during the week was Monday. At nine in the morning a special "Carlebach" prayer service started in front of Ma'arat HaMachpela. Hundreds, men and women, squeezed into the central Succah just outside the  Ma'ara. Accompanied by flutist Moshe Musa Berlin and his orchestra, Chizki Sofer playing the guitar and Hebron's own Simcha Hochbaum, the service continued for three hours to the tunes of R' Shlomo Carlebach zt"l, finishing just before twelve noon. The singing, dancing and worshiping were as uplifting as such a service can possibly be. But that was just the beginning.   By early afternoon there was a long line of people snaking their way into the Tomb of the Patriarchs. That line didn't let up for hours. Inside, the building was packed. Just after one o'clock the famed Hebron music festival began, and the crowd started gathering. Very quickly the audience covered much of the courtyard and reached the street. Every half hour or so the performers changed, and as the afternoon progressed, the spirits continued to rise.   I was standing near the stage. At about four o'clock the word came in. MBD's walking down the Erez path – will arrive in a minute.   For those of you who don't know who MBD is…   Eleven years ago I wrote an article – on Oct. 15, 1995, called Mordechai the Tzaddik. It dealt with the world's number one Hassidic singer, who had just visited Hebron: Mordechai ben David. I stick to my opinion of over a decade ago. He is still the best. And he is still a Tzaddik – a righteous person.   Not everyone is willing to come to Hebron. True, a hundred thousand in one week isn't bad. But, that leaves at least a few million that didn't make it. And unfortunately, too many of them have never been here. Yet there are those who can't stay away. MBD is one of those.   The first time I remember MBD in Hebron was exactly 13 years ago. Hebron resident, Baruch ben Ya'akov was stabbed by an Arab terrorist on an October Friday morning (and not badly hurt, thank G-d.)  The next night, after Shabbat was over, we heard rumors of a spontaneous concert to take place in Hebron outside Ma'arat HaMachpela. I came down from Kiryat Arba and found MBD, together with a few of his friends, such stars as Baruch Green and Avi Piamenta, (and others who I don’t remember) setting up a makeshift stage, with a very simple audio system. They came in to put on a show, as a result of the previous day's attack on Baruch.   No headlines, nowhere near tens of thousands of people, no money. Just a group of the best of the best, performing for a small group of people who'd heard that the show was going to go on. Raising the spirits of Hebron's Jewish community.   Over the years Mordechai ben David has continued to come into Hebron, usually for the Succot music festival, outside the Ma'ara. A few years ago, when our Arab neighbors were shooting at us from the hills, MBD would come in with a couple of buses of people and put on the same kind of makeshift show across from Beit Hadassah. With a local high school organist providing accompaniment, MBD sang his heart out for a couple of hours, with all Hebron participating, singing and dancing. When the shooting stopped and the festival moved back to Ma'arat HaMachpela, he continued his performances, not to a couple of hundred people, rather to tens of thousands.   A shtreimel (fur hat worn by religious Jews of certain Hassidic sects) perched on his head, his long 'peot'  (side-locks) swinging with his walk, MBD's most distinctive feature was the huge infectious smile glowing from his face. His whole charter gleamed with simcha – happiness.   A few of us hugged him and exchanged a few words of greeting. And then, in an operation characteristic of Israeli intelligence, we managed to get him and his accompanying guests into Ma'arat HaMachpela for afternoon prayers. That was not an easy task keeping in mind that about 50,000 people were waiting for him to appear. Had they known where he was, well, calling it a mob scene would be a severe understatement.   Upon conclusion of the prays in the packed Isaac Hall we again moved MBD out , this time using an entrance into Ma'arat HaMachpela that has been closed for the past 12 years or so.    Finally, at about 5:00 the show went on, and what a show it was. If earlier I used the word 'generate' to describe the energy of Succot in Hebron, here I would change that term to 'radiate.' The tremendous spiritual lift that MBD provided with almost an hour and a half of hassidic Jewish music was indescribable. The fact that tens of thousands were present, swaying and singing together with the him is proof enough. I later asked him if he felt Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya'akov dancing next to him. He shrugged it off. I, on the other hand, have no doubt that they were there too. It would have been impossible to sleep through such show.  I later wrote him that the energy radiated by his show will keep me going for a long time. And that's the truth.   The show finally ended and Mordechai and his friends took a tour of Hebron with Noam Arnon before heading back to Jerusalem. I still stand by my thoughts of 11 years ago. MBD really is the best, and he really is a tzaddik.   The rest of Succot was full of people. Every day Ma'arat HaMachpela was full. It was probably the largest Succot holiday we have ever had in Hebron.   So, after it's all over, what does it mean? It means that many many people, from all over, support Hebron's Jewish community. And of course, not all our supporters were in Israel, or in Hebron at the time. The 100,000 that were here are just a fraction of the support Hebron has, in Israel and around the world.   And that support is not just for Hebron. All these people back Jewish settlement throughout Eretz Yisrael, be it here, or in Beit El or Shilo, and it goes without saying that they all oppose expulsion of Jews from their homes, as was done last summer, and as the present administration is planning on again trying to do in the near future.   However, their long-term goals will never be implemented. The setbacks we have faced are temporary. During Succot I was interviewed by a CNN crew who asked me about this subject and I told them, "G-d didn’t' bring us back to Israel after a  2,000 year exile to throw us out again. This is our home. We are back, and we are going to stay."   How? Quite simply, we have a secret weapon. Despite everything, it will never cease to exist. It is called simcha – happiness, true, unadulterated joy, such as we were privileged to witness here in Hebron during the Succot holiday. If you missed it this year, make sure to be here next year. It is an experience you will never forget.   Guaranteed.   With blessings from Hebron.   *************************Pictures and video on the Hebron web site                                                        www.hebron.com*************************

 

Article: The Spark of Return by David Wilder

The Spark of Return

by David Wilder

The Jewish Community of Hebron

September 19, 2006

 

Shalom.

 

Usually when I give tours in Hebron, I do the talking and the visitors do the listening. Hebron's highlights are much more than just seeing the sites. The history, the culture and tradition and, for me, the stories, are what make a good tour. However yesterday, in the midst of an excursion around the city of the Patriarchs, my guest turned to me and said, 'now I want to tell you a story.' And what a story it was, especially for this time of the year, only a few days from Rosh HaShana, the Jewish new year, and Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year.

 

The story starts in Hebron, August, 1929. The riots that swept Hebron left 67 dead and over 70 wounded. One of those who survived, and was not physically injured was a young woman from a well-known family. True, she wasn't physically hurt, but the anguish, hearing the screams, witnessing the rape and torture, experiencing the horror, left not only scars, but open wounds on her soul.

 

She decided 'enough is enough. I don't want any more of this.' She met a British officer, married him and fled Eretz Yisrael. For Australia. Leaving her Jewish roots, her family roots, her Hebron roots, far behind.  But just Australia wasn't enough. She made her way, with her husband, to some remote village, populated by Australian aborigines, basically forgetting what seemed to her to be a retched past.

 

The years went by and she gave birth to a son who grew up having no inkling of his mother's past. He too married an Australian women and had children of his own.

 

But something bothered him. Israel. Israel kept tugging at him, for no rational reason. He couldn't get Israel out of his mind, and was almost literally going crazy. His wife had no idea what was happening to her husband and didn't know how to help him. His mother, remembering her past, kept her mouth shut.

 

Finally, he couldn't take it any more and left Australia to visit the holy land. When he returned he still couldn't rid himself of a constant attachment to Israel. At long last, seeing her son's turmoil, the man's mother sat down with him and told him her story. 'My son, I am a Jewess – I came from the holy city of Hebron, and fled, following the horrors of the 1929 massacre. If I am a Jew, than you too, my son, you too are a Jew, from a prestigious Jewish family, a family of deep fertile Jewish roots, from the first Jewish city in Eretz Yisrael.'

 

Yesterday's guest told me how he happened upon the family, this man and his mother, who turned their home into something of a 'little Israel' in the middle of nowhere in Australia, hosting Jews, and primarily Israelis who make it a point to come and visit there because 'there's a family there who helps Israelis.'

 

Why is this story so appropriate for the days preceding the High Holy Days? In every Jew is a spark, a spark of sanctity, a spark which cannot be extinguished, even in the most dreadful circumstances. A person can try to run, flee, escape, but the spark is an integral part of his being. It cannot be left behind. It can be buried deep within the soul, it can be forgotten or ignored, but it cannot be quenched. This is the spark of Judaism.

 

During this time of the year, observant Jews attempt to deal with the concept of 'Tshuva' which is usually translated as repentance, but literally means 'return.' Repentance literally means remorse or sorrow, but this is only one aspect of Tshuva. In order 'to do tshuva' a person must repent, but that alone is not enough. If a person is sorry about what he or she did, but then turns around and does the same thing again, of what value is the remorse? Rather, repentance is the first stage, but the second stage is to accept upon oneself a vow, not to repeat the same mistake again. And to really try and keep that self-made promise.

 

In Judaism, this concept is called Tshuva – returning. Returning to what? To our fundamental selves, to the purity of our initial being, returning to the life that G-d laid out for us, via Torah and mitzvot, fulfilling the positive precepts and refraining from forbidden acts.

 

Why is this called 'tshuva' – returning, what are we returning to?  We are returning to that spark, deep inside us, rediscovering it, allowing its light to warm us, to envelope us, to fill us with a Divine spirit; to allow that spirit to be at one with us and to try and live accordingly, each person at his own level and ability. So it was with this one man, living so far away, but sensing a spark deep inside him, pulling him, not giving him peace, until he discovered the source of his existence, the roots of his life, the spark of Judaism which was a part of his soul.

 

This year has not been easy in Hebron. Trying to live with the pain of last year's expulsion from Gush Katif and the northern Shomron was difficult enough. However, the hurt didn't stop there. This year, since February, Hebron residents were expelled from 12 homes – nine in the Mitzpe Shalhevet neighborhood, known as 'the shuk' and another three apartments in Beit Shapira, just down the road from the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. The Rinat Shalhevet Torah center, opened in the Mitzpe Shalhevet neighborhood in memory of murdered infant Shalhevet Pass hy"d was forced to move. All in all, not an easy year. So, in retrospect, how do we deal with these issues?

 

The answer, I believe, is buried in the above story. First, we have to remember that our very existence today in Eretz Yisrael is something of a miracle. For two thousand years Jews lived as a persecuted minority, being forced, in many instances, to convert or be killed. Thousands, tens of thousands, were murdered for one reason alone, because they were Jews. Our return to Eretz Yisrael was, and is, nothing less than a true Divine miracle. A rekindling of a spark.

 

Our return to Hebron, even after the return to the Land, even after creation of the State of Israel, is too a miracle. Who could have dreamed of Jews living next to Ma'arat HaMachpela, the Tombs of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, off-limits to Jews for 700 years? Following the 1929 riots and massacre who would dare live in a city of such hate? Yet, back we came, again a miracle, this time the miracle of 1967 and the Six-day war.

 

Following Oslo and the Hebron Accords, the Hebron Jewish Community was as good as finished – so we were told. How can Jews continue living in a community filled with terrorists who controlled about 90% of the city, including the strategic hills, which surround the civilian Jewish population?

 

And then, exactly six years ago – the Oslo war, on the eve of Rosh HaShana, 2000, - for two years the terrorists used those hills to shoot at us in an almost unceasing attempt to chase us from our homes. Yet they did not succeed. The Jewish Community of Hebron would not be vanquished. The spark continued to grow.

 

True, sometimes there are setbacks, at times the powers of evil give an illusion of bettering the powers of good. But this is only an optical illusion, temporary, soon to be forever changed.

 

Because the same spark that pulled and tugged a man who grew up as a non-Jew in the depths of Australia, bringing him back to his Judaism, that same spark continues to pull and tug at the Jewish people, wherever they are, be it in North America, Europe, South Africa, or Israel. That is the spark that brought us back to our land, to Eretz Yisrael, that brought us back to our Hebron, and that will eventually bring us back to Mitzpe Shalhevet, the rest of Hebron, to Kfar Daron and Netzarim, and to all of Eretz Yisrael,

 

That is the spark inside our neshama, inside our souls, individually and collectively, the spark of Torah, the spark of Am Yisrael, the spark of Eretz Yisrael, the spark of Tshuva, the spark of return.

 

Shana tova – Happy New Year.

 

With blessings from Hebron.

 

This article can be commented on at: http://www.davidwilder.blogspot.com/

 

Response

 

Shalom and thanks for writing.

 

A number of people have written asking why I didn't mention Moshe Feiglin in my last commentary "The bullet's in the chamber" [www.davidwilder.blogspot.com].

 

There were who suggested that I may have a personal aversion to Feiglin, and this in not correct. I have met him on various occasions, though we are not personal friends. I regard him with great respect, as a Jew with tremendous mesirut nefesh (dedication) and for what I consider to be sizable achievements, beginning with "Mitvtza Machpil" and Zu Artzenu and continuing through the present.

 

As much as I admire Moshe Feiglin, and the political inroads he has made, I do not consider him to be a serious candidate for Prime Minister, at least, not at the present.

 

Why not? There are several reasons:

 

1. As we have seen from recent catastrophies – i.e., Barak and Olmert, Prime Ministers' without necessary experience are not suited for the job. (That doesn't mean that anyone with experience is suitable!)  To the contrary, their inexperience has proved to be calamitous. Feiglin is undoubtedly G-d fearing, honest, and has all the qualities necessary for a true Jewish leader. This does not me, however, that he can justifiably jump from civilian clothing into the Prime Minister's seat. The Prime Minister of Israel must be able to make decisions which are not only ideological. They must also be professional. As we have recently witnessed, the lack of ability so obvious in the persons of our present Defense Minister and Prime Minister costs lives, and could, G-d forbid, put the existence of the State of Israel in jeopardy.  Despite Feiglin's tremendous abilities, I personally do not believe that he has, as of yet, garnered the experience necessary in various fields, to allow him to successfully become Prime Minister at this time.
2. It has been noted that he is popular within the Likud and that a campaign to enlist further Likud members from the right could bring about his election as chairman of the Likud. This, in turn, could bring about his election as Prime Minister. I believe that these ideas are inaccurate. As the last election proved, the chairman of the Likud cannot be guaranteed 1^st or 2^nd place in the Knesset. The Likud  came in tied for third.  Also, memories prove to be too short.  Only a few years ago Labor nominated Amram Mitzne as chairman of the Labor Party. As a result Labor plummeted and a party like Shinui was able to skyrocket. Traditional Labor voters could not vote for Mitzne due to his left-wing extremism, and, as a result, voted for Shinui. In other words, that fact that Feiglin might be able to capture the Likud leadership does not, in any way, guarantee support for him for Prime Minister. To the contrary, I personally believe that were he to be elected chairman of the Likud, the result could have disastrous implications. Traditional Likud voters would likely turn left (as we witnessed only a few months ago, with the huge swing to Kadima) thereby again bringing to power, strong, left-wing parties.
3. One must also take into account the present form of Israeli elections, i.e. voting for a list, and not for an individual prime minister. As long as the present system exists, how can we vote for a list containing people who favored, or at the least, did not actively reject the expulsion from Gush Katif, the abandonment of over 80% of Hebron and the very Oslo agreements which triggered the current talks of further expulsion of tens of thousands of Jews and continued abandonment of Eretz Yisrael. Even if Moshe Feiglin stands at the head of the list, what does he have behind him?

 

The question then asked is, what is the alternative, and as I stated my article, there aren't too many favorable alternatives. Israel has a serious leadership problem. There are ideal solutions, which, unfortunately, do not yet seem to yet be achievable. Until there is a major change, we have no choice but to work within the frameworks which currently exist, as faulty as they are. At the same time, we must attempt to bring about the changes necessary to overcome these difficulties. However, shooting ourselves in the foot is not going to bring about the salvation we so yearn. For these reasons, I did not present Moshe Feiglin as an alternative candidate for Prime Minister in the commentary: "The bullet's in the chamber.'

 

With blessings from Hebron for a Happy, healthy New Year,

David Wilder