Hebron and the West Bank of Jerusalem

Hebron and the West Bank

Although I am in the Middle East, it is cold! We needed fleeces and jackets on today. With the rain, there was even a brief period of hail stones!!

We began the day by going to Hebron, with the traffic, it is about an hour south of Jerusalem. Hebron is the burial place of Abraham, the Patriarch of the world’s three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. During the New Testament times, Herod the Great built a monument over the tombs of the Hebrew Patriarchs.

Monument building over Abraham's Tomb

This building is called the “Makhepelah,” the Tomb of the Patriarchs. And with Abraham, Sarah’s, Jacob’s and Rebecca’s tombs are also contained within.

Jacob's and Rebecca's Tombs

Not getting into the history of the monument, it is divided into two sections. These pictures are from the Islamic section, and within their mosque. The other section of the building is the Jewish section, and it also has access to the tomb of Abraham and Sarah. 

Abraham's Tomb

We also stopped at the site of the “Oakes of Mamre,” the place where Abraham exercised hospitality to the three divine visitors, and where God promised Sarah that she would have a child in her old age. 

The Palestine Refugee who spoke to us

Our walk through the refugee camp

In 1995 the refugees were allowed to build up

A street within the refugee camp in the West Bank

The highlight for me today was two other visits: one to a synagogue and a talk with an orthodox Jew living in the occupied West Bank; 




and the other to a Palestinian living in one of the refugee camps. We got to hear their own stories of how they understand  the eviction of the Palestinians in 1948, the Israel state, and how they see the future.  Of course these issue's and their history are complicated, and have no easy solution. Lets pray that with time, and educating the upcoming youth with a desire for peace and toleration, that the future will have hope.

Tomorrow we go to Bethlehem.