A meeting between Defense Minister Gen. Moshe Dayan and Moslem religious leaders in Hebron has paved the way for Jewish settlers in that West Bank town to hold their Yom Kippur services at the Patriarchs’ Tombs, located in the Ibrahimi mosque compound. The Moslems agreed to permit the Jews to worship at the site throughout the day. Ordinarily non-Moslems are permitted inside the mosque compound only at specified hours.
Israel will shut down all normal activities tomorrow afternoon for the 24-hour Yom Kippur fast period and Jews, whether observant or not, will have no transportation or telegraph services and will be unable to leave or enter the country. Radio broadcasting will be suspended.
Observance of the holiday, in Israel a matter of law, will suspend for one day free movement between the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel proper. The Allenby and Damiyah bridges, main crossings between the West Bank and Jordan, will be closed for the day as will be Haifa and other seaports and Lydda Airport. The diplomatic corps has advised its personnel not to travel by car through Jewish areas on Yom Kippur. Synagogues are expected to be full but the heat and long walking distances will keep many Israelis who fast from attending services.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
