Chevron - Home of the Patriarchs but not Their Children

Isn't it funny how so much of the world cries when they hear the proverbial Arabian story that "my grandmother" or "my grandfather" still has the key to this home or that building in Jerusalem or Haifa or Beer Sheva if only the Zionists didn't throw them out of this house they would still live there to this day. Even though it is pretty worn out and dollars to donuts a lie much of the time, it still provokes anger and creates tears from the gullible anti-Jew. How easy it is to create animosity towards Jews. What happens when it is the Jew who claims ownership of a building or home taken over by others in Israel? And what if that Jew uses legal means to re-claim his family property? All the more so, what if that property is in the politically charged environment of Chevron, home of the patriarchs - the Jewish patriarchs and matriarchs who indeed might cringe at the thought of Arabian-Muslims claiming them as their own?

But what can you say to the argument that, "this is merely a law enforcement matter"? The court ordered the building emptied until the conclusion of a legal process to determine ownership of the property is taken up in court? Send in the army. How many courts of law in the civilized world can have the authority and access to military special forces in order to carry an expulsion order? A simple hearing to view the video tape or audio tape would resolve the legal matter quickly. There was no need for the blood and guts drama of the building invasion. A better country and government would have already conducted hearings into the governments actions in this case.

The use of brutal force to evict what arguably, (if his story is accurate and there is no reason to believe it is not) those residing in the property with the permission of the rightful owner of the property merely because the politics dictates it, is a huge violation of civil rights and possibly falls under the definition of Crimes Against Humanity as my meager understanding of the term permits.

It is no secret that the Olmert/Livni/Barak regieme has systematically thwarted and at the very least made difficult Jewish residence and life in Yosh. The legal rights of individuals has been shoved to the back of the bus in favor of politically contrived definitions of national interest which are agreed to by few and certainly are not universal. Majority agreement and general approval are guide posts directing strategic necessity and generate what is called "national interest". There is no such mandate within Israel or Jewry that Chevron should be left in a vacuum.

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Peace House Purchaser Feels Connected to Hevron

Kislev 14, 5769, 11 December 08 12:19by IsraelNN Staff(IsraelNN.com) What motivated philanthropist and New York businessman Morris Abraham to buy Hevron’s Peace House? In an interview with the weekly Jewish periodical, Mishpacha Magazine, Abraham explains, “It was very simple. I had a bar mitzvah there almost thirty years ago. We’re very connected through the Torah.”

However, Abraham’s Hevron connection goes back to the 1920’s, when his Iraqi-born great-grandfather, Yechezkel Abraham, settled the town of the Jewish Patriarchs. He was one of the eight hundred Jewish survivors expelled in the 1929 Arab pogrom. Yechezkel Abraham subsequently resettled in Jerusalem, learning in the Porat Yosef Yeshivah. “He was lucky to be alive,” Abraham adds, “I feel very connected. We were driven out once before. Maybe that’s why I’m still connected.”

The Abraham family connection to the Land of the Biblical Abraham is even more recent, with nearly tragic consequences. Morris Abraham’s father is a major benefactor to the Navat Yisrael schools run by Rabbi Nissim Zeev, a Knesset Member (Shas) since 1999. In 1989, Morris Abraham’s parents and two sisters were being driven by Nissim Zeev to pray at the Tomb of the Patriarchs. While driving through Hevron’s narrow streets, they were boxed in by two Arab cars. A few Hamas terrorists with black masks surrounded the car and started stoning it. Zeev tried driving away, but hit a dead end. Jumping out of the car, Zeev begged an Arab taxi driver to drive the group to IDF troops. Although Zeev’s car was torched, their lives were spared.

MK Nissim Zeev moved into Peace House about a month ago. Rabbi Zeev was encouraged by his rabbinic mentor, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef to remain. “Continue fighting for the house and continue living in the house,” Rabbi Yosef told his disciple.

Peace House residents cannot go to their neighbors to borrow milk, since their next-door-neighbors are Arab. “No one ever thought to move far from existing Jewish homes in Hevron. Five years ago, someone mentioned to me that houses were available,” Abraham explains, “But I wanted something that could make a difference.” Abraham rejected property offers until he came across the present Beit HaShalom. “It was risky without knowing the outcome,” he states, explaining that he was concerned with the risk of pioneering in a new area. “There were the issues of security, but NOT legal issues,” Abraham reiterates, “It was just as much of a legal issue to move next to an existing Jewish property as this property.”

“I gave the go-ahead. The property is actually in quite a strategic area as the home gives more protection to the area,” Abraham clarifies.

“We knew what we’d be facing - that whichever Arab would sell it would subsequently deny it, because, as you know, there’s a death penalty to an Arab who sells property to a Jew. So, we made sure that the sale was well-documented, with video and cassettes, and we made sure that every ‘i’ was dotted in the contract.” Abraham states.

Although Abraham’s legal team documented the sale, Rajbi, the Arab seller actually changed his story three times. He first claimed that he didn’t sell the property. He later claimed that he sold the home but didn’t receive money for it. His last claim was that he sold the Peace House and received payment, but he wants to retroactively cancel the sale.

In the tape documenting the sale, Rajbi admits that he sold the building to Abraham’s agents. Abraham feels that his fight is not for the building, itself. “It’s about a Jew’s right to live in the Land of Israel,” he added, “The government isn’t interested in legalities. They are interested in agendas, being it’s so close to elections.”

Abraham was disheartened to hear of the eviction the very day that ongoing negotiations between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and pro-Land of Israel representatives were taking place.

However, Abraham will not give up his fight. On Sunday, the Hevron Jewish Community filed preliminary proceedings against the IDF for damages. “With all the legalities, I’m confident that we’ll succeed. Although it’s a corrupt system – a very socialistic society – I’m confident that we’ll win,” Abraham stated, mentioning his intention to continue to purchase more homes in the Land of his Forefathers.