Anyone who lives in Hebron can attest to the fact that since Rabbi Moshe Levinger decided to renew the Jewish presence in the holy city, nothing has been accomplished without mesirus nefesh. Today, decades later, despite the accomplishments, Hebron residents and supporters are still fighting an uphill battle. Those who understand the kedusha and significance of the city and the site simply ‘get it’, and no additional explanation is necessary.

Four years ago Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu proudly announced that the Ma’aras HaMachpelah was being added to the list of National Heritage Sites. This entitles the site to increased funding and priority care as a result of the special status.

However, when one visits the Facebook page of MK (Bayit Yehudi) Orit Struk, a veteran resident of the holy city, one sees the alarming situation following the season’s first significant rainfall. She used her cellular telephone to take a number of photographs to document the alarming situation – the result of government neglect for this particular national heritage site. The flooding is evident only hours after the first rainfall as we begin to get a taste of winter, testimony to the fact that the Machpelah is not a genuine priority for the national government.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photos: MK Orit Struk’s Facebook page)