Religious Jews during celebrations of the Hayei Sarah (“Life of Sarah”) Shabbat celebration outside the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, November 2, 2018. (Flash90/Mendy Hechtman)

Throngs of Jewish worshipers were joined by prominent Israeli politicians for a special Sabbath celebration in one of Israel’s four holy cities.

By World Israel News Staff

Around 20,000 visitors arrived in Hebron for a special Sabbath celebration to honor the purchase of the burial plot of the Jewish people’s patriarchs and matriarchs, which is recounted in the portion of the Bible that Jews around the globe read this week.

In addition to throngs of young men and women studying in Israel’s seminaries, the visitors included a number of prominent Israeli politicians, including Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein.

Other Israeli politicians in attendance included Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin, who was recently eliminated from the Jerusalem mayoral race, Knesset member Gila Gamliel, who serves as Minister for Social Equality, and Deputy Minister of Defense Eli Ben-Dahan.

Visitors found lodging where they could, from seminary dorm rooms in Kiryat Arba to giant tents next to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, with many invited to spend the Sabbath as guests of Jewish families that live in Hebron.

The Sabbath celebrations provided an opportunity to pray at the burial sites of key Biblical figures, including Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, which remained open to  Jewish worshipers throughout the entire Sabbath.

In addition, tours of Hebron’s Jewish quarter were also provided.

Commenting on the ongoing efforts to develop the Jewish quarter of Hebron, Elkin noted, “We don’t need to settle for developing Jewish historical sites alone in Hebron.”

“Hebron is not only a glorious heritage site, it is a place suitable for large-scale Jewish settlement [today], which serves as a link in the chain of Jewish history in Hebron,” he added.

New construction

In October, the Israeli government approved funding for a major new construction project in Hebron, including a budget of around $6 million for a 31-unit housing complex. The project represents the first approved construction in 16 years.

At the time, the move was hailed by community leaders such as Yishai Fleisher, in addition to national figures such as Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, who called the decision an “important milestone.”

In the past, members of Hebron’s Jewish community have been subject to terror attacks by Arab neighbors and harassment from European “monitors,” who in the past year have been caught vandalizing Jewish property and assaulting a 10-year-old Israeli child.

以色列四大圣城之一，以色列着名政客加入了犹太人崇拜者的特殊安息日庆祝活动。

世界以色列新闻工作人员

大约2万名游客抵达希布伦进行特别的安息日庆祝活动，以纪念购买犹太人族长和女族长的墓地，这一点在本周全球犹太人阅读的圣经部分中有所描述。

除了在以色列的神学院学习的少数青年男女外，游客还包括一些着名的以色列政客，包括以色列议会议长尤利埃德尔斯坦。

出席会议的其他以色列政客包括耶路撒冷事务部长泽伊夫·埃尔金，他最近被逐出耶路撒冷市长竞选，以色列议会议员吉拉·加姆利尔担任社会平等部长，以及国防部副部长伊莱·本·达汉。

游客们在他们可以找到住处，从Kiryat Arba的神学院宿舍到族长墓旁的巨型帐篷，许多人被邀请作为居住在希伯伦的犹太家庭的客人度过安息日。

安息日的庆祝活动提供了一个机会，可以在圣经主要人物的墓地祈祷，包括亚伯拉罕，莎拉，以撒和丽贝卡，这些人在整个安息日都对犹太信徒保持开放。

此外，还提供了希伯伦犹太区的游览活动。

在评论希伯伦犹太区发展的持续努力时，埃尔金指出，“我们不需要在希伯伦独自开发犹太历史遗址。”

“希伯伦不仅是一个光荣的遗产，它是一个适合大规模犹太人定居的地方[今天]，它是希伯伦犹太历史链中的一个环节，”他补充说。

新建筑

10月，以色列政府批准为希伯伦的一个重大新建筑项目提供资金，其中包括为一个31个单元的住宅区预算约600万美元。该项目是16年来首批获批建设的项目。

当时，除了国防部长阿维格多·利伯曼（Avigdor Liberman）等国家级人士外，此举也受到了Yishai Fleisher等社区领导人的欢迎，他称这一决定是“重要的里程碑”。

过去，希伯伦犹太人社区的成员遭到阿拉伯邻国的恐怖袭击以及欧洲“监察员”的骚扰，他们在过去一年中遭到破坏犹太人财产并袭击一名10岁的以色列儿童。