MembersExperiencing a Special Shabbat with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Once a year, toward the end of the week, the narrow and winding road that leads to the Cave of the Patriarchs in the city of Hebron is crowded with cars and people coming from all over the country and abroad. The colorful stream of people come to linger near the place where, according to tradition, the Patriarchs’ remains are laid to rest: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their wives Sarah, Rebekah and Leah.

Today, Hebron is an Arab city of about 200,000 residents. Some 90 Jewish families reside concentrated around the Cave of the Patriarchs, an area that used to be a bustling Jewish quarter. Over the weekend, the Jewish residents of Hebron open their homes to the thousands of visitors in the spirit of the hospitality of our ancestor Abraham.

The streets around the Cave of the Patriarchs and the open spaces between the Jewish homes are transformed into a camp where groups and individuals pitch their tents to take part in the prayer gatherings. People are bused in from all over the country, including Jews from abroad, to take part...