Jews and Muslims Sharing Abraham in Hebron

Hebron is a fascinating place. With about 250,000 people, it’s the largest Palestinian city and the commercial capital of the West Bank. Its people, while very conservative,  seem to have some Crusader blood — you’ll see some blond hair and blue eyes. While the old town thrives with commerce, there is a palpable unease that makes just being here stressful. That’s because it has the Tomb of the Patriarchs — where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are all buried — which makes it holy for Jews, Muslims, and Christians…and sharing this peaceably is tricky.

The people of Hebron are seen as a bit different. They speak more slowly. Perhaps because of their Bedouin heritage, they have a tighter tribal community, and, I’m told, this is the only place you’ll find fresh camel meat at the butcher’s.
The people of Hebron are seen as a bit different. They speak more slowly. Perhaps because of their Bedouin heritage, they have a tighter tribal community, and, I’m told, this is the only place you’ll find fresh camel meat at the butcher’s.

You see and feel the tension in Hebron. The center of the city is literally Jews atop Muslims — as both communities are committed to staying close to the patriarch Abraham whose tomb lies in the center. While Arabs take the ground floor, a group of about 400 Jewish settlers (many of whom are American) live above them. Because of the violent history of this town, there is a large contingent of Israeli security forces to protect the Jewish settlers. Going through security turnstiles and walking down the boarded-up “ghost street” was not enjoyable. While people choose to live here to be close to their patriarch, I wondered what Abraham would think about the inability of his feuding descendants to live together better.

 A daily part of life in strife-torn Hebron is for residents to go through security turnstiles like this.
A daily part of life in strife-torn Hebron is for residents to go through security turnstiles like this.

While this is a tough place for a Jew to live, those who do are driven by their faith, believing it’s important not to abandon the burial site of their patriarchs, the second most holy site for them after Jerusalem. The Tomb of the Patriarchs marks the first Jewish possession in the land of Israel. Abraham purchased the burial plot almost 4,000 years ago as explained in Genesis 23. Many times the temple here has been “repurposed” as a church or a mosque. Jews could not go beyond the seventh step on a staircase outside the building from 1267 to 1967. Since 1967, Jewish worshippers have had full access to the holy site. In 1994, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a Jewish settler gunned down 29 Muslim worshippers here. Since then, the holy spot has been divided — half mosque and half synagogue — with each community getting a chance to pray at the tomb of Abraham separated by bulletproof glass.

The Tomb of the Patriarchs is holy for both Jews and Muslims. It holds the much-venerated tombs of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah. Much of the building is an old Crusader church built on top of an enclosure from the time of King Herod. It is split to function as both a mosque and a synagogue.
The Tomb of the Patriarchs is holy for both Jews and Muslims. It holds the much-venerated tombs of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah. Much of the building is an old Crusader church built on top of an enclosure from the time of King Herod. It is split to function as both a mosque and a synagogue.
Like they pray at the Western Wall of their destroyed temple in Jerusalem, Orthodox Jews pray at the foundation wall of their temple in Hebron. As at the Western Wall, the stones here are “Herod Stones,” quarried and cut during the reign of King Herod and each with a distinctive carved border.
Like they pray at the Western Wall of their destroyed temple in Jerusalem, Orthodox Jews pray at the foundation wall of their temple in Hebron. As at the Western Wall, the stones here are “Herod Stones,” quarried and cut during the reign of King Herod and each with a distinctive carved border.
In the Sanctuary of Abraham or Ibrahimi Mosque you can see a minbar. It's a staircase representing how teachers spread the word of the Prophet Muhammad — a standard feature in mosques. This one is a rare original from the 11th century made of inlaid wood and no nails.
In the Sanctuary of Abraham or Ibrahimi Mosque you can see a minbar. It’s a staircase representing how teachers spread the word of the Prophet Muhammad — a standard feature in mosques. This one is a rare original from the 11th century made of inlaid wood and no nails.
The memorial tomb of Abraham comes with bulletproof glass and barred windows so that his two sons' feuding descendants — Jews and Muslims — can respect his grave.
The memorial tomb of Abraham comes with bulletproof glass and barred windows so that his two sons’ feuding descendants — Jews and Muslims — can respect his grave.
Comments

8 Replies to “Jews and Muslims Sharing Abraham in Hebron”

  1. Hebron is even more a hard place for Palestinians to live. Shahada Street, the heart of the old city, has been “cleansed” of Arab presence by settlers — 400 settlers protected by 3000 Israeli police and military. Settlers themselves carry guns. They have established themselves in Palestinian territory. NO PALESTINIANS HAVE EVER BEEN ALLOWED TO “SETTLE” ANY PORTION OF ISRAEL PROPER TO BE NEAR HOLY SITES — not Church of the Holy Sepulchre, not Dome of the Rock. Nor have they been allowed to migrate to Israel proper to claim land for “natural expansion.” Why is there such a double standard, such a blatant disrespect for international law?

  2. Thank you for going to Hebron. Yes it is a place where the conflict cannot be avoided but it many of us travelers want to engage with real people not just visit tourist sites. It is a place that can- and has – exploded under the stress of mutual claims but, perhaps, it could also be a place where Abrahams children come to their senses! At one time in history Jews and Muslims and Christians did live peacefully as neighbors in Hebron.
    Did you visit the glass factory there on the edge of town? Beautiful glassware and handoainted pottery.

  3. Fascinating. And as dreadful as the camel butchery is, the photo is terrific of a reality that is hidden from most of us.

  4. The “my god is better than your god mentality” has created oceans of blood over millenia. Perhaps religion has done more good than bad but it often seems counter productive to me.

  5. As much as I believe travel bonds people together and teaches us to work through our differences, my trip to Israel and the West Bank last fall only made me weary and doubtful. In the video Rick posted on a previous post, I think you can even hear it in his voice, and Rick has to be one of the most positive people in the world. When I think back to riding through the West Bank and looking at the poor Palestinian teens in squalid valleys overshadowed by walled settlement communities that look like the lovechild of a Miami retirement community and Fort Knox, I knew that I would hate Israelis if I had grown up in Jericho or Hebron. I also know enough about the long suffering history of the Jews to know that they deserve a homeland.

    The more I learned and thought about the situation during my two weeks in Israel, the more helpless the situation seems. Reasonable people on both sides can come up with scenarios that would be fair and workable, but hardliners on both sides will never accept anything but an absolute victory. And the 21st century will continue to pay for the sins of the 20th century. We can only hope to repay some of the debt to lighten the load on the 22nd.

  6. No Palestinian teen is a refugee in the sense that he.she was expelled from their home. Their grandparents and some of their parents might well have been. In is not true that Palestinians have not been permitted to settle in Israel proper. Both Jewish and Muslim Palestinians have settled throughout all of Israel including Jerusalem. Muslims serve in the legislature and Supreme Court of Israel. Some volunteer into the IDF. ~20% of the population of Israel is Muslim

  7. The violence perpetrated by the settlers, not the Palestinians, causes the tension in Hebron and the necessity of the 3000 Israeli soldiers. Members of the Christian Peacemaker Team will walk Palestinian children to school to keep them from being abused by the settlers. Netting is placed over the suk to keep settlers in second story housing from throwing their garbage on Arab merchants below.

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