Rabbi Moshe LEVINGER, one of the leaders of the "Gush Emunim" movement and one of the first settlers in Hebron, at a protest meeting against the desecration of sacred books in the TOMB OF THE PATRIARCHS. Hebron 1976.The incident that sparked the rally took place in the nearby Tomb of the Patriarchs, holty to both Muslims and Jews because their common ancestor, Abraham, bought the site, the cave of Machpela, as a family burial ground, Jews and Arabs lived peaceably in Hebron for many years, but the slaughter of more than 60 Jews by their neighbours during Arab rioting in 1929 ended Jewish settlement there.Levinger and others point to the massacre as a reason for Jews to demonstrate their resolve and renew the community in Hebron.