Spokesman for Hebron, Dr. Noam Arnon, says Rabbi Abraham Kook's prophetic words and powerful actions helped build the Jewish community of Hebron in the 1920s and "resurrect" the city after it liberation in the Six Day War.
"I wrote a book about Rabbi Kook's connection to Hebron following his grandson's murder in the city," recounts Arnon. "I began looking for information about the rabbi and found out that he actually passed away as a result of the massacre of 1929 and murder of 24 students from the Slobodka yeshiva under his watch."
"He said: 'It's a crisis but we will become stronger,'" recounts Arnon. "He wrote to (Jewish leaders) to encourage the rebuilding of the community. Thank God Rabbi Kook's vision enabled his son, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook return to the city with his community following the city's liberation and today we've rebuilt Hebron according to his light and vision."
Asked how Rabbi Kook's work affects his everyday life, Arnon says he wakes up to it every morning. "In my childhood, you could only dream about (returning to) Hebron. I remember the Six Day War. I remember (Colonel Motta Gur announcing) that the 'Temple Mount is in our hands,' and the return to Hebron. I wake up every day to this reality."