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Blessings from Hebron
by David Wilder
David Wilder was born in New Jersey in the USA in 1954, and graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a BA in History and teacher certification in 1976. He spent 1974-75 in Jerusalem at the Hebrew University and returned to Israel upon graduation.
For over eighteen years David Wilder has worked with the Jewish Community of Hebron. He is the English spokesman for the community, granting newspaper, television and radio interviews internationally. He initiated the Hebron internet project, including email lists of over 15,000 subscribers who receive regular news and commentaries from Hebron in English and Hebrew. David is responsible and continues to update the Hebron web sites, portraying various facets of Hebron, utilizing text, audio, video and pictures. He conducts tours of Hebron's Jewish Community and occasionally travels abroad, speaking at Hebron functions.
David Wilder is married to Ora, a 'Sabra,' for 33 years. They lived in Kiryat Arba for 17 years and have resided at Beit Hadassah in Hebron for the past 14 years. They have seven children and many grandchildren.
Links to sites David recommends:
www.davidwilder.net
www.hebron.com (English)
www.hebron.org.il (Hebrew)
www.machpela.com
www.ohrshlomo.org (Hebrew)
www.ohrshalom.net (Hebrew)
www.womeningreen.org
www.zoa.org
(others to be added)
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Tevet 28, 5773, 1/10/2013
Machpela in white -Hebron in the snow-photos (revised) |
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Tevet 19, 5773, 1/1/2013
No to NetanyahuNo to Netanyahu Following the article I wrote thanking Moshe Feiglin, I received an email asking if I was going to vote for the Likud in the upcoming election. I replied with a question: “What is this, spam? Of course not!” Why not? There are many answers to that question. A few of them: No number 1: This morning on IsraelNationalNews (Arutz 7): Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decided, Monday, that the outline of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Authority (PA) conflict included in his Bar-Ilan University speech will constitute part of the platform for his campaign ahead of the Knesset election in threeweeks… A senior right-wing political source told Arutz Sheva, "During the next term he will uproot communities and no one can say he did not announce it in advance. In other words, Netanyahu is dangerous. This is nothing new. Netanyahu, followinghis election in 1996, divided Hebron and signed the Wye Accords. No number 2: Various voices, in all sorts of high places, are saying that the next Defense minister will be Ehud Barak. Now, rumors are just that, only rumors. But they cannot be totally ignored. In this case, why? Barak shouldn’t have been Defense Minister in the first place. He’s a disaster. Certainly for Israeli policy in Judea and Samaria. Barak should have been replaced when he split from Labor, leaving him with a small Knesset faction, not big enough to warrant such an esteemed position in the government. We don’t want him there again. Let him enjoy his retirement at the beach where he can’t do any harm. No number 3: True, there are many people on the Likud list who I really do admire andtrust. To a degree. I was very upset when Ze’ev Elkin, who lives in Gush Etzion, stated that he’d expel Jews from their homes were he give such orders to do so. He didn’t have to say that. He’s a politician. He could have wiggled his way out without publicly expressing support for the most illegal command that can be ordered: Expel Jews from their homes. It’s also true that Naftali Bennet, head of the Bayit Yehudi party has said some stupid things in the past couple of weeks. The difference is, 1) he’s not yet an experienced politician, and 2) his party, the people around him, would never let his words become policy, and I believe most, if not all the people on his list, would never implement such an order. The Likud, on the other hand, has initiated and implemented such policies. I trust them less than Bennet and his friends, at least until they prove that they’re not worthy of that support. No number four: Actually, this isn’t a no, it’s a yes. There is a way to keep Netanyahu honest, or at least, the way to prevent him from wandering too far off the path, and actualizing the statements quoted in number 1 above. This is to have a very strong group of idealistic politicians, many of whom are also religious, acting as a contra to idiotic policies of expulsion, land abandonment and unilateral, or not so unilateral decisions on a ‘two-state solution.’ So, you ask, who am I voting for? I’m not making a campaign pitch for any one party. However, there is a very high possibility that Hebron will have three representatives in the next Knesset. My friends and colleagues, Orit Struk and Rabbi Hillel Horowitz are both listed in realistic slots in the Bayit Yehudi party, at least according the most polls. Baruch Marzel will also get in if Otzma l’Yisrael – Strength to Israel, receives enough votes for three mandates. That also seems to be a realistic possibility. (I’m really looking forward to debates between MK Marzel and MK Tibi and MK Zuabi and MK Struk. Will be very interesting.) Personally, I trust both of these parties. Others have helped us in the past, from many of the parties, including Kadima, Likud, Shas, Yahadut HaTorah, and others. But whenit comes to putting one ballot in the box, I go with one of those two. Of course, it’s important to ensure that they both get in; if Otzma l’Yisrael doesn’t get the mandatory two mandates, all their votes are lost, wasted. But, as far as polls can be believed, they’re going to make it. The question is whether they’ll get two or three MKs in the next Knesset. Feiglin’s people say that voting for such parties is ‘sectoral’ while voting for Likud is ‘mainstream.’ Nonsense. The way to help Moshe Feiglin in the next Knesset is to have Hillel, Orit and Baruch, together with all their MKs on his side, helping him push for what he believes in. Without them, he’s liable to be lost in a sea of iniquity. Each election is important. Sometimes we say that they are ‘fateful.’ It’s true. Whocould have imagined that, following the 1992 Rabin victory, Israel would sit down with Hitler #2, shake hands, and kiss and hug him? Who could have predicted that Netanyahu would divide Hebron? Who could have dreamed, in their wildest dreams, that Sharon would abandon Gush Katif and expel 10,000 Jews from their homes? So elections are fateful, and also unpredictable. Actually, not so much are the elections unpredictable, rather the policies instigated and actualized by the victors. There are things we have control over, that we have what to say about. We’re not prophets who can read the future. So, at least for the time being, we must choose aswisely as we can. And voting for Netanyahu is definitely not wise. That’s why I say No to Netanyahu. |
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Tevet 6, 5773, 12/19/2012
Beit Ezra in HebronNetanyahu, Here's the Real Story of Beit Ezra in HevronPublished: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 8:05 AM The Attorney General wants the Jews out in another Israeli episode of expelling Jews from their legal property and spiritual heritage.  David Wilder, HevronDavid Wilder is a spokesman for the Jewish community of Hevron. He maintains a blog called "The Wilder Way" on Arutz-7's Israel National News website.Beit Ezra in Hebron
Following the Six-Day War in 1967, past residents of the Old City in Jerusalem who had been expelled during the War of Independence in 1948 asked for, and were granted a meeting with then Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. They requested permission to return to their homes and property in the Old City, confiscated and occupied by Jordan. Dayan consented, and, as a result, Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter today flourishes. Simultaneously, past Hevron inhabitants, Jews who had been expelled in 1929, and again in 1936, requested a similar meeting with Dayan, in order to return to their homes in the recently liberated city of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. Dayan refused to meet them. So I heard from Hevron residents, some of whom no longer alive, years ago. The story of Hevron’s Jewish property is a reason for heartache and chagrin. Hevron Jews lost most of their assets following expulsion by the British following the 1929 riots. As I was told by a survivor of those riots: “My father wrote to the British High Commissioner and asked why the victims had been punished – why the Jews were expelled after being slaughtered. His answer: ‘I knew you couldn’t continue living together and being that there were more Arabs than Jews it was easier to expel the Jews.’”  The untainted authenticity of Jewish land ownership is Hebron is indisputable. The “Jewish Quarter,” presently known as the Avraham Avinu neighborhood, was originally populated by Karaites some 1,000 years ago. This land was purchased from them by Rabbi Malchiel Ashkenazi, himself exiled to Turkey from Spain in 1492. In 1540 he bought that area from the Karaites and moved, with a small community, to Hevron. This Jewish neighborhood existed until the 1929 riots and massacre, followed by forced exile. Five dunam (5,000 sq. meters) of land adjacent to this place was purchased by Rabbi Chaim Bajaiyo for the community in 1807 from the Kashkol family of Hevron. This too remained under Jewish hands until 1929. In the early 1960s this property was taken over and occupied by Hevron Arab merchants, who built a retail and wholesale market at the site.  Receipt for water paid by Yaakov Ezra Yosef Ezra is a ninth generation Hevronite. He and his father, Ya’akov Ezra, were the last Jews to leave Hevron, following the Nov. 29, 1947 UN decision to partition Israel. His father, who worked closely with Arabs, produced cheese and other milk products. He worked in Hevron during the week and spent Shabbat with his family in Jerusalem. Until November, 1947, when Hevbron’s Arabs warned him not to return to this holy city, where he owned property. The Ezra property, within the boundaries of these two areas was stolen, according to Yossi Ezra, by the Awawi family, who had worked with his father. Then aged fifteen, Yosef Ezra still remembers this family, who worked for his father, grazing sheep.  Yosef Ezra outside Beit Ezra Presently, there is no doubt whatsoever that this is Jewish land, and that there are no real, justifiable, legal Arab claims to this property. However, the State Attorney General’s office has decided that Arabs who lived on this land which they stole from Jews have ‘protected resident status’, basically squatters protected by Ottoman Law, and refuse to allow Hevron’s Jewish community to utilize the property. This, despite a ruling by an Israeli military judicial panel of three judges which concluded that there is a firm legal basis to allow the Hevron Jewish Community to utilize this land.  Military panel visiting in Hebron Today the State informed the Israeli Supreme Court of their decision to expel the two families living in Beit Ezra. The expulsion is due to occur towards the end of April. That is, following the elections. Bibi Netanyahu isn’t interested in photos and videos of Jews expelled from their homes in Hevron before the elections. It certanly wouldn’t win him any mandates from the Likud constituency. The decision also included a possibility that the property will be made available to Hevron’s Jewish community, after the families have been expelled. .jpg)  Mitzpe Shalhevet - before and after We’ve been through this before. Back in Janurary, 2006 the Israeli government made a similar promise, whereby, following voluntary exit of homes in “Mitzpe Shalhevet,”other families would be allowed back in, with full permission and government permits. This offer was made with the knowledge and consent of the defense and prime ministers. After all the families moved out, then Attorney General Manny Mazuz nixed the deal. The Jews were left with nothing.  Shalhevet Pass HY"D In January, 1997, when the Hevron Accords, which split Hevron, one of the three cities holy to Jews, leaving most of the city in the hands of the Palestinian Authority, were signed and implemented by Bibi Netanyahu, another government decision was passed, calling for, and promising, the continued growth and wellbeing of Hevron’s Jewish community. It’s hard to understand how a Prime Minister, whose actions brought upon this community two and a half years of shooting attacks, murders, and other terror acts, who promised to ensure the expansion of Hevron’s Jewish Community, can allow continued shrinkage of Hebron’s housing and neighborhoods. It has happened in Beit HaMachpela, Beit HaShalom, and now Beit Ezra, not to mention refusal of any permits to plan or build new homes. These are not examples of good will, growth, and well-being. To the contrary, they seem to be examples of how to bring about the deletion of Hevron’s Jewish community from the map. So, what is it with you, Bibi? Perhaps the time has arrived to come clean. Will the property really be returned to us, or is this another political spin, designed to prevent more votes from draining away from the Likud? Let the electorate know exactly where you stand concerning Hevron, before January 22, 2013. For a start, give us back Beit Ezra. It's ours. Comments (6)Post Comment |
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Kislev 29, 5773, 12/13/2012
Red Ribbons and Khaki Green UniformsYesterday morning I awoke to a cute headline in the nrg-maariv news site. It read “Hebron Arabs: If Israeli Soldiers Return – We’ll Beat Them Up Again.” Last week an IDF patrol in Hebron, just past a checkpoint dividing two parts of the city, spotted a uniformed ‘palestinian policeman’ in an area where heshouldn’t have been. While attempting to arrest him they were attacked by an Arab mob. Despite the fact that their lives were in danger, rather than shoot oruse hand grenades against the attackers, the soldiers took cover in a butcher store, threw potatoes at the Arabs, and finally ran for their lives. A similar event occurred a few days later up north, in Shechem. Anonymous IDF commanders, uncomfortable with the situation, explained that the ‘rules ofcombat’ are very complex and that soldiers are too highly restricted in themeasures they may use, even to defend themselves. Seeing the headline, I mentioned to several of my friends that this Arab chutzpahcannot go unanswered. Arabs, exclaiming that they will ‘beat up’ Jewish-Israeli soldiers, must be answered, in the harshest of terms. Last night they received an answer. .jpg) There is one main road leading from Kiryat Arba into Hebron. At the bottom of the winding, hilly road, is a right turn, to Ma’arat HaMachpela and Hebron’s Jewish community. To the left is a checkpoint, manned by Israeli border police. Last night, at about 7:30, during a routine check, a 17 year old Arab man attacked a border policeman, knocking him to the ground, and then pulled out a pistol, placing it on the fallen man’s temple. A second officer, a border policewoman, present at the site, seeing the events transpiring, loaded her gun and, without hesitating, shot the Arab terrorist three times, killing him. It later turned out that the Arab’s gun was a fake, toy pistol. However, made out of black metal, it certainly looked like the real thing. The woman border guard did exactly what she had to, and thank G-d for that. A partial response to the Arabs quoted at the beginning of this article. The Arabs play for keeps. But so do we. Seeing Israeli soldiers run from marauding, rioting Arabs is a disgrace. Hearing a policewoman say, “I did what I was taught to do, I was only doing my job,” is a ‘Kiddush HaShem, a sanctification of G-d’s name. For two thousand years, in exile from our land, Jews had no choice but to run. Today, we must stand strong and tall, as did the Maccabees, 2,300 years ago, thereby bequeathing us Hanukkah. The holiday of lights, as Hanukkah is called, takes on many expressions andvariations. For example: A few days ago we marked the 21st anniversary of thepassing of friend and fellow Hebron resident Yona Heiken. Yona was afascinating man, who I remember well, showing me his original IBM computer,which cost, probably close to 30 years ago, over $10,000. Yona and Malka made Aliyah, that is came to live in Israel, from the US, directly to Hebron. That wasquite a move, and Malka has been here ever since. Yona survived a criticalinjury, being stabbed by an Arab terrorist in the back while in the Kasba. He ranafter the terrorist, shooting until he finally hit him, and then, somehow, made his way back to Beit Hadassah, where he collapsed. A real close call. But a few years later he fell to cancer, leaving Malka and their large family here in Hebron. Every year, at the memorial event, Malka finds interesting people to speak about various subjects. This year, her in-laws provided the evening’s attraction. Avigdor Sharon, among other things, produces wine. He spoke about the process, and brought several different wines to taste. They were very good. As interesting as he was, his wife, Adi, was, in my opinion, the highlight. She has written several books, including a true story about her mother, who escaped from Romania with siblings, during World War Two. Finally boarding an overcrowded boat to Israel, they made it as far as Haifa, where the British, refusing to allow them into Israel, sent them to Cypress for a year. At seventeen she finally made it to Israel, fulfilling her dream. Here, she found herself at Kibbutz Yavneh, working as a lookout in a tower, all by herself, night after night. Armed with a World War Two Czech rifle, she was told to watch for Egyptian airplanes trying to invade Israel and get to Tel Aviv. And if she saw a plane? She was to shoot it down. One night, suddenly, she heard a buzz in the heavens above. She froze,searching the sky. And then, there it was, an Egyptian plane, flying low, aboveher. What to do? She raised the Czech rifle, pull the trigger, and shot, straightinto the plane, which plummeted to the earth. A young refugee woman fromRomania shot down an enemy war plane, with a rifle, all by herself! Iron Dome, sixty four years ago. If this isn’t heroism, I don’t know what is. This is the same heroism displayed by the young border policewoman who shotand killed a terrorist last night in Hebron. This is the legacy of our ancestors, Mattityahu, Yehuda, and all the others, who fought, against all odds, and won. .jpg) As I write this, another group of heroes are celebrating these happy days. Hebron’s children are being treated to a Hanukkah play, complete with games, riddles, prizes, and of course, sufganiot, the traditional Hanukkah jelly donut. Seeing these joyous children in Hebron is a realization that the dream whichbegan almost 4,000 years ago here in Hebron, has borne much fruit, which we have observed over the centuries and are privileged to witness here today. .jpg) Chodesh tov – Happy New Month, and Hanukkah Sameach – Happy Hanukkah! ------------------------- All photos: David Wilder |
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Kislev 23, 5773, 12/7/2012
Grandpa Abraham HIJACKED: Protect Hebron |