Chevron & Kever Rochel

Yesterday, we went on our Artzenu tour to Chevron and Kever Rochel. It was a truly moving experience. I also really enjoyed the air conditioned bus!

First up, we hit Kever Rochel. Jacob buried his wife Rachel on the road to Bethlehem. As some may or may not be aware, Bethlehem is under Palestinian control at the moment, because Israel handed it over to them a couple of years ago in the name of peace. But, there is a fortress around Kever Rochel and it is also inside the security barrier. Thus, Jews may enter under heavy protection. The security barrier was put herebecause this is the hotspot where most of the suicide bombers came from.
Unfortunately, becuase Michael is a Kohein of course he could not enter. We have yet to ask a shilah (since I'm his wife) on whether or not I may go in. sSo to be safe, I didn't go in either. We really need to ask a Rav about this because I'm pretty sure I would have been allowed. Oh well, we got one of the tour leaders to take pictures inside for us!

Next up, Chevron! It was amazing to see such a place. It was very desolate. There was a few Jews there, but it is mostly Arabs living there. There is tight security for those few who do live there. The Jewish area is nice and well kept. The Arab areas are squallor. The tour guide explained that Israel offered to build houses for the Arabs too and give them the same level of living as the Jews, but the Arab leaders refused and forced their people to live in this devestation. Of course, the common people blame the Jews for their situation, and the Arab leaders know that. Hence why they purposfully refused aid from Israel.

We went into the Shul. It basically has no name. It is simply called the Beit Knesset Shel Avrohom Aveinu (The Synogogue of Abraham our forefather). It was built by Spanish Jews who came to Israel after the Inquisition. The reason they call it this is because of a very interesting story that took place in the late 1800s, during a lot of unrest. Basically, it was the eve of Yom Kippur and the Jews heard some buzz about an Arab attack planned for Yom Kippur. It was very scary. Many from this town left for Jerusalem for the Day of Atonement out of fear.

A few people stayed behind. When Yom Kippur started, some men came in. A few women were there too. They all sat and waited as men trickled in, slowly. Five, six, seven. Finally, there were nine men. They continued to wait. There wasn't a 10th and they couldn't start the prayer service without a tenth man! They waited. Hours went by. No one came. Finally, this strange little old man with a long white beard entered. They were so happy to see him, they offered for him to come and sit in the seat that the Rabbi usually does. He said no, that he'd sit in the back. So finally, they began the kol nidrei service. And they prayed. They preyed with such devotion, if you can imagine, because of the threat that was looming. They prayed with the feeling that they would meet their maker on this Day of Atonement.

That night, nothing happened. They came in the next day and continued to pray for the whole day. Not a peep from the hills surrounding them. Finally, it was the end of Kom Kippur and everyone turned around at once to the back to see if they could invite the honored guest who saved their prayer service to come break the fast at their homes. As they did, they saw him leaving through the door. They chased after him in the dark, asking him to please come and have some cake. As he turned the dark corner, it seemed he disapeared into thin air.

That night, the Rabbi had a dream that the old man came to him. He asked the old man, why he didn't stay? They would have been honored to share their post-fast meal with him. In the dream, the old man replied, "I'm sorry, but that wasn't the deal. I really had to get back." "Get back where?" questioned the Rabbi. "I had to get back to my cave!" said the old man, "For I am Avrohom! Your beloved forefather!"

The Rabbi sat up straight in bed, with a cold sweat. He ran to the other men to go tell them what he had seen in his dream. It was decided then and there that they would rename the shul from whatever it was called before to The Synogogue of Abraham our Forfather.

Later, during the Arab pogroms, it was destroyed. The Arabs used it as a goat pen for years until 1967, when Israel reclaimed Chevron. They rebuilt the shul and brought back the original Torah Scroll.

We ate lunch at a pizza place there and also purchased some things at the gift shop.


Next up, it was Kever HaMachpelim (The Cave of our Forefathers).



At Kever HaMachpelim, Abraham and Sarah, Isaak and Rivka, Jacob and Leah as well as Adam and Eve are all buried inside. King Horod built a structure over the cave to protect it. The Mamaluks (a sect of Muslims) came during the middle ages and took it over. The Mamaluks forbade Jews from entering. Now it is once again under Israeli control and everyone, Muslims and Jews, are allowed to come in.

Once again, Michael was not allowed in because it was a grave site and he is a Kohein. He is only allowed to get as close as the seventh step. I also, stayed outside and took some pictures while Michael davened mincha.
After that, we were off to Gush Etzion.

Gush Etzion has also a long and rich history that is also very bloody. Basically, it was a kibbutz in the 20s and 30s. When the Arab riots happend in reaction to the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948, the women and children were sent to Jerusalem. The men stayed behind to fend for their land. What ended up happening was a sad miracle. They held off the Arab advances for long enough that Jerusalem could be saved.

For had the Arabs destroyed Gush Etzion sooner, they would have been able to make it to Jerusalem to slaughter everyone there. The men gave their lives to protect their families and fellow Jews in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, they ran out of ammunition and the Arabs lined them up and told them it was for a red cross picture. When everyone lined up, they opened fire killing them execution style.

In 1967, when Israel retook this territory as well, the orphaned children (now adults) came back. Their lone oak tree from their childhood was still standing.

There are so many other things, so many other stories that we heard and felt when we went on this tour. To write everything with detail would take a much longer post.

We came back to Jerusalem around 5pm. Went out to dinner, came home, and once again collapsed. More soon.