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| 1929 Palestine riots | |
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The Hebron massacre of 1929 was the murder by Arab rioters of 67 Jews in Hebron, then part of the British Mandate of Palestine.
The survivors of the massacre were forced to flee the community, and their property was occupied by Arabs until after the Six Day War of 1967.
The massacre had a deep and lasting effect on the Jewish community of Palestine. The supporters of a bi-national solution, such as Rabbi Judah Leon Magnes, were demoralized. The massacre also led to the re-organization and development of the community defense organization, the Haganah, which became the nucleus of the Israel Defense Forces.
Background
Hebron is one of the four holiest cities in Judaism. Jews believe that Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah are buried in the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the Cave of Machpelah, the second holiest site in Judaism. David was anointed King of Israel in Hebron and reigned there until the capture of Jerusalem. Jewish community of Hebron existed for millennia under various imperial powers.
On August 20, 1929, Haganah leaders proposed to provide defense for 750 Jews of the Yishuv in Hebron, or to help them evacuate. However, the leaders of the Hebron community declined these offers, insisting that they trusted the A'yan (Arab notables) to protect them.
The next Friday, 23 August, Arabs, inflamed by rumors that Jews were about to attack al-Aqsa Mosque, started an attack on Jews in the Old City of Jerusalem. The violence quickly spread to other parts of Palestine. (See also: 1929 Palestine riots)
The worst killings occurred in Hebron and Safed and other killings occurred in Moza, Kfar Uriyah, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. In Safed, 18 Jews were killed and 80 injured (See also: '1929 Safed massacre').
Hebron massacre
In Hebron, Arab mobs killed 65-68 Jews, wounded 58, and raped women. The 34 Arab Policemen present deserted and led the slaughter, leaving the lone British policeman in the town, Acting-Superintendent Raymond Cafferata and one overage Jewish officer alone. Caffarata called for reinforcements that didn't arrive until noon -five hours later- when six British policemen braved sniper fire to relieve the siege.
Cafferata later testified that:
- "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 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."
Some Jews survived by hiding in their Arab neighbors' houses while others survived by taking refuge in the British police station at Beit Ramon on the outskirts of the city. The surviving Jews were later evacuated to Jerusalem. One third of the killed were students of the Hebron yeshiva. After the massacre, the remaining yeshiva was also moved to Jerusalem.
On September 1, Sir John Chancellor condemned "the atrocious acts committed by bodies of ruthless and bloodthirsty evildoers... murders perpetrated upon defenseless members of the Jewish population... accompanied by acts of unspeakable savagery."
Aftermath
Altogether 195 Arabs and 34 Jews were sentenced by the courts for crimes related to the 1929 riots. Death sentences were handed down to 17 Arabs and 2 Jews, but these were later commuted to long prison terms except in the case of 3 Arabs who were hanged. Large fines were imposed on about 25 Arab villages or urban neighborhoods. Some financial compensation was paid to persons who lost family members or property.
A few dozen Jewish families returned to Hebron in 1931, but were evacuated again during the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. The city had no Jewish population for 37 years until after the Six Day War in 1967, when Jews again came to live in Hebron. These Jews are known as 'settlers'.
As of 2006, hundreds of Jews live in Hebron again, some on land owned by Jews in 1929. (See also Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)