Field trip to Hevron (1/4)

Cousin Debbie invited me to join her students on the Aardvark Israel gap-year program (http://www.aardvarkisrael.com/) to a siyur/field trip to Hevron today. WUJS is taking us there in a few weeks but Debbie had Yael (my 7 year old cousin) coming as well, and I wasn't missing out on much else going on in the WUJS program, so of course I said YES!

Before this morning, I knew very little about Hevron. It's where the Cave of the Patriarchs (and Matriarchs) is, and it is a very controversial piece of land. Well, everything these days in Israel seems controversial but this one for pretty substantial reasons. As much as I understood, Hevron is a historical and holy site for Jews, but a heavily populated Arab area, hence the controversy. Another significant aspect of Hevron is that Ma'arat HaMachpela (the Cave of the Patriarchs) was the first piece of land ever purchased by a Jew - Avraham. According to the Torah, he purchased the land there to bury Sarah, for 400 silver shkalim (about $700,000 in today's currency), even after it was offered to him as a gift. Avraham still made the purchase, and made it a significant one, perhaps to ensure that this place would never be disputed. Unfortunately that has not been the case, and Jews only have access to a small portion of Hevron and the Cave.

Apparently, it also is the site for the Tombs of Ruth and Yishai (Jesse) from biblical times.

Of course I got SO excited when I saw the painting for Kever Ruth, the Tomb of Ruth, and I recognized the words immediately. I should also point out that no one really knows if Ruth and Yishai are buried here but it is thought to be a strong possibility. Anyway, the fact that my namesake might be buried here got me very excited!

We saw the tomb on our tour of Tel Romeda, which included some ancient sites and buildings, plus the modern homes and caravans that people live in today. It was certainly interesting to see the difference in the old and new, almost superimposed on top of each other. One of the best things about being here and studying this land is that literally you can dig deeper to find layers of history.

David Wilder, the official spokesperson for the Jewish settlers in Hevron and tour guide for the day, gave us some background information on the Ma'arat HaMachpela, which really is a building atop the cave itself. For a certain period of time (1920 something until 1967 I believe), Jews didn't even have access to this amazing and holy site - how unfair it is. But this is why he believes that Jews must have a presence in Hevron; if they leave, the Arabs who live there will take control of the cave and not allow access to Jews like they once did.

A tapestry on the wall that in Hebrew reads something like: The Tomb of the Patriarchs is like the opening to the Garden of Eden.

Each of the patriarchs and matriarchs has a memorial (it is actually above where they are buried, since the building is on top of the cave, so the memorial is not the cave itself); this one is of "Sarah our mother." People come to pray here, either in one of the rooms or in all of them. I found this moment to be pretty powerful.

Ruth, Yael, and Debbie in front of Ma'arat HaMachpela, everyone wearing a scarf of mine, since I was generous with the extras I had; we needed them in the chilly weather. I had to get this picture to make sure I documented my visit. I can't believe how tall I look compared to Yael and Debbie in this picture!

We departed from Ma'arat HaMachpela and had lunch outside the museum at Gush Etzion (the Etzion Block), another settlement in the area. We went inside to see the museum, which was mostly just a video describing the plight of the settlers in the Gush Etzion area, from pre-1948 and through all the wars and violence and defenses they had to put up to hold their land. Although it wasn't exactly along the lines of Hevron (no clear holy site), I think the people who lived there and fought to do so, were along the same lines. Mentality, ideology, and ruach/spirit all matched up. It certainly opened my eyes to a bit more of the "right wing" side of the political spectrum in terms of issues of land. Jewish presence in many of these areas is critical according to those that live there. Even though I may not be in full agreement about having a Jewish presence everywhere that a Jewish presence exists, I can certainly see a different side of things.

Upon departure from the museum, we went to the yeshiva at Gush Etzion, to meet one of the rabbis who lives in Alon Shevut, another local settlement, hoping to hear from him about his opinions on the conflict, but he mostly spoke about yeshiva life and what goes on there on a daily basis. We saw a few classrooms and overlooked the Beit Midrash (house of study) which at the time was relatively quiet due to students being on an afternoon break, but normally is filled with noise because of all the conversations about the learning going on. I think it was great for the students on Aardvark to hear about yeshiva life, because they were probably not as exposed to the concept as I have, especially having the opportunity to study at Pardes this year. I was hoping to hear more about his opinions on land and the conflicts that have arisen as a result of settlements and land ownership, but I guess hearing from David Wilder was enough for one day!

Thank you to Aardvark and Debbie for allowing me to be a part of this. It certainly has added to the multitude of topics I'm thinking about on a daily basis as a result of exposing myself to as much material as possible.