"If I came into public office only to establish just one more neighborhood in the City of the Patriarchs, then let us say, Dayenu –- Enough," vowed Defense Minister Naftali Bennett as he lit the Hannukah candles in Hebron.

The defense minister attended the candle-lighting ceremony at the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs on the eighth and final night of the holiday as a guest of the Jewish community of Hebron.

"I can't think of a better place to light the last candle of Hannukah," he said, just weeks after pushing through authorization for the next phase in approvals for the renovation of the old wholesale market area for residential housing.  

 

Bennett praised both soldiers and residents stating, "Hebron's wonderful settlers are full of tremendous heroism, who are growing, developing and building a future here. Anyone who chooses to live in this wonderful place to me is a hero."

He added that the city is "the connection of security, life, faith, Torah and roots. Without our roots and heritage, there is no purpose. It's an unparalleled connection that no enemy can face. Hebron is like the heart, and if there is no heart, the body will not survive."

The event was attended by Hebron's mayor Hillel Horowitz, Head of the Kiryat Arba Council Eliyahu Libman, Head of the Religious Council Yossi Dayan, Head of the Shavei Hevron yeshiva Rabbi Hananal Etrog, IDF Commander Yaniv Alaluf, Brigadier General Ofer Winter, Judea Brigade Commander Col. Itamar Ben Haim, Border Patrol Commander Lieutenant Aviad Katafi, local residents and visitors.

Hebron is arguably the first Jewish community in the world and burial site of the Biblical founding fathers and mothers. After the 1929 massacre, the Jewish community was expelled and only returned permanently after the 1967 Six Day War. Since then the pioneers faced an uphill battle for legal rights to reestablish the abandoned neighborhoods.

The Hannukah celebrations of recent years have been marked by a growing acceptance of Hebron in the mainstream of Israeli public life and in the halls of government. This year, IDF soldiers and high-ranking elected officials joins veteran residents and the new generation in celebrating the Festival of Light in a series of hannukiyah (Hannukah menorah) lighting ceremonies held at the Tomb complex and outside in the courtyard.  Family-friendly activties and special guided tours of the city were held as well. 

 

Hebron was the site of a decisive battle during the rebellion of the Maccabees against the invading Seleucid Empire. 

 

Hebron's role in the Maccabean Revolt is mentioned in the apocryphal Book of the Maccabees and in the works of the historian Josephus.

 

Many of the Hasmonean battles took place in the Mount Hebron region, known today as the Hebron Hills, or Har Hevron regional council. Communities such as Beit Tzur were sites of fierce battles won by the Judean rebels.

 

I Maccabees 5:65  states:

 

The Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus Flavius Book 12 Chapter 8 paragraph 6 states: 

 

The Jewish War by Josephus Flavius Book IV Chapter 87, paragraph 7 states: 

 

 

 

 

To visit Hebron:
 
United States contact info:

http://www.hebronfund.com/
1760 Ocean Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11230
718-677-6886
info@hebronfund.org

In Israel contact the offices of the Jewish Community of Hebron at:
http://en.hebron.org.il/
02-996-5333
office@hebron.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hebronofficial
 

 

 

* Hannukah Hebron schedule for 2019

* Hannukah Miracle of 2015 Remembered in Staircase Court Case

HEBRON CONTACT INFORMATION