BiblicalHistoryOne of the world’s oldest ci1es, Jerusalem has been the mosttreasuredcityoftheJewishpeopleforcenturies.Joshua12:10revealsthat during the conquest of Canaan, the Jews defeated the king ofJerusalemandlivedpeaceablywiththepeoplepreviouslylivingthereforsome1me(c.f.Joshua15:63,Judges1:21).JerusalemwastheplacewhereDavidbroughtGoliath’sheadaKerhedefeatedhim,and laterKingDavidreignedfromthatcityfor33years(see1Samuel17:54,2Samuel5:5).

Eventually, Jerusalem came to be known as the “city ofDavid” (e.g., 2 Samuel 6:12, 1 Kings 8:1). God told KingSolomon thatbecauseofhisdisobedience,hewould tearthe kingdom from his son but he promised that David’sdescendantwoulds1llreignoveronetribe,Judah,sothat“My servantDavidmayhavea lampalwaysbeforeMe inJerusalem, the citywhere Ihave chosen forMyself toputMy name” (1 Kings 11:32, emphasis added). All in all,Jerusalem(alongwithitscorollary“Zion”) ismen1onedintheTanak—theHebrewBible—over8001mes.

Jerusalemis central to Jewish culture and iden1ty. Key aspects ofJewishholidays and tradi1ons center around Jerusalem.AtPassover,Jewspray,“NextyearinJerusalem!”OnTishB’Av, Jews commemorate andmourn the destruc1on ofthe SecondTemple, as theydoduringwedding servicesaccompaniedwiththeprayerofPsalm137:4-6.

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Jerusalem:“TheDeepYearningthatBeatswithintheJewishHeart”

C H R I S T I A N S U N I T E D F O R I S R A E L

ACUFIPRIMER:

“HowcanwesingtheLord’ssongInaforeignland?

IfIforgetyou,OJerusalem,Maymyrighthandforgetherskill.

MaymytongueclingtotheroofofmymouthIfIdonotrememberyou,IfIdonotexaltJerusalem

Abovemychiefjoy.”-Psalm137:4-6

ConquestsofJerusalemAccordingtoonesource,Jerusalemhasbeencapturedatleast201mes.Itisahub of religious significance to three of theworld’smajor religions: Judaism,

Chris1anity, and Islam. Chris1ans recognize andrevere many holy sites located within Jerusalem,including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, theGarden Tomb, Gethsemane, and others. Muslims,too,recognizeholysitesinthisancientcity,includingthe Dome of Rock (which sits where the SecondTempleoncewas)andAlAqsamosque,Islam’sthirdholiestsite.

WhileJerusalemhasbeenconqueredaplethoraof1mesandmorethan100bafleshavebeenwagedover control of the city throughout its history, it hasnotbeen the capital of any rulingempire besides the Crusader kingdom’s and the Jewish people’s.Moreover, the Jewish people alone—nootherpeoplegroup—haveconsistentlyconsideredJerusalemtheireternalcapital.SinceDavidfirstclaimedthecityashisown,JerusalemhasalwaysbeenthecapitalofthepeopleofIsrael.

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ReunificaNonofJerusalem(1967)AKer Israel’s declara1on of independence in 1948, Jordancaptured the Old City of Jerusalem, evic1ng the Jews fromtheir homes, destroying Jewish synagogues, and illegallyoccupying the city’s eastern sector. Under Jordanian control,Jews were not permifed to enter Jerusalem and access theWestern Wall (or Kotel in Hebrew), all that remains of theTemplewhichoncestoodthere.

However,in1967,duringtheSixDayWar,Israelhadcapturedenoughlandtotripleinsize,includingtheSinaiPeninsula,theGolan Heights, the Gaza strip, and the ancient biblicalheartlandofJudeaandSamaria.Andfinally,aKerthousandsofyearsofwai1ng,theyliberatedtheOldCityofJerusalem.MostofthelandIsraeleventuallywillinglyexchangedforpeaceagreements,but Jerusalemwas tooprecious togiveup.AKer19yearsofpainful separa1on,and for thefirst1me in 2,000 years, the Jewish people again had access to their holiest sites. Under Israeliauthority,Jerusalemwasmadesafeforpeopleofallreligionstoliveinandfreelyworshipaccordingtotheirowntradi1ons.

UpontheIDF’srecaptureofthesehistoricandsignificantsites,CommanderMofaGursaidtohismen:

TheWesternWall,forwhicheveryheartbeats,isoursonceagain.ManyJewshavetakentheirlivesintotheirhandsthroughoutourlonghistory,inordertoreachJerusalemandlivehere.Endlesswordsoflonginghave

expressedthedeepyearningforJerusalemthatbeatswithintheJewishheart…YouhavebeengiventhegreatprivilegeofcompleLngthecircle,ofreturningtothenaLonitscapitalanditsholycenter...Jerusalemisyoursforever.

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JerusalemToday Morethan3.5milliontouristsvisitJerusalemeveryyearfromdiversewalksoflifeandmyriadfaiths.Israel’slegisla1vebody,theKnesset,meetsinJerusalem.Thecityishometoover1,500publicparksandgardens,26wineries, over 30 annual fes1vals, and 800-year old olive trees. Today,most of Jerusalem’s residents areJewishandhavebeensincealmostacenturypriortoIsrael’sdeclara1onofindependencein1948.However,the city boasts a significant Pales1nian popula1on as well. Under Israeli control, people of all faiths canaccesstheirholysitesinJerusalem,andtheancientcityisclosertofulfillingitsname,“cityofpeace.”

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