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Rosh Hodesh Elul “Hillulat HaAvot” Event Returns

Thousands excepted to pay tribute to Biblical ancestors.

14.8.22, 12:55
The annual Hillulat HaAvot (commemoration of the ancestors) will take place on Thursday August 25, 2022 at the Cave of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs in Hebron. The site will be reserved for Jewish prayer services. This will include the Isaac and Rebecca Hall, location of the memorial markers for the Biblical Isaac and Rebecca and the opening into the underground burial chambers, referred to as the Entrance to the Garden of Eden. The site will be open from 4:00 am – 9:45 pm. It is recommended to arrive by 8:30pm at the latest.
 
The first of the Hebrew month of Elul marks the beginning of Slichot. The prayers of penitence usher in the High Holiday season which begins the next month with Rosh Hashana. Prayers for Yom Kippur Katan (small Yom Kippur) are recited as well. It is a traditional time to visit the graves of loved ones. Because the first of the month of Elul begins on a Friday, leading into Shabbat, it was decided to make the annual prayer gathering a day before.
 
Throughout the day, thousands of visitors and worshipers are expected to arrive from all over the country. For the past several years, the gathering was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Hebron was a pilgrimage destination on Rosh Hodesh Elul for generations. David Avisar (1887 – 1963), the important Hebron educator and author, wrote in Sefer Hebron the following about Elul:
 
"The month of Elul in Hebron brought with it hundreds of visitors from afar. The first to arrive, by foot, would be the young men from Tsor, Sidon and Damascus. When the visitors would reach the out-skirts of Hebron, the youngsters and community leaders, singing joyously, would go out to welcome them and accompany them to the community inn. The visit of the young men would bring great joy to the Hebron community. During the day the visitors would pray at the Cave of Machpela and other holy places in the city. At night they would dance and sing, and the entire community would come to the inn to participate in the festivities.”
 
Visitors can arrive by private vehicles to the parking lot of the Tomb of the Patriarchs or by public transportation. Egged-Taavura lines 381 and 383 from the Jerusalem Central Bus Station go straight to the Tomb of the Patriarchs. There are also organized shuttle busses from Hoffman Transportation leaving from 79 Shmuel HaNavi Street in Jerusalem.

In addition, the Touching Eternity museum and visitor’s center in Beit Hadassah will be open, an experience for the whole family. For details call 072-221-3660.
 
Throughout the day special tours of the Tel Hebron archaeological site will be free of charge with round-trip transportation from the Beit Rachel and Beit Leah buildings near the Cave of the Patriarchs.
 
For details and further inquiries call the office of the Jewish community of Hebron at 02-996-5333 or the administration of the Cave of the Patriarchs at 050-647-7776 or 050-647-7744.
 
 
 
HEBRON CONTACT INFORMATION
 
United States contact info:

http://www.hebronfund.org
1760 Ocean Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11230
718-677-6886
info@hebronfund.org
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Israeli contact info:
http://en.hebron.org.il/
02-996-5333
office@hebron.com
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