Jerusalem

Today is Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim in Hebrew). It is celebrated on the 28th day of Iyar to commemorate the reunification of Israel's capital. Although Jerusalem has been considered the capital city of the Jewish people since the time of King David – who conquered it and built it as the seat of his monarchy in approximately 1000 BCE (Before the Common -or Christian- Era) – there had never been a special day in honor of the city until the Israeli army took over the ancient, eastern part of the city (which had been under Jordanian rule since 1948) on the third day of the Six-Day War in June 1967.

The liberation of Jerusalem in 1967 marked the first time in thousands of years that the entire city of Jerusalem, the holiest in Judaism, was under Jewish sovereignty. The destruction of Jerusalem was a watershed event in Jewish history that began thousands of years of mourning for Jerusalem; so, it follows that the reunification of Jerusalem should be a joyous celebration that begins the process of reversing thousands of years of destruction and exile.

Due to the young age of this holiday, there is still not much that makes it unique in terms of customs and traditions. It is gradually becoming a pilgrimage day, when thousands of Israelis travel to Jerusalem to demonstrate solidarity with the city, including the historical "Old City", where Jews were denied access during Jordanian rule (1948-1967). The march ends at the Kotel (Western Wall), one of the ancient retaining walls surrounding the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site.

This is of special importance to the state of Israel, since the international community has never approved the reunification of the city under Israeli sovereignty, and many countries have not recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State. Indeed, the United Nations “partition plan” of The British Mandate of Palestine of November 1947 assigned a status of “International City” to Jerusalem.

READ: Israel - Facts & Personal Experience