Israel is here to stay and Jerusalem belongs to Israel...
JERUSALEM: THE HEART OF THE JEWISH NATION
What âJerusalem Dayâ really means to Israelis.
June 8, 2017
Joseph Puder
Wednesday, May 24th, 2017 marked the 50th anniversary of âYom Yerusalayimâ or âJerusalem Day.â This relatively new holiday is celebrated by Israelis, but also by large segments of the Jewish diaspora. It is a new addition to the Hebrew calendar, celebrating the unification of the city shortly after the Six Day War of June, 1967. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recaptured the Old City of Jerusalem and its Jewish Quarter, which includes the Western Wall - a remnant of Solomonâs Holy Temple.
In 1948, the Arab Legion, commanded by British officer John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha, forcibly took the Old City of Jerusalem after a lengthy siege, and expelled all the Jewish residents within the Jewish Quarter. East Jerusalem and the Jewish Quarter became âJudenrein,â or cleansed of Jews. Those not expelled were killed. In June, 1967, 19 years later, the IDF returned the Jewish Quarter back to its rightful owners. Jerusalem was however celebrated as the capital of the Jewish people since the time of King David, approximately 1000 BCE, or for over 3,000 years.
On âJerusalem Day,â thousands of Israelis flocked to the city to express their solidarity with the unified city of Jerusalem as Israelâs eternal capital. This show of solidarity was particularly poignant this year as it coincided with U.S. President Donald Trumpâs visit to Israel, and his extraordinary tour of the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall. President Trump, during his campaign for the U.S. Presidency, promised to move the U.S. embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem, its historic capital. âJerusalem Dayâ defies the international community judgement on Jerusalem, which has never âapprovedâ the âunificationâ of the city under Israeli sovereignty, and many countries have not recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. This singular anti-Jewish bias must not stand.
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President Trump, much like many of his predecessors, both democrat and republican, while promising to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, has given in to Arab-Muslim pressure. For Israelis though, Jerusalem will always be the countryâs spiritual and political capital. Lest we forget, âNext Year in Jerusalemâ are the last words that conclude the Passover Seder, and many other Jewish occasions. The world may begrudge the Jews their fulfilled dream of once again being the sovereign in Zion. For Israelis however, âJerusalem Dayâ celebrates the fulfillment of two millenniums of yearning, and that will never cease.
Jerusalem: The Heart of the Jewish Nation
JERUSALEM: THE HEART OF THE JEWISH NATION
What âJerusalem Dayâ really means to Israelis.
June 8, 2017
Joseph Puder
Wednesday, May 24th, 2017 marked the 50th anniversary of âYom Yerusalayimâ or âJerusalem Day.â This relatively new holiday is celebrated by Israelis, but also by large segments of the Jewish diaspora. It is a new addition to the Hebrew calendar, celebrating the unification of the city shortly after the Six Day War of June, 1967. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recaptured the Old City of Jerusalem and its Jewish Quarter, which includes the Western Wall - a remnant of Solomonâs Holy Temple.
In 1948, the Arab Legion, commanded by British officer John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha, forcibly took the Old City of Jerusalem after a lengthy siege, and expelled all the Jewish residents within the Jewish Quarter. East Jerusalem and the Jewish Quarter became âJudenrein,â or cleansed of Jews. Those not expelled were killed. In June, 1967, 19 years later, the IDF returned the Jewish Quarter back to its rightful owners. Jerusalem was however celebrated as the capital of the Jewish people since the time of King David, approximately 1000 BCE, or for over 3,000 years.
On âJerusalem Day,â thousands of Israelis flocked to the city to express their solidarity with the unified city of Jerusalem as Israelâs eternal capital. This show of solidarity was particularly poignant this year as it coincided with U.S. President Donald Trumpâs visit to Israel, and his extraordinary tour of the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall. President Trump, during his campaign for the U.S. Presidency, promised to move the U.S. embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem, its historic capital. âJerusalem Dayâ defies the international community judgement on Jerusalem, which has never âapprovedâ the âunificationâ of the city under Israeli sovereignty, and many countries have not recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. This singular anti-Jewish bias must not stand.
...
President Trump, much like many of his predecessors, both democrat and republican, while promising to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, has given in to Arab-Muslim pressure. For Israelis though, Jerusalem will always be the countryâs spiritual and political capital. Lest we forget, âNext Year in Jerusalemâ are the last words that conclude the Passover Seder, and many other Jewish occasions. The world may begrudge the Jews their fulfilled dream of once again being the sovereign in Zion. For Israelis however, âJerusalem Dayâ celebrates the fulfillment of two millenniums of yearning, and that will never cease.
Jerusalem: The Heart of the Jewish Nation