It was a violent Tisha B’Av night in the Ma’aras HaMachpelah in Hebron and confrontations erupted between Jews and border police. The Jews complained the muezzin was disrupting the recitation of Eicha, leading to the confrontations after police explained they will not act to stop the interference. The fragile atmosphere that prevails in Hebron was shattered once against on motzei Shabbos, the eve of Tisha B’Av in the Machpelah in Hebron. The Jews became irritated by the calls from the muezzin, calling on police to act, explaining it was difficult to proceed with Megillas Eicha. Police refused to intervene despite the fact the Jews explained it was not a Muslim prayer time and the chants by the muezzin were simply to interfere with the davening in the Machpelah. After police ignored all requests to act, a number of Jewish youths went to the room from which the muezzin was broadcasting and prevented him from leaving. This led to a confrontation between the Jewish youths and border police, prompting the latter to use pepper spray against them. Baruch Marzel exclaimed the heads of the security establishment are to blame, stating “They are always acting in favor of the Arab enemy at the expense of the status quo. They permitted the opening of their stores despite the security dangers posed to the Jews by the decision and these acts have brought Hebron to the verge of an explosion”. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Officials in Shaare Zedek Hospital report on Thursday morning, 12 Teves, the condition of the stabbing victim from the Shar Yaffo stabbing attack on Wednesday  has improved. The patient is breathing unassisted and is conscious and alert. He is admitted to a cardiothoracic intensive care unit, listed in ‘stable’ condition. Another victim of Arab terror who remains in Shaare Zedek, from the 25 Kislev stabbing attack in Hebron,  remains very serious. The tzibur is asked to be mispallel for Gennadiy Chaim Nutah ben Raya Rachel bsoch kol cholei am yisrael. The levaya for one of the victims of the attack, Ofer Ben-Ari HY”D, will take place on Thursday afternoon at 14:00 in Har Menuchos. The levaya for the other victim, Rabbi Reuven Biermacher HY”D, took place on Wednesday night in Har Menuchos. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)  

Gennadiy Kofman the Jewish gardener from Hebron who was critically wounded in Hebron felt that his life was in danger, weeks before he was stabbed by an Arab terrorist Monday, 25 Kislev. Gennadiy called the Israel Dog Unit and asked to adopt a dog for protection that could escort him on his daily gardening chores. The chilling text message sent to IDU (Israel Dog Unit) is still on the IDU cellphone that was transmitted on October 19th. The next message from Gennadiy’s phone was received by I.D.U. earlier today by Veronica, Gennadiy’s wife, pleading with all of Gennadiy’s friends and phone contacts to pray for his recovery. Gennadiy had started attending classes in Kiryat Arba to learn how to use and maintain a security dog and I.D.U. was working on pairing Gennadiy with a dog. Many people have been contacting the IDU(Israel Dog Unit which provides security dogs as well as Search and Rescue services) over recent weeks, in wake of the recent wave of terror. Unfortunately the IDU lacks the resources to immediately station dogs with everyone who needs security dogs in Israel. Dozens of guard dogs and patrol dogs have been allocated in recent months. It is very possible even probable that had Gennadiy been working with a patrol dog at his side that the Arab terrorist would never have succeeded in stabbing him. IDU officials explain, “We have been working to bring as many good patrol dogs as possible to Israel over recent months to meet the immediate and urgent need for dogs ready for service. Later today I will be meeting with the owner of a large European service dog kennels, who is visiting in Tel Aviv to discuss importing protection dogs ready or close to ready for immediate deployment. Two weeks ago we placed two dogs in Hebron, but that is not enough”. IDU founder and director Yekutiel Ben-Yaakov adds “In the meantime, I urge all of you to forward this email to whoever you can and to urge them to pray for Gennadiy Chaim Nutah ben Raya Rachel. He is in very critical condition with stab wounds to his heart and lungs”. Ben-Yaakov is also seeking sponsors as these highly-trained dogs are expensive. The cost of buying a dog ranges between $5,000- $10,000. See the attached video below– this is the type of dog Gennadiy should have had at his side. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Officials at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem reported on Tuesday morning 26 Kislev that Gennadiy Chaim Nutah ben Raya Rachel, who was critically wounded in an Arab terror attack in Hebron on Monday evening, remains in critical/unstable condition. According to the report from the hospital spokesperson, Gennadiy sustained knife injuries to his heart and lungs and remains in an intensive care unit in what is being described as “critical/unstable life-threatening condition”. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] A car with Yeshiva Bochrim narrowly escaped a lynching on Thursday afternoon. According to breaking reports and initial photos from the scene, it appears a vehicle with Yeshiva students lost their way near Hebron while driving to Meoras HaMachpela, and entered an Arab village. Their car was surrounded and ransacked, with their tefillin and black hats strewn all over the street. The mob of attackers then firebombed the vehicle. It appears that the IDF was able to rescue the boys, who are now outside the village, and inside an armored IDF vehicle. One of them, has suffered light injuries. Police released a statement saying that the vehicle was occupied by 5 Americans. Additional information will be added when it becomes available. (Fred Silverstein – YWN)

[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Hebron resident and right-wing activist Baruch Mazel was arrested in Hebron on Thursday morning 14 Menachem Av. Marzel was a candidate on the Yachad party ticket headed by Eli Yishai in the last Knesset elections. Attorney Itamar Ben-Givir explains Marzel’s arrest surrounds police suspicions that he took part in an incident in the Ma’aras HaMachpelah on Tisha B’Av night when Jews confronted border police as the latter refused to stop the muezzin from disturbing the recitation of Megillas Eicha. Annoyed and angered, some of the Jews went to the room from which the muezzin was broadcasting and locked him inside. Following the incident Marzel was quoted saying “They are always acting in favor of the Arab enemy at the expense of the status quo. They permitted the opening of their stores despite the security dangers posed to the Jews by the decision and these acts have brought Hebron to the verge of an explosion”. Following Marzel’s arrest Ben-Givir questions why police did not arrest the muezzin for disturbing the Jewish tefilla on Tisha B’Av, calling on Public Security Minister Erdan to instruct police to cease the ongoing policy of harassing the Jews. A spokesman for the Shai (Shomron-Yehuda) Police stated police are investigating a number of people in connection with that Tisha B’Av incident, adding a number of witnesses and suspects are being questioned and interviewed. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

When people enter a new home it is usually occasion for simcha but when it pertains to yidden in Yehuda and Shomron, at times they must enter under the veil of darkness, as was the case in Hebron during the night. Once again, the Hebron Jewish community if faced with the state’s discriminatory practices, a state that evicts an entire Jewish community from Migron while challenging the legal sale of a residential structure in Hebron. This is the situation for the 15 families and a number of singles now living in the three-story building in the area of the Machpelah parking lot. They moved in during the night. Shlomo Levinger, one of the residents, explains that the actual sale was completed months ago but after they learned the PA (Palestinian Authority) became aware of the transaction, there were mounting fears the PA may work to sabotage the Jewish community’s efforts to take possession of the building. This prompted the move to enter during the night. The Arab who sold the building to the Jewish community has been arrested by the PA and his is being interrogated. In the PA, selling a home to Jews is a capital offense, and Settlement Council leader Danny Danon called on Israel to intervene to save the man’s life before it is too late. Levinger explained it has been 45 years since Rabbi Moshe Levinger and his followers launched the renewed Jewish presence in the holy city and Baruch Hashem, today they are in a new building. Unfortunately, the challenges facing efforts to expand the Jewish presence in the Ir HaAvos are quite formidable, having to contend with the left-wing judicial system and state-run media as well as the government and other agencies. The IDF has declared the building a closed military zone, which means only residents of the building may enter, but they are not being permitted to leave. So this Shabbos, the residents will not be davening in the Ma’aras HaMachpela as they believed they would be, now being held prisoner by the IDF. The military released an official statement early in the morning, 6 Nissan 5772, calling the Jewish presence in the building a “dangerous provocation”. The army is also concerned with the timing, on the eve of Land Day. Levinger however remains optimistic, aware that in Hebron, nothing is accomplished without mesirus nefesh. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)