I told her, yes, members of the Slonim family were holed up in Rabbi
Ya'akov Slonim's home. The Rabbi's Arab landlord, hearing about the impending
riots, stood at the door of the house, refusing to allow the marauding Arabs to
enter. They put a sword on his throat, threatening to kill him if he didn't
move. He didn't budge. They drew blood. He stood his ground. Finally, they left.
The building's residents survived, including her grandmother.
The young woman's eyes bulged. 'That's the exact story my grandmother
told me," she exclaimed.
Not far from Rabbi Ya'akov Slonim's house is Beit Hadassah - the Hadassah
House in Hebron, was built in 1893 as a medical clinic for Arabs and Jews in the
city. It served the community for 26 years.
Today Beit Hadassah is home to Jewish families in Hebron. A small
synagogue is located on the ground floor. The basement floor is rather unique.
There is the Hebron Heritage Museum, detailing the magnificent history of
Israel's first Jewish city, some 3,800 years old. Many of the groups touring
Hebron visit this site. It provides, as I am wont to tell visitors, a taste of
Hebron's Jewish history, over the centuries.
Perhaps the most difficult and emotional room in the museum is a memorial
to victims of the 1929 riots and slaughter. At least 67 Jews were murdered in
Hebron, with over 70 injured. A total of over 130 Jews were killed throughout
pre-state Israel, in Jerusalem, Tzfat, Motza and other places.
The accounts are documented and the events well-known. On Thursday,
August 22, that being the 16th day of the Hebrew month of Av, a group of Jews
from the Haganah, led by Mordechai Shneerson, came to Hebron and met with its
Jewish leadership. 'Mufti Amin el-Husseini is inciting. There's going to be
trouble. Take weapons to protect yourselves.' Hebron's Jewish leaders refused.
'The Arabs are our friends. The protected us in the past, and will do so again
now. We've already met with them. Weapons will only act as a
provocation.'
The Haganah representatives left with the weapons they'd
brought for Hebron's Jews, who remained defenseless. They paid dearly for their
error in judgment. The next day rioting commenced. One Hebron Jew, a yeshiva
student, Shmuel Rosenhalz, was murdered just prior to the beginning of Shabbat.
British police officer, Major Raymond Cafferata, told the Jews to stay home and
lock their doors. The next morning Arabs went house to house, torturing, raping,
pillaging and killing. Virtually nothing was done to help the Jews. True, there
were Arabs who saved Jews. But not enough. At least 67 were killed. Three days
later, the survivors were expelled.
Following recitation of the account, and viewing of the horrid photos in
the room, I repeat, to just about anyone and everyone visiting with me, two
messages: First, in 1967, when Israel liberated Hebron, it did not conquer and
occupy a foreign city. It came home. Second, Israel always has to be able to
protect itself. When we leave our fate in the hands of others, this is the
result.
In theory, the lesson need only be learned once, the hard way.
Unfortunately Israel continues to make the same mistake, time and time again.
Since Oslo was signed, putting much of Israel's security in the hands of our
neighbors, over 1,500 Jews have been killed in cold-blooded terror attacks.
Since abandonment of Gush Katif and Gaza, well over 10,000 rockets have been
shot into Israel. Those attacks continue, to this very day.
This is particularly significant at present: To Israel's north we are
witness to a barbaric slaughter of men, women and children. I'm no great fan of
Syria, or its Arab population. They have warred against Israel and killed our
citizens. However, politics aside, it is difficult to watch a twenty-first
century bloodbath, perpetrated by one man trying to hold on to power, with
virtually nothing being done to stop him and the carnage. World powerstis and
hiss, but that's about it.
North east of Damascus, less than a thousand miles away, sits another
Bashar Assad, this one going by the name of Ahmadinejad. He doesn't care a whole
lot more about his hometown folks in Teheran than does the butcher in Damascus.
But his target is different. About 590 miles away, (that being some 1,500
kilometers) is Tel Aviv.
So what's the lesson to be learned? Crystal clear. If we – if Israel
waits for someone else to protect us, to ensure our security, the loss is liable
to be much greater that the Jews massacred in 1929. The world watches as Syria
burns; why should they act different while, G-d forbid, Israel burns? Hebron's
1929 Jewish population was decimated, while others watched from the sidelines.
Would world leaders act any differently from Raymond Cafferata?
Why were Hebron's 1929 survivors expelled, following the riots? Years ago
I was told, by a man whose family survived, that his father wrote to the British
high commissioner, asking that very question. The answer was short and to the
point. 'There were more Arabs than Jews in Hebron and you couldn't continue
living together. It was easier to expel the Jews than the Arabs.'
What might today's international 'high
commissioner' declare, following an Iranian attack on Israel? Might not the
state of Israel face the fate of Hebron's 1929 Jewish
survivors?
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