On Chof Tes Iyyar, exactly 57 years ago, Hebron was miraculously liberated during the Six Day War. As if awakening from a long slumber, the city reverberated with the call of the shofar, a sound not heard within its walls for many years.
From 1948 until 1967, not a single Jew stepped foot in Hebron. It was only after the miracles of the Six-Day War that Jews were once again able to visit Me’arat Hamachpelah and return to their homes and shuls in the city.
Just one day after Jerusalem’s liberation, Rabbi Shlomo Goren and his driver set out for Hebron, expecting to catch up with the IDF. To his astonishment, Hebron was eerily quiet, with no soldiers in sight—only white flags of surrender waving outside the houses. Unbeknownst to him, the IDF was planning a strategic attack from the nearby hills, not realizing Rabbi Goren had already taken the city. Witnessing the hand of Hashem, Rabbi Goren went straight to Me’arat Hamachpelah and entered the ancestral burial grounds, a historic moment after entrance had been banned for Jews for several hundred years.
But what they found dismayed them. The shuls had been destroyed and transformed into sheep pens and public bathrooms, and Beis Romano, which had once been home to the Toras Emes yeshiva founded by the Rebbe Rashab, was now occupied by an Arab school. The words of the possuk “Have you murdered and also inherited?” seemed to come alive as the Chabad Chassidim saw the holy acquisitions of our Rebbeim trampled on.
It took years, and a stubborn fight, but one by one, the Jewish properties were redeemed. It started with the Avraham Avinu shul and its adjacent Chabad shul, purchased by the Mitteler Rebbe, and continued with the other properties, including Beis Schneerson, where Rebbetzin Menucha Rochel had lived.
During those years, the Rebbe strongly encouraged time and time again, those who set out to establish a Jewish presence in Hebron. He sent groups to daven at Me’arat Hamachpelah, quoting the tradition that it is the “entrance to Gan Eden.”
VIDEO
The Rebbe Gives Power of Attorney
The Rebbe, who continuously encouraged the pioneers of the Jewish settlement in Hebron, gave the community leaders power-of-attorney to reclaim these Chabad properties on his behalf.
Today, the vision of our Rebbeim is coming to life as a new Jewish neighborhood is finally being built on this sacred land. The Chizkiyahu Quarter – Nachalat Chabad Development Project is a reminder of the enduring legacy of our Rebbeim and their long-term vision for a vibrant Jewish presence in Hebron.
During this auspicious week, the project leaders are meeting with potential investors and buyers, aiming to propel the project forward and ensure the purchase of all apartments―safeguarding this sacred land for generations to come.
Be Part of Chabad’s Historic Development in Hebron
Be Part of Chabad’s Historic Development in Hebron!
Claim your dream home in Israel, A home where every step echoes with the dreams of the Avos, Imahos, and the Chabad Rebbes.
Please visit: jewelofhebron.com
