The Jewish Community of Hevron has begun its legal battle, preparing for the return of the large building known as Beit HaShalom (Peace House) to Jewish hands. The first hearing was this week. With the loss, a year ago, of the political battle to retain the Jewish-purchased building, the Hevron residents have moved on to the judicial front in the Jerusalem District Court, and are confident that their efforts will bear fruit – though it may take a while. The story began in March 2007, when 200 Jews entered the 4-story, 3,600-sq.-meter Arab-built structure in the City of the Patriarchs. It had been purchased two years earlier, after a long process, by Morris Abraham of Brooklyn, New York, for $700,000. The building overlooks the strategic road between Hevron and Kiryat Arba, named Worshippers’ Path in honor of the parade of Jews walking back and forth to the Machpelah Cave each week for Sabbath prayers. After nearly two years of legal maneuvers, during which the residents were prevented from making minimal repairs to the building such as putting on windows, the Supreme Court finally ruled that the building must be emptied of the Jews until the issue of ownership could be resolved. The ruling was harshly criticized as having ignored critical evidence, and even retired District Court Judge Uri Struzman – whose previous ruling was cited as a precedent by the Supreme Court justices – said that his precedent should have led to the opposite conclusion. “It is not at all strange that the settlers are screaming that justice has not been served, and that the judges’ political opinions were the basis for their decision," Struzman wrote. Now, however, the ball is back in the courts, and the Hevron residents are confident. Miriam Fleishman, who gave birth to a daughter while living there, says, “We have hired Attorney Ze’ev Sharf, who specializes in cases of this nature, and we are convinced that we will win. At the first hearing, held this week, the judge ruled that the trial itself will begin in 45 days, and all testimonies and evidence will be presented to the court. We have written, audio and video testimony that we purchased the building legally.” In addition, the Arab seller has changed his story three times. He first claimed that he never sold it, then said he sold the home but didn’t receive money for it, and finally ended up claiming that he sold the building and received payment, but he wants to retroactively cancel the sale. Fleishman says that most of the Jewish belongings that had served the occupants are still there: “The army sealed up the building, and our property, such as beds, closets and the like, are still there. The army, too, knows that this is a strategic spot, and that’s why they are stationed there.” The Hevron Jewish Community is experienced in long, arduous campaigns – legal and otherwise – to retrieve Jewish-owned property that has been confiscated from it, either by Arabs or by the army. “The Eternal People are not afraid of a long journey” is one of the principles that governs their pioneering lives.
