blood has scattered and the streets are now silent. The police br

arrive at the yeshiva and place the body of the martyr on a table, br

appointing a policeman to watch over it. In every Jewish home br

the Sabbath is greeted with trepidation and concern over what br

will happen tomorrow. The son of Rabbi Moshe Mordechai br

Epstein, head of the Slobodka-Hebron yeshiva, is called to the br

office of the Hebron governor, an Arab, who is flanked by two br

officers, one British and the other Arab. The governor tells the br

son of the Rosh Yeshiva (“dean of the seminary”) that he must br

go to every Jewish house and warn the occupants not to walk br

out. He says: “Let the Jews stay in their houses and I will be br

responsible for their lives. . . .” The Jewish promise is given, and br

the night passes in troubled silence, broken only by the sounds br

of police on horses passing through the streets and various Jew- br

ish families leaving their homes for the “safety” of the house of br

the respected Eliezer Don Slonim.

Early Sabbath morning, at five, the Jews are already up, br

their leaders meeting to discuss what to do. It is suggested that br

a telegram be hurriedly sent to Jerusalem to inform the br

Haganah about the situation. But the telegraph office will not br

open until eight and by that time it will already be impossible. br

There is also a suggestion to send someone by automobile to br

Jerusalem, but for some reason it is decided that an Arab should br

be the driver, and no Arab can be found to do it. In the end the br

Jews meet with an Arab police officer named Ibrahim Jarjura, br

who tells them in the name of the police chief that “the Jews br

must remain in their houses and only then can we take responsi- br

bility for their safety.” The police chief, an Englishman named br

Capireta, tells the Jewish leaders the same thing.

By 6:00 A.M., with Arabs now streaming into Hebron from br

the surrounding countryside, E. D. Slonim and a yeshiva stu- br

dent, along with a police detail, go from Jewish house to house, br

warning the Jews not to go out and not even to look out the br

windows. Arab neighbors, meanwhile, gleefully tell their Jewish br

“friends” that “today will be the slaughter.” The streets are br

now packed with Arabs, armed with guns, swords, and knives. br

Cars speed through the streets with Arabs sitting on the roofs, br

shouting slogans calling for death to the Jews. The atmosphere br

is electric, and through it all walk the Arab and British police br

officers, calmly. . . .

The Jewish leaders of the community meet at the home of br