Remember Jerusalem!

The Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas do not accept Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem (Elad Benari, “PA, Hamas Blast Netanyahu Over Comments on United Jerusalem”, Arutz Sheva, May 19, 2015). They deny Judaism’s historical and religious ties to Jerusalem (Ricki Hollander, “The Battle Over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount”, Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), November 6, 2014). They want to de-judaize Jerusalem (Richard Cravatts, “The Lethality of De-Judaizing Jerusalem”, Front Page Mag, December 2, 2014).

We’ve just celebrated Jerusalem Day. Those of us who know what we celebrate on Jerusalem Day were excited to give honor to our capital city. It was a fun day.

But in a recent poll about Jerusalem, Israelis have revealed an ugly reality about themselves. Many Israelis are ignorant about Jerusalem--and about why we celebrate Jerusalem Day (Hillel Fendel, “Worrisome Jerusalem Day Poll Has Activists Rolling Up Sleeves”, Arutz Sheva, May 18, 2015).

For example, in answer to poll questions, 28 per cent of Israelis don’t even know why Jerusalem Day is celebrated.  Some said, incorrectly, it was to celebrate "the day of the destruction of Jerusalem". Others said it was--also incorrectly--a "day of prayer and fasting." Even 15% of those who identified themselves as Religious-Zionist didn’t know that it marks the day Jerusalem was liberated and reunified during the Six Day War 48 years ago.

If you count yourself among those who don’t know much about Jerusalem, here are some facts that might help you (courtesy of KeepJerusalem):

•There has been a Jewish presence in Jerusalem for 3,000 years and a Jewish majority since at least 1844.

•Since Israel united Jerusalem in 1967, the Arab population has quadrupled, and Jerusalem has become an open international city embracing all religions.

•Today there are 225,000 Jews living in East Jerusalem [which Arabs claim as their capital]. The Jewish population of East Jerusalem represents half the total population of the Eastern part of the city.

•Jerusalem was never the capital of any other nation in history except for the Jews.

•During Jordanian rule over Jerusalem (1948 – 1967) the city was gravely neglected. In fact, it was closed to Jews and Christians. Today, the city flourishes. It’s open to all religions.

•Until 1967, the Palestinians considered themselves to be an integral part of the Arab world and not as a separate nationality. Moreover, they never before claimed that Jerusalem was their capital.

•Jerusalem never appears even once in the Koran. [But it appears over 600 times in the Jewish Tanach].The prophet of Islam never once visited Jerusalem. There is only a Moslem legend that claims that Mohammed was brought to Jerusalem in the dark of night by the angel Gabriel.

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Jerusalem is the eternal Jewish capital of the world’s only Jewish state. The US and EU want Israel to cut Jerusalem in half as part of a ‘peace’ settlement with the Palestinian Authority. But that won’t work. It would be like cutting a human baby in half: it won’t bring peace. It will kill the baby.

Stand strong for Jerusalem.