on the shabbat night of august 23, 1929, and into the following day (18 av 5689), riots broke out in the city of hebron (khevron/al-khalil) in response to disinformation spread that jews in british mandate palestine were going to take over the haram el-sharif/temple mount [1], which was building off a feeling of societal imbalance following the recent influx of ashenazim who had emigrated there to attend the sladboka yeshiva four years before [2]. this disinformation was fomented by outright calls for violence by many religious and bureaucratic leaders of the area [3]. rabbi ya'akov slonim and a sefardic rabbi named franko tried to ask for help in the hours before, fearing the worst, but they were turned away [4]
the massacre began with arab youths throwing rocks at a group of jewish yeshiva students, with the first death occurring that night when some of those youths broke into the yeshiva to find shmuel rozenholtz, age 23, alone and studying, and killed him as he read [5]
the group went house to house, killing and mutilating and raping as many jews as they could come upon. at one point, they approached the son rabbi slonim, eliezer dan slonim, and told him that if he agreed to hand over all the ashkenazi yeshiva students who were sheltering in his house, then they would spare the sefardim from their attacks [6]. slonim, who was well known in the community for being an activist for improving the relations between the arab and jewish populations in the region, responded "we jews are one," and refused [7]. he and about 40 other jews (who had been davening (praying) at the time) were killed in that home [5]
at the end of the massacre, almost 70 jews lay dead (the counts are usually either 67 or 69, depending), and countless more were gravely wounded and raped, and many were left with life-altering mental and/or physical injuries from the event. this event marked the end of the mostly peaceful coexistence between arabs and jews in the city (though it was by no means a utopia) that had gone on for hundreds of years. it is important to remember, however, that "some 400 jews were saved by their arab neighbors" [8]
may the memories of those whose lives were lost on that day, and of the survivors of the massacre who have died since, be for a blessing to us all
[1] https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/this-week-in-jewish-history--massacre-in-hebron-kills-67-8-3-2020
[2] https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-756156
[3] https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/plb/1929/09/08/01/article/11/?e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1%5d
[4] http://pdfs.jta.org/1929/1929-09-01_1455.pdf - let me know if you can't read this and i'll transcribe the article for you
[5] http://en.hebron.org.il/history/1270 - oded avisar, who compiled the first hand testimonies written out here, uses some words that would not be considered proper today to describe the arab perpetrators. this source also has some very graphic descriptions and photos of what happened. if any of that is something that may bother you it may be a good idea to look over this source
[6] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-hebron-massacre-of-1929
[7] http://en.hebron.org.il/history/520
[8] yossi klein halevi, letters to my palestinian neighbor, pg 77
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Posted @withregram • @onthisdayinjewishistory It’s true, this definitely didn’t start on October 7th.
On Shabbat, August 24, 1929 - the Jews of the ancient Jewish city of Hebron were massacred. The Jews of Hebron were attacked by neighboring Arab residents in an organized pogrom. After 2 days, 67 Jews lay dead as homes and synagogues were outright destroyed in what would be known as the Hebron Massacre of 1929.
Jews have had a continuous presence in Hebron since the times of King David which would go uninterrupted until this very massacre. It wouldn’t be until Israel’s victory in the 6 Day War (1967) that Jews would finally return to the city.
The summer of 1929 witnessed a high influx of Jewish immigrants to British Mandated Palestine. The Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al Husseini, a soon to be ally of Hitler and eventual collaborator, began inciting riots in response to the increased Jewish presence in the region.
The city of Hebron had been relatively peaceful until the British arrived while tensions were felt beneath the surface.
The Jews of Hebron at the time were mostly of Sephardic descent, some spoke Arabic, and generally got along with their Arab neighbors. Ashkenazi immigrants and Yeshiva students began arriving in the mid to late 19th century, early 20th.
On the afternoon of August 23rd, 1929, Arab youths began throwing rocks at yeshiva students as they strolled by - the first casualty would be Shmuel Rosenholtz (slides 4 & 5)
The next day, Shabbat morning, Arabs appeared in mobs armed with knives, clubs, and axes at the Jewish quarter with murderous intentions. By the end of the day, 67 Jews were dead, synagogues and homes destroyed - the community was left scrambling for safety.
The massacre instigated coordinated violence (1929 Arab Riots) throughout the region, led by the Mufti, where 133 Jews and 110 Arabs would be killed, mostly by the occupying British forces in an attempt to quell the violence.
This tragic and unfortunate Hebron Massacre of 1929 highlights the fact that anti-Jewish sentiment in the region had and has less to do with Zionism or Israel and all to do with hatred of an independent Jewish presence.
#jewishhistory #hebronmassacre
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While there were periods of coexistence with Jews in the Levant, let this brief history disavow you of the notion, being promulgated all over the internet (and especially my inbox) that Jews were treated "well" by Muslims.
Similar in many ways to the dehumanization and murder at the hands of European Christianity, the Jews in Muslim-controlled lands, starting with Muhammad (exemplified in Islam as not just a prophet, but the "perfect example of human being") suffered continuous waves of ethnic-cleansing pogroms and massacres, culminating in the Massacres in southern Israel on October 7th.
This is a short list:
622 - 627: Ethnic cleansing of Jews literally from Mecca and Medina, (Jewish boys with pubic hair were executed along with the men). Over 800 adult males were killed by beheading. Women were forced into sexual slavery, and the children were given to Islamic Jihadis as slaves. Mohammad force-married Safiyyah, after murdering her husband and father.
629: 1st Alexandria Massacres of Jews, Egypt.
622 - 634: Exterminations of Arabian Jewish tribes.
1106: Ali Ibn Yousef Ibn Tashifin of Marrakesh decrees death penalty for any local Jew, including his Jewish Physician, and as well as his Jewish military general.
1033: 1st massacre of Jews in Fez, Morocco.
1148: Almohadin of Morocco gives Jews the choice of converting to Islam, or expulsion.
1066: Granada Massacre of Jews, Muslim-occupied Spain.
1165 - 1178: Jews of Yemen given the choice (under new constitution) to either convert to Islam or die.
1165: Chief Rabbi of the Maghreb was publicly burnt alive. The Rambam (Maimonides, Moses ben Maimon), forced to flee Spain to Egypt.
1220: Tens of thousands of Jews massacred by Muslims Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Egypt, after being blamed for Mongol invasion.
1270: Sultan Baibars of Egypt resolved to burn all the Jews, a ditch having been dug for that purpose; but at the last moment he repented, and instead exacted a heavy tribute, during the collection of which many perished.
1276: 2nd Fez Pogrom (massacre) against Jews in Morocco
1385: Khorasan Massacres against Jews in Iran
1438: 1st Mellah Ghetto massacres against Jews in Morocco.
1465: 3rd Fez Pogrom against Jews in Morocco, leaving only 11 Jews left alive.
1517: 1st Safed Pogrom in Muslim Ottoman controlled Judea
1517: 1st Hebron Pogrom in Muslim-controlled Judea, by occupying Ottomans.
1517: Marsa ibn Ghazi Massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Libya.
1577: Passover Massacre throughout the Ottoman Empire.
1588 - 1629: Mahalay Pogroms of Jews in Iran.
1630 - 1700: Yemenite Jews considered 2nd class citizens and subjugated under strict Shi'ite 'dhimmi' rules.
1660: 2nd Judean Pogrom, in Safed Israel (Ottoman-controlled Palestine).
1670: Expulsion of Mawza Jews in Yemen.
1679 - 1680: Massacres of Jews in Sanaa, Yemen.
1747: Massacres of the Jews of Mashhad, Iran.
1785: Pogrom of Libyan Jews in Ottoman-controlled Tripoli, Libya.
1790 - 92: Tetuan Pogrom. Morocco (Jews of Tetuuan stripped naked, and lined up for Muslim perverts).
1800: Decree passed in Yemen, criminalizing Jews from wearing clothing that is new or good, or from riding mules or donkeys. Jews were also rounded up for long marches naked through the Roob al Khali dessert.
1805: 1st Algiers Massacre/Pogrom of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Algeria.
1808: 2nd Ghetto Massacres in Mellah, Morocco.
1815: 2nd Algiers massacres/pogroms of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Algeria.
1820: Sahalu Lobiant Massacres of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Syria.
1828: Baghdad massacres/pogroms of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Iraq.
1830: 3rd massacre/pogrom of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Algiers, Algeria.
1830: Ethnic cleansing of Jews in Tabriz, Iran.
1834: 2nd massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Hebron, Judea.
1834: Massacre/pogrom of Safed Jews in Ottoman-controlled Palestine/Judea.
1839: Massacre of the Mashadi Jews in Iran.
1840: Damascus Affair following first of many blood libels against Jews in Ottoman-controlled Syria.
1844: 1st Cairo Massacres of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Egypt.
1847: Dayr al-Qamar massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Lebanon.
1847: Ethnic cleansing of the Jews in Jerusalem, Ottoman-controlled Palestine.
1848: 1st Damascus massacre/pogrom, in Ottoman-controlled Syria.
1850: 1st Aleppo massacre/pogrom of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Syria.
1860: 2nd Damascus massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Syria.
1862: 1st Beirut massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Lebanon.
1866: Massacre of Jews by Ottomans Kuzguncuk, Turkey.
1867: Massacre of Jews by Ottomans in Barfurush, Turkey.
1868: Massacre of Jews by Ottomans in Eyub, Turkey.
1869: Massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Tunis, Tunisia.
1869: Massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Sfax, Tunisia.
1864 - 1880: Massacres of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Marrakesh, Morocco.
1870: 2nd Alexandria Massacres of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Egypt.
1870: 1st Istanbul massacre of Jews in Ottoman Turkey.
1871: 1st Damanhur Massacres of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Egypt.
1872: Massacre of Jews by Ottomans in Edirne, Turkey.
1872: 1st Massacre of Jews by Ottomans in Izmir, Turkey.
1873: 2nd Damanhur Massacres of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Egypt.
1874: 2nd Izmir massacre of Jews in Turkey.
1874: 2nd massacre of Jews in Istanbul Turkey.
1874: 2nd massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Beirut, Lebanon.
1875: 2nd massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Aleppo, Syria.
1875: Massacre of Jews in Djerba Island, Ottoman-controlled Tunisia.
1877: 3rd massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Damanhur, Egypt.
1877: Masaacres of Jews in Mansura, Ottoman-controlled Egypt
1882: Masacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Homs, Syria.
1882: 3rd Massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Alexandria, Egypt.
1890: 2nd massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Cairo, Egypt.
1890: 3rd massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Damascus, Syria.
1890: 2nd massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Tunis, Tunisia
1891: 4th massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Damanahur, Egypt.
1897: Targeted murder of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Tripolitania, Libya.
1903 &1907: Masaacres of Hews in Ottoman-controlled Taza & Settat, Morocco.
1901 - 1902: 3rd set of massacres of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Cairo, Egypt.
1901 - 1907: 4th set of Massacres of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Alexandria, Egypt.
1903: 1st massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Port Sa'id, Egypt.
1903 - 1940: Series of massacres in Taza and Settat, Morocco.
1907: Massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Casablanca, Morocco.
1908: 2nd Massacre of Jews in Ottoman-controlled Port Said, Egypt.
1910: Blood libel against Jews in Shiraz, Iran.
1911: Masaacre of Jews by Muslims in Shiraz, Iran.
1912: 4th massacre in Ottoman-controlled Fez, Morocco.
1917: Baghdad Iraq Jews murdered by Ottomans.
1918 - 1948: Yemen passes a law criminalizing the raising of a Jewish orphan in Yemen.
1920: Massacres of Jews in Irbid Jordan (British mandate Palestine).
1920 - 1930: Arab riots resulting in hundreds of Jewish deaths, British mandate Palestine.
1921: 1st Jaffa (Israel) riots, British mandate Palestine.
1922: Massacres of Jews in Djerba, Tunisia.
1928: Jewish orphans sold into slavery, and forced toonvert to Islam by Muslim Brotherhood, Yemen.
1929: 3rd Hebron (Israel) massacre of Jews by Arabs in British mandate Palestine.
1929 3rd massacre of Jews by Arabs in Safed (Israel), British mandate Palestine.
1933: 2nd Jaffa (Israel) riots, British mandate Palestine.
1934: Massacre of Jews in Thrace, Turkey.
1936: 3rd riots by Arabs against Jews in Jaffa (Israel), British mandate Palestine.
1941: Masaacres of Jews in Farhud, Iraq.
1942: Muslim leader Grand Mufti collaboration with the Nazis, playing a major role in the final solution.
1938 - 1945: Full alliance and collaboration by Arabs with the Nazis in attacking and murdering Jews in the Middle East and Africa.
1945: 4th massacre of Jews by Muslims in Cairo, Egypt.
1945: Masaacre of Jews in Tripolitania, Libya.
1947: Masaacre of Jews by Muslims in Aden, Yemen.
2023: Massacre, rape, torture and kidnapping of ~1,500 Israelis (mostly Jews) by Muslims in numerous towns throughout southern Israel.
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