Hevron, Israel: Muslims Desecrate the Jewish Holy Site Cave of Patriarchs
Posted by sharia unveiled on July 14, 2013
Tomb of the Patriarchs is Judaism’s second holiest site.
By Ari Soffer
Jewish worshippers who arrived at the Cave of Patriarchs in Hevron after Muslim prayers on Friday were horrified to find that the site had been vandalised.
The Cave (known as Me’arat Hamakhpela in Hebrew) is usually split between Jewish and Muslim worshippers, but this past Friday it was open exclusively to Muslim worshippers in honour of Ramadan.
But when the Jewish section of the site was reopened, worshippers were horrified to find widespread desecration. Two mezuzot – cases containing Jewish holy scriptures affixed to the doorpost – had been torn off and stolen, and a third was damaged. Muslim worshippers had also thrown mud and garbage around the site, and uprooted parts of the garden outside.
Noam Arnon, a spokesperson for Hevron’s Jewish community, called upon the government to take such acts of desecration “at least as seriously as the burning of carpets in a mosque” – a reference to the string of condemnations and promises of a crackdown by authorities against acts of vandalism on mosques by suspected Jewish extremists.
“After a ‘Price Tag’ attack everyone rushes to condemn – the government, Members of Knesset, even the Chief Rabbis – and the police promise to do ‘everything in their power’ to catch those responsible. The people of Hevron are waiting to see if they will react in the same way to this act of desecration.”
המזוזה נעקרה
מנהלת מערת המכפלה
Arnon added that such acts were commonplace, particularly during Muslim holidays.
“I can’t say that we’re surprised, because this kind of thing happens after every Muslim festival. But we are still hoping that justice will be done.”
The Cave of the Patriarchs is considered Judaism’s second holiest site, after the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It is the burial place of the Jewish patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – as well as three of the four matriarchs – Sarah, Rebekah and Leah (the fourth, Rachel, is buried in Bethlehem).
source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169886#.UeK37I3Oua
Tombs of the Patriarchs
West Bank
Tombs of the Patriarchs at Hebron (Seetheholyland.net)
The Tombs of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron is the burial place of three biblical couples —Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.
The second holiest site in Judaism (after the Western Wall in Jerusalem), it is alsosacred to the other two Abrahamic faiths, Christianity and Islam.
It was the patriarch Abraham who bought the property when his wife Sarah died, around 2000 years before Christ was born. Genesis 23 tells how Abraham, then living nearby at Mamre, bought the land containing the Cave of Machpelah to use as a burial place. He paid Ephron the Hittite the full market price — 400 shekels of silver.
Today the site is the dominant feature of central Hebron, thanks to the fortress-like wall Herod the Great built around it in the same style of ashlar masonry that he used for the Temple Mountenclosure in Jerusalem.
Cenotaph of Abraham in Tombs of the Patriarchs (Eric Stoltz)
Herod left the interior open to the sky. The ruins of a Byzantine church built inside the wall around 570 were converted by Muslims into a mosquein the 7th century, rebuilt as a church by the Crusaders in the 12th century, then reconverted into a mosque by the sultan Saladin later in the same century.
Most of the enclosure is now roofed. Inside, six cenotaphs covered with decorated tapestries represent the tombs of the patriarchs. The actual burial places of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah are in the cave beneath, to which access is not permitted.
Scene of God’s covenant with Abraham
Set in the Judean Mountains about 30 kilometres south of Jerusalem, Hebron stands 930 metres above sea level, making it the highest city in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. It is also the largest city in the West Bank, with a population in 2007 of around 165,000 Palestinians and several hundred Jewish settlers, and is known for its glassware and pottery.
City of Hebron, with Tombs of the Patriarchs at left (Marcin Monko)
It was near Hebron that God made a covenant with Abraham, that he would be “the ancestor of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:4).
Abraham had pitched his tent “by the oaks of Mamre” (Genesis 13:18), 3 kilometres north of Hebron, at a site now in the possession of a small community of RussianOrthodox monks and nuns.
Here Abraham offered hospitality to three strangers, who told him his wife Sarah — then aged 90 — would have a son (Genesis 18:10-14).
When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, about 700 years after Abraham, the men he sent to spy out the land of Canaanreturned from the Hebron area with a cluster of grapes so heavy that two men carried it on a pole between them — an image that is now the logo of the Israel Ministry of Tourism.
Later, King David ruled Judah from Hebron for seven and a half years before moving his capital to Jerusalem.
Emulating Abraham’s hospitality, early Muslim rulers of Hebron provided free bread and lentils each day to pilgrims and the poor.
Complex is in three sections
Herod’s stonework on Tombs of the Patriarchs (Seetheholyland.net)
Herod’s mighty wall around the Tombs of the Patriarchs avoids the appearance of heaviness by clever visual deceptions. Each course of stone blocks is set back about 1.5 centimetres on the one below it, and the upper margin is wider than the others.
The corners of the edifice — called Haram al-Khalil (Shrine of the Friend [of God]) in Arabic — are oriented to the four points of the compass.
Inside, amid a confusing mix of minarets, domes, arches, columns and corridors of various styles and periods, the complex is divided into three main sections, each with the cenotaphs of a patriarch and his wife.
The main entrance, to the Muslim area, is up a long flight of steps beside the northwest Herodian wall, then east through the Djaouliyeh mosque (added outside the wall in the 14th century) and right to enter the enclosure.
Straight ahead, in the centre of the complex, are octagonal rooms containing the cenotaph of Sarah and, further on, the cenotaph of Abraham. Each of these domed monuments has a richly embroidered cover, light green for Sarah and darker green for Abraham.
Cenotaphs of Rebekah and Isaac (Seetheholyland.net)
In a corner just past Abraham’s room, a shrine displays a stone said to bear a footprint left by Adam as he left the Garden of Eden.
A wide door between these two cenotaphs leads to the GreatMosque, containing the cenotaphs of Isaac (on the right) and Rebekah. The vaulted ceiling, supporting pillars, capitals and upper stained-glass windows are from the Crusader church.
Ahead, on the southeastern wall, a marble-and-mosaic mihrab (prayer niche) faces Mecca. Beside it on the right is an exquisitely carved minbar (pulpit) of walnut wood. It was made (without nails) in 1091 for a mosque in Ashkelon and brought to Hebron a century later by Saladin after he burned that city.
Next to the pulpit, a stone canopy covers the sealed entranceto steps descending to the burial Cave of Machpelah.
Directly across the room, another canopy stands over a decorative grate covering a narrow shaft to the cave. Written prayers may be dropped down the shaft.
Minbar (pulpit) in Great Mosque in Tombs of the Patriarchs (Seetheholyland.net)
Entry to the Jewish area is via an external square building on the southwestern wall. This building houses a Muslim cenotaph of Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons (though Jews and Christians believe he was buried near Nablus).
Inside are synagogues and the cenotaphs of Jacob and Leah, each in an octagonal room. (Jacob’s beloved second wife, Rachel, is remembered at the Tomb of Rachel, on the Jerusalem-Hebron road north ofBethlehem).
Site and city are divided
Friction between Jews and Muslims at Hebron dates back to a 1929 riot in which Arab Muslims sacked the Jewish quarter and massacred 67 of its community.
More recently, in 1994 a Jewish settler entered the Tombs of the Patriarchs during dawn prayers and shot 29 Muslim worshippers (the mihrab still bears bullet marks).
Since then, Jews and Muslims have been restricted to their own areas of this divided site, except that each faith has 10 special days a year on which its members may enter all parts of the building. Pilgrims and tourists may enter both areas.
Israeli soldier guarding Jewish synagogue in Tombs of the Patriarchs (Seetheholyland.net)
The city of Hebron is also divided intotwo zones. The larger part is governed by the Palestinian Authority. The remainder, including the town centre and market area, is occupied by Jewish settlers and under Israeli military control.
In Scripture
Abram settles by the oaks of Mamre at Hebron: Genesis 13:18
God makes a covenant with Abram and changes his name: Genesis 17:3-5
Three strangers pay a visit to Abraham: Genesis 18:1-16
Abraham haggles with God over the future of Sodom: Genesis 18:17-33
Sarah dies and Abraham buys the Cave of Machpelah: Genesis 23:1-20
Abraham dies and is buried with Sarah: Genesis 25:7-10
Joshua attacks Hebron and kills its inhabitants: Joshua 10:36-37
David is anointed king over Judah at Hebron: 2 Samuel 2:1-4, 11
Administered by: Islamic Waqf Foundation
Tel.: 972-2-222 8213/51
Open: Usually 7.30-11.30am, 1-2.30pm, 3.30-5pm; Muslim area closed on Fridays, Jewish area closed on Saturdays. Passport checks apply and it is wise to check the security situation before visiting (the Christian Information Centre in Jerusalem suggests telephoning 02-2227992).
References
Beitzel, Barry J.: Biblica, The Bible Atlas: A Social and Historical Journey Through the Lands of the Bible (Global Book Publishing, 2007)
Brownrigg, Ronald: Come, See the Place: A Pilgrim Guide to the Holy Land (Hodder and Stoughton, 1985)
Chadwick, Jeffrey R.: “Discovering Hebron: the City of the Patriarchs Slowly Yields Its Secrets”, Biblical Archaeology Review, September/October 2005
Dyer, Charles H., and Hatteberg, Gregory A.: The New Christian Traveler’s Guide to the Holy Land (Moody, 2006)
Eber, Shirley, and O’Sullivan, Kevin: Israel and the Occupied Territories: The Rough Guide (Harrap-Columbus, 1989)
Freeman-Grenville, G. S. P.: The Holy Land: A Pilgrim’s Guide to Israel, Jordan and the Sinai (Continuum Publishing, 1996)
Gonen, Rivka: Biblical Holy Places: An illustrated guide (Collier Macmillan, 1987)
Inman, Nick, and McDonald, Ferdie (eds): Jerusalem & the Holy Land (Eyewitness Travel Guide, Dorling Kindersley, 2007)
Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome: The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700 (Oxford University Press, 2005)
Prag, Kay: Israel & the Palestinian Territories: Blue Guide (A. & C. Black, 2002)
Shahin, Mariam, and Azar, George: Palestine: A guide (Chastleton Travel, 2005)
External links
Hebron (Bible Encyclopedia)
Hebron (BiblePlaces)
The Cave of Machpelah (HolidayinIsrael)
Hebron (VisitPalestine)
Ma’arat HaMachpela (Jewish Community of Hebron)
Tombs of the Patriarchs, Hebron (Sacred Destinations)
Share this article with another site...
Israel names two biblical tombs in West Bank heritage sites
Israel named the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel's tomb in the West Bank heritage sites on Monday. Both biblical tombs are in Palestinian cities, and the decision brought warnings of violence and protests on Tuesday.
By Josh Mitnick, Correspondent
Bernat Armangue/APView Caption- About video adsView Caption
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — Palestinian leaders from both Gaza and the West Bank warned Tuesday of possible violence in response to the Israeli government's decision to include two biblical tombs in Palestinian cities on a list of Israeli national heritage sites.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the Belgian parliament inBrussels that the move is a ``serious provocation which may lead to a religious war.'' Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, meanwhile, called on Palestinians in the West Bank to launch a new uprising, or intifada, in response to the Israeli plan.
The warnings came as dozens of Palestinian protesters threw rocks at Israeli soldiers and burned tires for a second day in the city of Hebron, the site of the Tomb of the Patriarchs, also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs. In Bethlehem, where Israel controls a site in which the biblical matriarch Rachel is said to be buried, merchants observed a strike.
Recommended: Could you pass a US citizenship test?
The uproar over the government decision highlights the potential of even a symbolic declaration about contested holy sites to threaten months of relative calm in the West Bank. Both Israel and the Palestinians blame the other side for the year-long impasse in restarting peace talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu included the two controversial sites at the "national heritage" list at the behest of the Shas party, one of his right-wing allies.
"The timing is wrong at this point. Israel would find it easier and less controversial to declare these heritage sites when the peace process is going forward,'' says Meir Javedanfar, a Middle East expert based in Tel Aviv. "Right now it only makes other people believe that the current government in Israel is making yet another unilateral action. Some people will see it as yet another attempt to annex the West Bank.''
Mr. Netanyahu's office accused Abbas of "a campaign of lies and hypocrisy" in a statement Tuesday. "Rachel's Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs are burial sites dating from more than 3,500 years ago of Israel's forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the nation's foremothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel - and are worthy of preservation and renovation," the statement said.
Palestinians refer to Rachel's Tomb as Bilal Ibn Rabah mosque and to the Hebron burial cave as the Sanctuary of Abraham. Devout Muslims and Jews believe that Abraham and his wife, Sarah, are buried at the site. Jews further believe that Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, and Jacob and his wife, Leah, are buried there.
Hebron battles
The battle for control of the Hebron holy site has spurred bloodshed on both sides going back centuries. In recent years, Israel built a concrete wall through a neighborhood on the outskirts of Bethlehem in order to include Rachel's Tomb on the Israeli side of its West Bank security barrier.
Israel's government on Sunday adopted a plan to invest $106.4 million over six years to renovate 150 heritage sites. A statement called the project "of highest national value.''
Responding to the Palestinian protest against the plan, the prime minister's spokesman Nir Hefetz called it a "deceitful and hypocritical'' campaign and insisted that the heritage sites deserve to be renovated.
A nonprofit group headed by Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi issued a statement that called the Israeli heritage plan "a major step in Israel's ongoing attempt to create cultural genocide in Palestine."
Construction work in and around holy sites has a long history of sparking violence between rival religions and sects in the West Bank. In recent years, renovation work near a gate on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old Citysparked clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian demonstrators.
In Hebron, Israeli security forces oversee divided access to the burial site between Jews and Muslims.
"Every intelligent person in the world will say that this is a Jewish site. It was a Jewish site thousands of years before Islam ever existed,'' said Noam Arnon, a spokesperson for the enclave of Jews who live in Hebron. ``We demand recognition of the rights of the Jewish people on the holy sites in the holy land.''
Clashes after Israeli soldier shot dead in Hebron
AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment