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Hebron Purim Parade Brings Joy to Residents Despite Terror

7,000 Hasidim, a parade and another stabbing ushers in Purim for the tenacious Jewish community.

24.3.16, 11:45
(Photo: Reading the Megillah at the Tomb of Machpela building on Purim in Hebron, March 23, 2016.)
 
Purim celebrations continued in Hebron despite a stabbing incident near the Admot Yishai /Tel Hevron neighborhood. The annual parade through the Jewish community and a carnival took place on March 24th, the day a soldier was stabbed by two jihadists.
 
 
The attackers were eliminated by quick acting Israel Defense Force personnel. The soldier was reported still conscious and walking around despite multiple stab wounds. He was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem for treatment.
 
The IDF presence in the H2 section of Hebron has prevented numerous infiltrations into other areas of Israel and serves as a deterrent to terrorist threats both against the Israeli population and residents of the PA who also have been affected.
 

(Photo: IDF soldiers join Hebron residents for the Megillah reading on Purim evening.)
 
The Purim stabbing is the latest in a series of attacks which the IDF have successfully thwarted. On Saturday, an attacker was shot and killed after stabbing a Border Police officer near the Tomb of Machpela. On March 14th, two armed terrorists were killed after they made a sharp u-turn into Kiryat Arba, adjacent to Hebron, and began shooting at security personnel. The IDF returned fire, killing the attackers. In a separate incident one the same day, a terrorist rammed his vehicle into a bus near Kiryat Arba and was killed by the IDF.
 
According to the Jerusalem Post, the first two attackers both came from Hebron. One, 31-year-old Kassem Abu Oda, was in prison between 2001 and 2003 and 2006 to 2009 for his Hamas-related activities, while the second, 22-year-old Amir Junidi, has no prior record of security offenses. Both worked together in the same vegetable store in Hebron. A disproportionately large amount of terrorists responsible for the rash of attacks in recent months have been residents of the H1 part of Hebron under PA jurisdiction. Twenty-nine Israelis and four foreign nationals have been killed in terrorist attacks since October 2015.

Nevertheless, normal life has continued in Hebron, as hundreds of residents and visitors prepared for the annual Purim parade and children's carnival in the H2 part of Hebron, under Israeli jurisdiction. 
 
 
The previous night, over 7,000 visitors came to Hebron to mark the end of the Fast of Esther, which is held the day before Purim. The visitors were from the Breslov Hasidic movement and held prayer services outside the Tomb of Machpela. Fifty buses from Jerusalem and 30 buses from other cities around Israel arrived to bring people to the ancient burial site of the Biblical Matriarchs and Patriarchs. The hasidic group is one of many who come throughout the year. In addition, thousands are expected at the upcoming Passover music festival in a month's time.
 
 
To plan your holiday visit to 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
 
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES:
 
The Legend of the Window Purim and other Hebron Holiday Stories
Skverer Rebbe Visits Hebron with Over 2,000 Followers
Hebron's Gardener, Genadi Kaufman, Succumbs to Stab Wounds
 
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