10005 —על חוק הדיור בחברון, מודעות הציבור, ומעמד ירושלים

B"H, 13 Cheshvan, 5731.

Brooklyn, NY.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I hereby acknowledge receipt of your letter, albeit after some delay. After asking your forgiveness, I will again address the matter of Chevron. It is most astonishing—who is it that unofficially told you otherwise? As I wrote in my previous letter: in our times, even a formal and official statement means little or nothing at all. What is most painful and distressing regarding Chevron is that they did not suffice with mere words or even just writing; rather, they made it into law—passed unanimously by all government ministers.

Regarding your note that you were told the apartments to be built are ten minutes from the Cave of Machpelah—I wonder what relevance this has to the issue at hand: is there an Israeli law forbidding a Jew from building a home in Chevron? The fact that a location outside Chevron was chosen, ten minutes or less from the Cave of Machpelah, changes nothing.

Another point to add: this is the basis for my negative view even toward the clause in the law allowing construction outside Chevron. There are several reasons: (a) Accepting this clause automatically means accepting the entire law; (b) Emphasizing building specifically outside the city means anyone participating in such construction also supports this emphasis; (c) Those who wish to calm or lull public opinion by hinting that this is like what happened in Nazareth—where Jews settled around an Arab village and eventually the Arabs left—should know this is not at all comparable to Chevron for several reasons. Two main ones: first, the Arab population in Chevron is well established—reportedly about 50,000 people with all amenities—while the new housing around it will not match this in quantity or quality; meaning there is no hope—even if those setting policy wanted such an outcome (which currently they do not)—that what happened in Nazareth will happen in Chevron. Second, here there is an official law publicized worldwide.

Although I have already written about this, due to the seriousness of the matter I repeat: it is worthwhile to alert public opinion before it is too late—not to hand over Jerusalem our holy city to two religions and certainly not (G‑d forbid) to separate it from Judaism. Although officially they declare Jerusalem is not under discussion, unfortunately and shamefully efforts are underway to find wording that will not alarm Jews in Eretz Yisrael but will cover up plans to hand over Old Jerusalem (ostensibly for justice and democracy etc.) to three owners.

May it be that raising alarm now will prevent disaster before it happens—and may what was mentioned above never come to pass—not even under a guise where all three parties have equal rights or with joint police forces etc. As I wrote: they have yet to decide on wording that will both mask this alarming reality and allow propagandists to present it as an achievement—similar to how the ceasefire on the Suez Canal was called a security achievement for Eretz HaKodesh (though by this 'achievement' all IDF gains on the canal's banks were instantly nullified), or like the dreadful 'Who Is a Jew' law which allows anyone converted by anyone under any conditions to be considered Jewish—and which was also called an achievement for Judaism etc.—all of which brings shame, anger, pain and heartbreak.

With honor and wishes that you too may soon share good news about true achievements.

Summary

The Rebbe urges vigilance against laws restricting Jewish presence in Chevron and warns against complacency regarding Jerusalem's status. He stresses raising public awareness early can help prevent irreversible harm and preserve true achievements for Judaism and Eretz Yisrael.