Israeli youth living in Hebron have to face the hostility of foreign anarchists on their doorsteps all too often. Being provoked by obscene remarks, they have been forced to defend themselves against the intruders by speaking up for themselves.
I was in Hebron recently and stopped by to visit the Rebbetzin and her children. She was not home, but I had a good visit with three of her kids, T’hila, Emunah and Yosef. Surprisingly, they remembered they had shared refreshments with me in their Succah last year and asked me to come again this year.
In the course of our conversation, I asked them what they would want to say to the world at large. After a few bold statements, I asked them to write a short letter in their own words which follows. Yosef was too busy to bother since friends were awaiting his appearance outside.
מתהילה:
יש לנו את הזכות לגור בחברון כי זה ליד קברי אבותינו ואמהותינו הקדושים: אברהם, יצחק, יעקוב, שרה, רבקה ולאה. אנחנו מזמינים את כל מי שרוצה לבא לבקר ולחדק את המקום.
(TRANSLATION: From T’hila: “We have a G-d given right to live in Hebron! It is the burial place of our righteous forefathers – Avraham, Yitzak and Yaakov, and also three of our ancestral mothers – Sarah, Rivka and Leah. We invite everyone who wants to come and visit, and strengthen this place.”)
מאמונה:
כה חשוב לגור בחברון כדי להראות לכל העם שחברון שייכת לעם ישראל ולא צריך לחלוק אותה עם שום עם אחר כי ה הבטיח לנו אותה ושום עם לא יכול להגיד שהיא שייכת לנו כי אברהם קנה אותה בכסף מלא מעפרון.
(From Emunah: “It is so important to live in Hebron in order to show all people that Hebron is designated for the People of Israel, and it should not be opposed by other people because Adonai promised it to us. And again people should not say that the city is not ascribed to us because Abraham bought the land with money from Ephron the Hittite.”)
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