Yet another student, Moshe-Aron Ripps, begs his br

murderers a moment to say Vidui, the final confession. As he br

begins, they kill him. Two other students, Shmuel Izak Bern- br

stein and Yeshachar Eliyahu Sandrow, are also victims. The lat- br

ter, almost cut in two by the cruel mob, lingers and suffers for br

almost a day before dying.

No Jewish house is safe. On the road to Jerusalem the mob br

breaks into the home of the shochet (a ritual slaughterer), Yaakov br

Zev Reitman. The terrified Jew runs out the back door, but the br

mob catches him. He pleads with them and gives them all his br

money. For just a moment they leave him alone, but as he begins br

to run again, they chase him, catch him, and riddle his body br

with knife wounds. He dies in the gutter. His house is a scene of br

tragedy. On the floor lie his dead brother, another yeshiva gen- br

ius, Moshe, and his mother-in-law, Frieda Haimson. The house br

is totally looted by the mob, which then leaves on its way to the br

next victims.

The next is the home of Eliezer Don Slonim. His house is a br

prestigious one. Slonim himself is one of the most important br

Jews in Hebron. As director of the Anglo-Palestine bank in the br

city, he is also the only Jew to sit on the Hebron town council. br

He has many “friends” among the Arabs. He knows all the br

notables and leaders of the town. They have promised him pro- br

tection and assured him safety.

Because of this, Slonim tells as many Jews as possible to br

come to his home. “There we will be safe,” is the consensus. br

Some seventy Jews are gathered. Wrapped in their prayer br

shawls, the men stand and pray the Sabbath service in fear and br

trepidation as they hear the howls of the mob and the screams br

of the victims outside. Many can see the terrible massacre in br

nearby Beit Burland. They can hear the mob pounding on the br

door of the adjoining house, that of Skolover. Suddenly, the win- br

dows of Slonim’s house are smashed by a hundred rocks. The br

Jews scream. Men rush to bar the door. Outside, iron poles and br

beams are being brought up by the Arabs to smash down the br

doors. The house of Slonim will be no safer than all the rest.

Outside the house now stand hundreds of inflamed Arabs br

calling for Jewish blood. They charge up the narrow stone steps br

leading to the house. For fifteen minutes they pound on the br

door, then smash it with iron staves and batter it with poles. br