In August 1968 one year and four months after the Six-Day War, Mr. Tzvi Caspi was appointed Consul of Jewish Affairs in New York. One month after accepting the post, he received a telegram from the assistant Prime Minister of Israel Mr. Yigal Alon. The telegram stated: ‘Meet with the Lubavitcher Rebbe and request of him in the name of the Government of Israel as follows: 1) He should instruct Chabad Chassidim to settle in Hebron. 2) He should come out with a call to his Chassidim to settle the Land (of Israel).’
Mr. Caspi until this very day is moved by the words of prophecy he heard from the Rebbe in response to his appeal.
He had an audience with the Rebbe at 12 midnight. The Rebbe studied the telegram and responded as follows: “Chabad has legal rights to properties in the streets of Hebron, yet you are not recommending that we settle within Hebron. Instead you will do in Hebron the same as you did in Nazareth. You will set up another Nazareth Illit (an outlying area for Jewish People to settle there). You will leave the Arabs in the city (of Hebron) as you did in Nazareth, and for the Jewish people you will add something”.
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| Ancient Jewish Hebron |
The idea of establishing (the outlying area of) Kiryat Arba had not yet been thought of at that time, yet the Rebbe stated explicitly prophetic words. If I am not mistaken, the Rebbe even stated the future name of the settlement to be set up near Hebron –‘Kiryat Arba’. He spoke of a Jewish settlement by the edge of Hebron and argued forcefully that it would be a blunder to do this!
Further into our discussion the Rebbe stated (with regard that which had been done in Nazareth and would in the future be done in Hebron):
“You made a grave mistake. These murderers raise a white flag of submission, and you allowed them to stay! Why were you afraid? Terrible fear and trepidation befell them when you went out to war against them, why did you not allow them to flee? You were afraid that the world would have what to say against you? The world is full of refugees!”The Rebbe concluded that this is a mistake and added in a painful tone: “This is a serious mistake; you will pay dearly for this.
You made no offer that we settle in Hebron, but to live outside of Hebron as you did in Nazareth”.
