The history of the Jews in Hebron refers to the residence of Jews in Hebron almost continuously, from Biblical times until today. According to the Bible, Abraham settled in Hebron and purchased the Cave of the Patriarchs as a burial place for his wife Sarah. The biblical tradition asserts that the cave is the final resting site for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their wives—Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah. Hebron is also mentioned as David's first capital, where he was anointed king of Israel. Archaeological findings from Hezekiah's time indicate Hebron's importance in the Kingdom of Judah. During the Second Temple period, Hebron, initially Edomite, underwent a significant shift as its population embraced Judaism under Hasmonean rule. The city was destroyed during the Jewish–Roman wars.
In the 16th century, under Ottoman rule, Jews from Spain established a community in Hebron and built the Abraham Avinu Synagogue. In the 19th century, the community expanded to include Ashkenazi Jews. In the summer of 1929, local Muslims carried out a massacre of the Jews of Hebron. With the outbreak of the Arab Revolt in 1936, the last Jews left the city, with only one family remaining.
Shortly after the Six-Day War, Jewish settlement in the city was renewed, along with the establishment of Kiryat Arba nearby. The presence of a Jewish neighborhood in Hebron was explicitly set out in the Hebron Accord, jointly signed by Israel and the Palestinians. At present, this is the only Jewish community located inside a Palestinian city.[1] Today, some 1,100 Jews live in Hebron, including 350 students of the Yeshivat Shavei Hebron, all in the H2 area under Israeli control. Approximately 40,000 Palestinians also live in the H2 area (in addition to 215,000 in H1, the Palestinian part of Hebron.[2][3]