In Aug 1929, The Arabs Massacred the Jews Of Hebron While the British Watched
...The unrest among the Arabs of Hebron was very strong,
particularly after the motor cars began to arrive from Jerusalem with
news of disturbances. 
On Saturday morning, before the slaughter
began, the Rabbis again appealed to the Governor for help. Again they
received the same astounding assurances. Bewildered, they turned
to Mr. Cafferata, the British officer in charge of the Police. From
him, too, they received assurances of safety.
As early as 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, Arabs began to gather en masse. They came in mobs, armed with clubs, knives and axes. While the women and children threw stones, the men ransacked Jewish houses and destroyed Jewish property. With only a single police officer in Hebron, the Arabs entered Jewish courtyards with no opposition.
Rabbi Slonim, who had tried to shelter the Jewish population, was approached by the rioters and offered a deal. If all the Ashkenazi yeshiva students were given over to the Arabs, the rioters would spare the lives of the Sephardi community. Rabbi Slonim refused to turn over the students and was killed on the spot. In the end, 12 Sephardi Jews and 55 Ashkenazi Jews were murdered.
On hearing screams in a room I went up a sort of tunnel
passage and saw an Arab in the act of cutting off a child's head with a
sword. He had already hit him and was having another cut, but on seeing
me he tried to aim the stroke at me, but missed; he was practically on
the muzzle of my rifle. I shot him low in the groin. Behind him was a
Jewish woman smothered in blood with a man I recognized as a[n Arab]
police constable named Issa Sherif from Jaffa in mufti. He was standing
over the woman with a dagger in his hand. He saw me and bolted into a
room close by and tried to shut me out-shouting in Arabic, "Your Honor, I
am a policeman." ... I got into the room and shot him." (Bernard
Wasserstein, The British in Palestine: The Mandatory Government and the
Arab-Jewish Conflict 1917-1929, Oxford England, Basil Blackwell, 1991)
Now let me tell you about the massacre. Right after eight o'clock in the morning we heard screams. Arabs had begun breaking into Jewish homes. The screams pierced the heart of the heavens. We didn't know what to do. Our house had two floors. We were downstairs and a doctor lived on the second floor.We figured that we would be safe in the doctor's apartment, but how could we get up there? The stairs were on the outside of the building, but it wasn't safe to go out. So we chopped through the ceiling and that way we climbed up to the doctor's house. Well, after being there only a little while, we realized that we were still in danger because by that time the Arabs had almost reached our house. They were going from door to door, slaughtering everyone who was inside. The screams and the moans were terrible. People were crying Help! Help! But what could we do? There were thirty‑three of us. Soon, soon, all of us would be lost. Letter of a Survivor
 |
| ...Davar newspaper of August 20, 1929: |
Incitement of feeling against the Jews goes on, particularly round Jerusalem and Hebron. Rumors are being spread by unknown persons that on Saturday last the Jews cursed the Moslem religion and that it is the duty of Moslems to take revenge.
Rabbi Ya'acov Slonim, head of the Sephardic Jewish community, and Rabbi Frank, head of the Ashkenazic community, turned to the Arab Governor of Hebron, Abdullah Kardos. The Governor calmed us and said: ``There is no fear of anything happening. The British Government knows what it has to do. In the place where two soldiers are needed, it sends six.'' And he added: ``I tell you in confidence that they have many soldiers in the streets, in civilian clothes; these soldiers circulate among the crowds, and in the hour of need they will fulfill their duty.''
But that promise was never backed up with action...
On Friday night August 23rd, Rabbi Ya’acov Slonim’s son invited any fearful Jews to stay in his house. The Rabbi was highly regarded in the community, and he had a gun. Many Jews took him up on this offer, and many Jews were eventually murdered in his home
On Saturday morning, before the slaughter
began, the Rabbis again appealed to the Governor for help. Again they
received the same astounding assurances. Bewildered, they turned
to Mr. Cafferata, the British officer in charge of the Police. From
him, too, they received assurances of safety. As early as 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, Arabs began to gather en masse. They came in mobs, armed with clubs, knives and axes. While the women and children threw stones, the men ransacked Jewish houses and destroyed Jewish property. With only a single police officer in Hebron, the Arabs entered Jewish courtyards with no opposition.
Rabbi Slonim, who had tried to shelter the Jewish population, was approached by the rioters and offered a deal. If all the Ashkenazi yeshiva students were given over to the Arabs, the rioters would spare the lives of the Sephardi community. Rabbi Slonim refused to turn over the students and was killed on the spot. In the end, 12 Sephardi Jews and 55 Ashkenazi Jews were murdered.
Now let me tell you about the massacre. Right after eight o'clock in the morning we heard screams. Arabs had begun breaking into Jewish homes. The screams pierced the heart of the heavens. We didn't know what to do. Our house had two floors. We were downstairs and a doctor lived on the second floor.We figured that we would be safe in the doctor's apartment, but how could we get up there? The stairs were on the outside of the building, but it wasn't safe to go out. So we chopped through the ceiling and that way we climbed up to the doctor's house. Well, after being there only a little while, we realized that we were still in danger because by that time the Arabs had almost reached our house. They were going from door to door, slaughtering everyone who was inside. The screams and the moans were terrible. People were crying Help! Help! But what could we do? There were thirty‑three of us. Soon, soon, all of us would be lost. Letter of a Survivor
| Read on further by clicking here for an explanation of how this is much like the situation and promises of the United Nations today and how our more "liberal jews" and military leaders like Moshe Dayan in the 1960's do not help either and try to play politics because they are strategically weak at the Yid With Lid. Thank you so much Jeff for compiling this information. Too often we hear about how before the state of Israel that the Arabs and Jews supposedly got along. Hebron is often mentioned, but has links to sources!!!!! My one criticism is the plaque at the end of the post that makes the claim that the Muslims were not behaving "in accordance with the commandments of the Koran". Whoever wrote that plaque had never read that book. I remember the Khaibar! |
