but it was not really a big deal.... there was not much to photograph anyways....

I decided that it was time for a return trip to Hebron to daven at the Cave of the Patriarchs, aka Me'arat Ha'Machpela. It has been a couple of months since I was last there, so I decided it was time.

I contacted a couple of my regular partners in crime to see if they wanted to join me. One was interested but not sure. He had never gone with me but expressed interest when I told him I might go, so I let him know I decided to go and asked if he wanted to join. The second wanted to come and told me to call him at 4:50 AM, as we were scheduling to leave at 5:05.

In addition I was taking my daughter along. She just turned Bat Mitzvah and I thought it would be nice for her to go. As well, my two older boys wanted to join in.

Late last night partner number one calls me up and says he wants to go but is it really safe and he does not know what to do. I said I am not God and cannot gaurantee anything, but I have gone a lot of times and never had any trouble. At the same time, I told him, there are plenty of people who would not go unless it was in an armored bus.

So, he was nervous and backed out.

I woke up early and woke up my kids and we all got ready to go. I called my next partner in crime and got the dreaded message - "Orange Shalom. The call cannot be completed right now. Try again later". That message means either his phone is somewhere with no reception or he turned it off when he went to bed. I could not call his house phone that early, so after a few tries I gave up. I do not know if he chickened out or just had bad luck to miss it. I suspect the latter, because he has gone with me in the past and even lived in Hebron for a while after he got married. he even got himself banned from Hebron for 6 months many years ago by the IDF for being a troublemaker, so I guess he just had bad luck this morning and missed it.

Off to Hebron.

The trip was uneventful, as usual. We drove right there. On the way I picked up Elchonon from Kiryat Arba, and we hurried into Hebron because it was running a little late.

There was a pretty big crowd, as a large group had come from Yerushalayim, so there were a few minyanim. We davened in the regular vasikin minyan. After davening they had put out sufganiyot for all the people there to enjoy...

And then it was back to RBS and the mundane...