In 1929 when the Hebron massacre took place, Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews had been living in Hebron for about 800 and 100 years respectively. In the massacre, 67 Jews were killed by Arab rioters, and many incidents of rape, mutilation, and torture were reported. In 1931, 160 Jews returned to the town, but after further Arab unrest, the British Government decided to move all Jews out of Hebron "to prevent another massacre".