Remembering the Hebron Massacre

Remembering the Hebron Massacre

For decades, the few hundred Jewish residents of the city of Hebron lived in peace with their thousands of Arab neighbors. But one night, on August 23, 1929, the Jewish community of Hebron experienced a night of absolute terror.

In response to incitement by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, the Arab residents of Hebron began a violent riot and murder spree throughout Hebron, killing dozens of Jews. Synagogues and homes were burned. Sixty-seven Jews were murdered, while the survivors were evacuated to Jerusalem.

On January 22, 2023, Avraham Kiryati—the last known survivor of the 1929 Hebron massacre—passed away at the age of 102. Before his passing, he shared his story. As an eight-year-old boy from Jerusalem, the descendant of Jews who escaped the Spanish Inquisition, Avraham was staying with his grandparents in Hebron when Arab rioters forced their way into his grandfather’s home and brutally stabbed him in the side. He and his 18-year-old uncle managed to escape to the family’s chicken coop and hide there.

After that fateful and fatal day, Avraham settled in Jerusalem, eventually joining the army and fighting in the War of Independence, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War. Although he likens the Hebron massacre to the horror of the Holocaust, Avraham did not allow the experience to rob him of hope. He said, “We do not have any choice but to remain strong.”

Today, the Jewish people are still the target of antisemitic hatred. As Israel fights against Hamas for freedom, life, and democracy, we have the privilege and responsibility to stand with them against terrorism.