It seems as if every week there is another holiday marked on the Jewish calendar. In the past month we have commemorated Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day), Yom HaShoah (Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day), Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day), Lag B’Omer, Rosh Chodesh—all minor holidays that fall between Passover and Shavuot. Some are observed more than others, some with great fanfare, and others with no more than a notation on the calendar. As I write today (Wednesday), we celebrate Yom Yershalayim, Jerusalem Day, marking the reunification of Jerusalem after the Six-Day War in 1967. This day is one of festivity mandated by the State, as well as a modern holiday instituted by the rabbis after Israel reclaimed the city. It is also a day that challenges many across the political spectrum.
From 1948 and the declaration of the State of Israel until 1967 and Israel’s victory in the Six Day War, Israelis were cut off from visiting the Old City and more importantly, from visiting the Kotel, the lone wall that remains from the Second Temple that was destroyed in 70CE. For almost 20 years Jews could not visit the most sanctified site in our history. Furthermore, even with the declaration of independence Jews were not completely free to move around their own country. Jews living in the surrounding areas nearest the Old City were bombarded with gun fire throughout the day and night. When one visits the King David Hotel or Hebrew Union College you can see the pockmarked walls as evidence 40 years later of the terror that Jerusalem residents endured.
Forty four years later Jerusalem is a city bustling with energy. Streets are crowded, tourists flock to the shops and cafes, and traffic is a nightmare. There is construction everywhere as the city continues to bridge the history of yesteryear with the evolving technologies of the 21st century. Men and women and children, Jews and non-Jews, move freely throughout the city and into the Old City, something unimaginable 45 years ago. The freedom to practice religion, whether one is Jewish, Muslim, or Christian, is only made possible because Israel maintains peace and security for everyone in Jerusalem. These freedoms did not exist 50 years ago.
Jerusalem has been at the forefront of politics these past few weeks (as always, it seems). Will peace come at the expense of a divided Jerusalem? No one knows for sure. We pray for Jerusalem each day and recite her praises as the capitol of our homeland when we chant Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem. No one can argue against the centrality of Jerusalem as the capitol of our people’s land; who or what bodies control it is the major question. But it must remain whole and undivided not just for the sake of Jews, but to guarantee the religious freedoms of all those who visit and live in Jerusalem.
The Psalms teach us that Jerusalem is part of our people not just in history, but a physical part of who we are as well:
אִם אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי
Im eshka-khech Yerushalyim tishkahh yi-mee-nee
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither.
May we all continue to celebrate living, praying, and being in Jerusalem now and forevermore.
Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Joshua B. Cohen
