We will begin our tour at Kever Rachel, Rachel's Tomb, located between Jerusalem Bethlehem

Our first site will be the Millennium Tower from where we will see the modern communities of Gush Etzion, the Etzion Bloc. We'll discuss the heroism of the Jewish People from the days Elazar the Maccabee to the Nebi Daniel convoy during the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. From there we will travel to the Lone Oak near Kfar Etzion and watch an audio-visual show narrating the history of Gush Etzion.

The final destination will be Ma’arat Hamachpela, the Cave of the Patriarchs, where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah lie. Ma’arat Hamachpela is second only to Har Habayit, The Temple Mount, in its sanctity for the Jewish People. Throughout the generations, all of the greatest rabbis and Jewish leaders made their way to Hevron to pray at the graves of the Patriarchs. Countless stories have been told about the miracles ensuing visits to Hevron.

Our next destination will be Beit Hadassah, the city’s first Jewish hospital that was established more than a hundred years ago and which, after the Six Day War, became the first building settled by Jews returning to Hevron. Today, the building is home to several families, and a museum about the history of Hevron containing a memorial to Jews murdered in the 1929 riots can be found on the first floor. The museum also offers a sound and light show about the history of Hevron. From there we will continue to Beit Romano, now home of the Shavei Hevron Yeshiva and the Avraham Avinu Synagogue.

I recommend beginning our tour of Hevron in the ancient cemetery where the great Jewish elders lie alongside pioneers of past generations. We will continue to an observation point at Beit Menachem. Descending from the observation point, we find ourselves by the ancient city gate - the site where Abraham bought the plot of land in which to bury Sarah.