LandMinds Feature Article:
First Annual Hayim Mageni Hebron ConferenceBarnea Levi Selavan and David Willner
June 3, 2011
Over 100 attendees came to the First Annual Hebron Conference in memory of Hayim Mageni on his 10th yahrzeit, Iyar 11. Pioneers of Hevron honored the memory of a man who literally put the region on the map. Hayim Mageni played a pivotal role in every development, from the excavation of ancient synagogues of the south, to catalyzing, strengthening, and endearing the resettlement of Gush Etzion and Kiryat Arba to the general public. One of the greatest guides of the country, he took tens of thousands of visitors on tours in his lifetime, including Shabbat after Shabbat in Hevron itself. Hayim once said in candor, "I know the entire land of Israel, but in Hevron I know every stone." He never once went to the medical clinic; it is suggested that he simply died of heartbreak ten years ago, watching and reporting the deteriorating situation in the area.
The pioneers exchanged stories which revealed how much effort and vision was invested here over 40 years ago. Hayim Mageni sparked the drive to excavate and develop ancient Susiya, led by Prof Abraham Negev of the Hebrew University. Then Zvi Ilan came to excavate Maon and other places. So said Akiva London, an initiator of the southern Hebron Hills settlements. Even Noam Arnon, from the early leaders of Hevron, said this was news to him!
Kfar Etzion Field School was actually established conceptually and actively by Yehoshua Cohen, founder of Sde Boker, in the summer of 1967. Arieh Rutenberg was invited to be there along with Chakele, Hanan Porat, Yohanan ben Yaakov, and David Amit. At an early meeting is twas discussed, what is the purpose of the field school? Shadchanim, matchmakers between the land of Israel and the people of Israel, like between a bride and groom.
For ten years in the 1970s the school researched the history of Jewish home in Hevron, and recently came into possession of the 1938 PEF map which marks each house. Director Arieh recounted how Shoshana Levine
and Sara Shamir shared their knowledge which formed the basis of the Field Schools' guiding. Ms. Levine was 16 in 1929 and remembered everything. She was a nurse in the riots and would not revisit because of the horrible images she encountered then. Since the Arabs had destroyed the medical supplies she could not help the wounded; for 3 days after the riots she simply could not speak because she was so shaken. It took a long time to convince her that it was now safe to visit. Once she visited, she listed each house and each inhabitant. Sara, a descendant of the Chabad Schneerson family, also knew details. Sara lived in Hevron until January 1929, and visited two weeks before the riots. The Field School has since filmed 200 residents of Gush
Etzion with their knowledge and experiences, but these interviews were early, and largely missed on camera.
Arieh prepared a map of clearly identified buildings and personalities. Story after story of Hevron's characters, the international businessmen in the community, the yeshiva of 200 students led by Rabbi Nosson Zvi Finkel and Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Epstein, show that the oft stated description of a little poor community is completely inaccurate. Rabbi Kook, Ahad HaAm, and other famous personalities came to stay in the Eshel Avraham Hotel in those days.
Yitzchak Shimon-Schitz, told of how the idea for the return to Kfar Etzion originated in Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, with Hayim Mageni as one of the backers together with him; and only once it became clear something was going to happen even though the government was not ready for it, the Kibbutz HaDati decided to act and returned to Kfar Etzion. Thus, Hayim has the merit of catalyzing Kfar Etzion's founding.
Schitz's interviews with local Arabs led to the identification of the battle hill of the Thirty-Five, and they found glasses, personal bandages, cartridges; and then brought the British officer who appeared on the scene to negotiate the return of the bodies to tell his side. After leaving Kfar Etzion he came to Hevron, and helped
establish the restaurant in what is now the Gutnick Center, run by Zvi Katzover. Historically this was called the rest house in Arabic, and was a restaurant and gift store from Mandatory times at least, and seemingly, personally owned by the Jordanian royal family! What a turn around.
Tiferet Mageni Bashari told of how growing up it was clear to them they were like the new shoot that came out of the cut trunk, renewing the age-old Jewish presence in Hevron. Dozens of families came each Shabbat to be hosted by the locals, and Hayim would give the 2:00 pm tour.
Other speakers included Arieh Klein, who just published the second book to appear through the Mageni Foundation, an effort called Hayim BeYehuda; Meirav Melamed, and Yigal Tzachor. The family and attendees
went to the ancient cemetery of Hevron to say the traditional prayers at the gravesite. Noam Arnon summed up the long day by saying that it was clear from the beginning that Hevron had to be an educational crucible to connect the people to the land. The students came and would look by themselves for Jewish signs in Samoa - an impossibility today. Teachers used to come for 10 days of study and touring. Noam says people change their lives from their visit to Hevron, and the energies of Hevron are just starting to come out, in the path of Haim Mageni of blessed memory.
The conference video will be posted at http://www.youtube.com/user/hebronvideo thanks to David WIlder of the Hebron Jewish Community.
A further conference on Hevron history and archaeology will be held in Kiryat Arba on Sivan 7, Thursday June 9 from 10 am to 615 pm. For more information contact http://www.mhebron.org, 02-996171, midrasha@mhebron.org.
