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Israel is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem, the home of its ancestors.
Israel celebrated on Thursday the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Hebron, the ancient Jewish city in the heart of the biblical region of Judea and Samaria.
The IDF liberated the city of Hebron, also known as the City of the Patriarchs, on the day following the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem 50 years ago.
A little-known fact is that the late IDF Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren almost single-handedly liberated the city. The IDF forces were pushing south towards the city, but Rabbi Goren sped ahead with his jeep and arrived in the heart of the city, the first Jew to arrive at the Cave of the Patriarchs after 19 years of Jordanian occupation.
The second holiest city according to Jewish tradition, Hebron is where our forefather Abraham purchased a burial plot for his wife Sarah and where they – as well as Rebecca, Isaac, Jacob and Leah – were laid to rest.
On Passover 1968, following the city’s liberation, Jews returned to live in the city.
“So when the historian visits Hebron today, he asks himself: where are all those peoples which once held the place? Where are the Canaanites? Where are the Edomites? Where are the ancient Hellenes and the Romans, the Byzantines, the Franks, the Mamluks and the Ottomans?” historian Paul Johnson asks.
“They have vanished into time, irrevocably. But the Jews are still in Hebron,” he answers.
This city is the perfect example of “Jewish obstinacy over 4,000 years,” Johnson affirmed.
By: United with Israel Staff
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