Editing Abner (section)

==Tomb of Abner==
The site known as the Tomb of Abner is located not far from the [[Cave of the Patriarchs]] in Hebron and receives visitors throughout the year. Many travelers have recorded visiting the tomb over the centuries.
[[File:David and the tomb of Abner.jpg|thumb|David and the tomb of Abner. Artist unknown. 19th century.]] [[Benjamin of Tudela]], who began his journeys in 1165, wrote in the journal, "The valley of Eshkhol is north of the mountain upon which Hebron stood, and the cave of Makhpela is east thereof. A bow-shot west of the cave is the sepulchre of Abner the son of Ner."<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela: Travels in the Middle Ages|publisher = NightinGale Resources|date = 1 March 2004|location = New York|isbn = 9780911389098}}</ref>

A rabbi in the 12th century records visiting the tomb as reprinted in [[Elkan Nathan Adler]]'s book ''Jewish Travellers in the Middle Ages: 19 Firsthand Accounts''.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Jewish Travellers in the Middle Ages: 19 Firsthand Accounts|url = https://archive.org/details/jewishtravellers00elka|publisher = Dover Publications|date = 30 November 2011|location = New York|isbn = 9780486253978|editor-first = Elkan Nathan|editor-last = Adler|url-access = registration}}</ref> The account states, "I, Jacob, the son of R. Nathaniel ha Cohen, journeyed with much difficulty, but God helped me to enter the Holy Land, and I saw the graves of our righteous Patriarchs in Hebron and the grave of Abner the son of Ner." Adler postulates that the visit must have occurred prior to [[Saladin]]'s capture of [[Jerusalem]] in 1187.

Rabbi [[Moses ben Mordecai Bassola|Moses Basola]] records visiting the tomb in 1522. He states, "Abner's grave is in the middle of Hebron; the Muslims built a mosque over it."<ref>{{Cite book|title = In Zion and Jerusalem: The Itinerary of Rabbi Moses Basola 1512–1523|publisher = C G Gundation|date = 31 December 1999|location = Jerusalem|isbn = 9789652229267|first = David|last = Avraham}}</ref> Another visitor in the 1500s states that "at the entrance to the market in Hebron, at the top of the hill against the wall, Abner ben Ner is buried, in a church, in a cave." This visit was recorded in Sefer Yihus ha-Tzaddiqim (Book of Genealogy of the Righteous), a collection of [[Travelogues of Ottoman Palestine|travelogues]] from 1561. Abraham Moshe Lunz reprinted the book in 1896.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14604-uri-ori-ben-simeon|title = URI (ORI) BEN SIMEON|access-date = 5 January 2015|website = History and Anthropology in Jewish Studies|publisher = Penn Libraries|last = Ochser|first = Schulim}}</ref>

Menahem Mendel of Kamenitz, considered the first hotelier in the Land of Israel,<ref>{{Cite web|title = The first Holy Land hotelier|url = http://www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/In-Jerusalem/The-first-Holy-Land-hotelier|website = The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com| date=29 March 2010 |access-date = 10 January 2016}}</ref> wrote about the Tomb of Abner is his 1839 book ''Korot Ha-Itim'', which was translated into English as ''The Book of the Occurrences of the Times to Jeshurun in the Land of Israel.'' He states'', "''Here I write of the graves of the righteous to which I paid my respects. Hebron – Described above is the character and order of behavior of those coming to pray at the Cave of ha-Machpelah. I went there, between the stores, over the grave of Avner ben Ner and was required to pay a Yishmaeli – the grave was in his courtyard – to allow me to enter."<ref>{{Cite journal|title = "Book of the Occurrences of the Times to Jeshurun in the Land of Israel" by David G. Cook and Sol P. Cohen|url = http://repository.upenn.edu/miscellaneous_papers/10/|journal = Miscellaneous Papers| date=August 2011 |access-date = 10 January 2016| last1=Cook | first1=David | last2=Cohen | first2=Sol | issue=10 }}</ref>

The author and traveler [[J. J. Benjamin]] mentioned visiting the tomb in his book ''Eight Years in Asia and Africa'' (1859, Hanover). He states, "On leaving the Sepulchre of the Patriarchs, and proceeding on the road leading to the Jewish quarter, to the left of the courtyard, is seen a Turkish dwelling house, by the side of which is a small grotto, to which there is a descent of several steps. This is the tomb of Abner, captain of King Saul. It is held in much esteem by the Arabs, and the proprietor of it takes care that it is always kept in the best order. He requires from those who visit it a small gratuity."<ref>{{Cite web|title = Eight years in Asia and Africa from 1846–1855 : Israel Joseph Benjamin : Free Download & Streaming|url = https://archive.org/details/eightyearsinasi00benjgoog|website = Internet Archive|access-date = 10 January 2016}}</ref>

The British scholar [[Israel Abrahams]] wrote in his 1912 book ''The Book of Delight and Other Papers'', "Hebron was the seat of David's rule over Judea. Abner was slain here by Joab, and was buried here – they still show Abner's tomb in the garden of a large house within the city. By the pool at Hebron were slain the murderers of Ishbosheth..."<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Book of Delight and Other Papers|publisher = CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform|date = 5 January 2016|isbn = 9781523233328|first = Israel|last = Abrahams}}</ref>
[[File:Abner ben Ner.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Abner]]
Over the years the tomb fell into disrepair and neglect. It was closed to the public in 1994. In 1996, a group of 12 Israeli women filed a petition with the Supreme Court requesting the government to reopen the Tomb of Abner.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Google Groups|url = https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/shamash.eretz-yisrael/rhK1h_a_RSo|website = groups.google.com|access-date = 6 January 2016}}</ref> More requests were made over the years<ref>{{Cite web|title = Articles by David Wilder: The Mystery of the Tomb of Avner ben Ner or Understanding Uzi's Whims|url = http://davidwilder.blogspot.co.il/1997/05/mystery-of-tomb-of-avner-ben-ner-or.html|website = davidwilder.blogspot.co.il| date=20 May 1997 |access-date = 6 January 2016}}</ref> and eventually arrangements were made to have the site open to the general public{{dubious|a) The source is a biased blog; b) It says that JEWS are allowed in on 10 days o.t.y., not "the gen. public". Prove or amend.|date=August 2016}} on ten days throughout the year corresponding to the ten days that the Isaac Hall of the Cave of the Patriarchs is open.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.machpela.com/english/content.asp?pageid=26|title = Machpela website|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110714013035/http://www.machpela.com/english/content.asp?pageid=26|archive-date = 14 July 2011|url-status = dead}}</ref> In early 2007 new [[Mezuzah|mezuzot]] were affixed to the entrance of the site.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://shturem.org/index.php?section=news&id=11883|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160827040632/http://shturem.org/index.php?section=news&id=11883|url-status = dead|archive-date = 27 August 2016|title = Shturem}}</ref>