May 28, 2014
“Jerusalem”
Today was Yom Yerushalayim - the day marking the reunification of Jerusalem
47 years ago, when, in the course of the Six Day War, we liberated the part of
the holy city that had been occupied by the Jordanians.
It is well past sundown here now, so the day of celebration is over in
Israel. A frustrating day for me today, because I was so involved in Legal
Grounds work – work that could not wait - that I had not time to do the sort of
writing I would have wanted to do. And yet, I could not let it pass
without a mention.
Jerusalem. This golden city truly is at the center of the
world.
Credit:
KeepJerusalem
~~~~~~~~~~
“Those who remember Jerusalem immediately after the Six Day War, it was not
a small village nor a large city...and today Jerusalem is a huge city.
“Jerusalem is Yad Vashem, Jerusalem is Herzl’s burial place and the Mount
of Olives, where my grandparents are buried, as is Menachem Begin.
“And Jerusalem is also Mount Zion and Mount Moriah [the Temple Mount] and
the Western Wall. Jerusalem is Israel’s eternity, it is our heart, and
we are guarding our heart – the heart of the nation. We will never divide
our heart.”
~~~~~~~~~~
He spoke well.
Any one who loves Jerusalem, instinctively understands its spiritual
importance and knows that it can never be divided. The city is a place of
heightened energy. which cannot be described but only felt.
Anyone who grapples with the political and logistical and security issues
impinging on this area comprehends as well, at a more pragmatic level, that it
must remain ours. When the Arabs do battle, as they are for the Temple
Mount, they seek to undercut the very essence of what we are.
We have much hard work to do yet, to truly claim it as ours. It will
not be easy, but it is very necessary.
~~~~~~~~~~
The traditional celebration for Yom Yerushalayim is the Flag Dance
Parade. Young people by the thousands wave their flags as they make their
way through the designated streets of Jerusalem, ending up at the Kotel.
It is a sight that lifts the spirits high. That makes one grateful and
glad.
Credit: usatoday
~~~~~~~~~~
See Myths and Facts for old pictures and an
explanation of Jerusalem’s historical/spiritual connection to the Jewish
people.
~~~~~~~~~~
The song “If I forget you, O Jerusalem - Im
Eshkachech.”
And I close, as I often do on Yom Yerushalayim,
with the magnificent, late Ofra Haza singing Yerushalayim shel Zahav.
Jerusalem of Gold.
~~~~~~~~~~
© Arlene Kushner.
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