“One generation ago the sons returned to their heritage. We returned to Hevron, to the Cave of
Machpela, to our fathers and mothers, to our roots in the country — and we will not move from here.
‘We will go to the Cave of Machpela and demand the opening at its gates, so that the sons can pray at the tombs of the fathers.”
Thus read a leaflet distributed in Israel during Sukkot. It called upon the people to participate on Tishrei 17 (September 22), the third day of Sukkot, in a march from Elonei Mamre to the Cave (a distance of about four miles), or to come to the Cave by buses, which will leave
from cities throughout the country. After the end of the march, a mass rally would take place in front of the Machpela Cave with the participation of rabbis, members ofthe Knesset and other community leaders.
The event was organized, chiefly, by the Jewish settlers of Hevron (Kiryat Arba), and also by the members of the other Jewish settlements in Judah and Samaria.
Buses from Jerusalem were leaving from nine o’clock in the morning until 12 o’clock noon. My wife and I — having attended a reception by President Ezer Weizmann in his Sukkah — arrived at the bus station just before noon, as the last buses for Hevron were about to leave. We bought tickets and took our places aboard one of the buses, which were filled with people of all ages, including old men and women and parents with babies. Most of the men were wearing knitted kipot, but there were also some ‘black hats’ and men clad in Hasidic garb.
The ride from Jerusalem to Hevron usually takes less than an hour. This time the journey was much longer. After arriving at Gush Etzion, we were held up
for about two hours.
About 20 buses, which had amved before us, were lined up near the junction. Many of their passengers were standing on the highway, waiting for a signal that they could continue their journey.
At the time, most of us were not aware of the reasons for the delay, which we were to learn only later That morning the authorities declared the area around the Machpela Cave a closed military zone, claiming that an Arab terrorist carrying a grenade had been seenthere and that an extensive search for him was being conducted The march was canceled and the settlers
were told by the authorities to hold the rally in Kiryat Arba.
About 2:30 p.m. the buses started moving, not to the Cave of Machpela, the original destination, but to Kiryat Arba, the Jewish settlement near Hevron. We arrived there about three o’clock. It was a scorching day and the first thing we did after our arrival was to buy
cold drinks at a refreshment stand. Later we took a light lunch in a large Sukkah. put up by a local restaurant. After our “meal,” I asked my neighbor, an immigrant from Argentina, who had come from Netanya
“What’s going to happen now?”
“I heard that we are not allowed to proceed to the Machpela Cave,” he answered,
I looked out into the street. People were moving on foot down the road. Thousands of them!
“But the people are going,” I said to my neighbor.
“Unbelievable!” he remarked when he saw the movement on the road. “I know for sure, that the authorities have forbidden us to assemble at the Machpela Cave.”
We joined the masses, who moved slowly along the road. Leaving the settlement behind us, we entered the highway, which led into Hevron. After about a 10 minute walk, the giant procession came to a halt.
As we were far in the back, we didn’t know what was happening. I told my wife to rest on a large flat rock and ran to the front of the procession to find out. The road was closed by soldiers, who prevented the people from continuing on their way to the Machpela Cave!
(To be continued)
The Jewish Press, Friday, Oct. 14, 1994
(Conclusion)
The soldiers wanted the people to turn back to Kiryat Arba, but they refused. At first, they didn’t know what to do, but then they looked for ways to bypass the military
The highway runs along the top of a hill. In order to avoid the military, we descended from the road to a spot halfway down the hill, proceeded from there for a distance parallel to the highway and then ascended again, returning to the highway several hundred yards behind the soldiers. The descent and ascent were extremely hazardous. The hill was steep, the terrain
slippery and rocky and there was nothing to hold onto for support. We assisted each other as much as we could. Without this mutual help, many of us, especially parents who came with babies and small children, would not have made it.
Continuing for about 20 minutes on the highway and through several side streets, we finally found ourselves in front of the Machpela Cave. Thousands of people filled the area. Many were sitting on the ground or on rocks They were talking, feeding the children and pouring themselves drinks from flasks and bottles to refresh themselves from the stifling heat. There were Minyanim for Mincha. Some said special prayers close to the Cave. Detachments of soldiers blocked the Cave’s entrances.
I asked a man who sat next to me, whether the planned mass rally would take place.
“1 don’t think so,” he answered, and added: “There is also no need for it. The rally was called to protest the government’s closing of the Cave to worshippers. Our very presence here, despite the authorities’ attempt to keep us away, speaks louder than any rally,”
A group of people, standing not far from one of the blocked entrances, formed a circle and began dancing. Singing “Utzu Eitza VeSufar” — an obvious reference to
the government’s actions with regard to the Cave and its general policy towards the settlers of Kiryat Arba and the other settlements of Judah and Samaria — they moved steadily closer to the soldiers, who barred the entrance to the Cave. All of a sudden they broke through the soldiers’ line and made an attempt to reach the Cave’s entrance. They were driven back by
the military During the short melee several people were wounded and a number were detained.
There were stands set up to distribute literature and sell books about Jewish Hevron and about the institutions and activities of the settlers
One girl was calling out: “Buy the books of Rabbi Meir Kahane ’ On the table in front of her were Rabbi Kahane’s Hebrew books aa well as a volume in Russian translation Despite the great obstacles put in his way by the Israeli government, the late, unforgettable Rabbi
Kahane succeeded in inspiring many thousands of young Israelis Though his organization has been outlawed, his followers are to be found wherever Jewish nationalist activities or active resistance against the government’s leftist policies are taking place.
In the late afternoon rumors spread that the scheduled rally would take place On the roof of one of the houses one could see musicians making preparations to perform and loudspeakers being installed. But nothing further developed.
When night fell, people began to leave. In order to catch the bus to Jerusalem, we had to walk back to Kiryat Arba. My wife was exhausted. The heat and the hill-climbing were too much for her. She complained to one of our walking companions, a Jewish woman from Australia, who grabbed my wife’s arm and said to her; “Do as I do Walk three steps and rest, three steps and
rest'” It helped, but not much. Luckily a police ambulance passed by. I stopped the vehicle and asked the personnel to take my wife to Kiryat Arba, which they did. A half hour later, when I arrived on at Kiryat Arba, my wife was waiting for me at the entrance to the settlement. From Kiryat Arba we returned by bus to Jerusalem.
The Jewish Press, October 21, 1994