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Greeting and Blessing:

This is in reply to your letter.

Ever since the liberation of Hebron in 1967, and particularly in more recent years up to the present time, it has been my policy to give the same answer to all who have inquired as to my opinion and advice about settling in the City of our Avot, (Patriarchs). My answer is that, given what I know of the measures so far taken to ensure the security of Jewish settlers there, I cannot, I am sorry to say, take upon myself the responsibility of advising any Jew to settle there.

It is painful, indeed, to have to say that the situation there has deteriorated even further in recent years.

My advice, as above, was given even where the question came to me from an individual or a single family. It would certainly be even more emphatic when the question concerned a concerted action by groups, and the like, since this would provoke so much more of a hostile reaction.

At the same time, for several reasons, I have always requested that this reply of mine not be publicized, since there is always the hope that perhaps there might be a radical change in the attitude of the Government, which is responsible for security in that region. Also, I do not want to inspire fear among those who are already settled there; and certainly I do not wish my opinion to be misconstrued by the terrorists and taken as an encouragement to keep our fellow-Jews out of our Holy City of Hebron.

In keeping with the above, I trust you will, similarly, keep this letter confidential.

With blessing,