This mid-week edition looks at the significance of Jerusalem to the Jewish people.

SINCE YOU ASKED

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JERUSALEM TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE
With Jerusalem constantly at the center of world news, I will be posting several articles highlighting different aspects of her significance. Today, we’ll look at why she is significant to the Jewish people. Every year, Jews around the world gather to remember Jerusalem’s destruction at the hands of the Romans in 70 A.D. and the resulting Diaspora (dispersion). Non-Jews wonder why they still mourn after all these years. What they fail to understand is that Jerusalem is much more than a geographical location or a strategic capital city for the Jewish people. It is, in fact, the primary justification for Israel’s existence as a nation.
 
For over 2000 years, Jerusalem has represented the collective hopes and dreams of the Jewish people. The memories of the greatness of Jerusalem- Zion empowered the rebirth of Israel. Jerusalem was and is to the Jewish people as the Bill of Rights is to the United States of America. Jews cannot imagine an Israel without Jerusalem. Religiously and historically, Jerusalem has always taken center stage. Jewish identity is meaningless without Jerusalem. While some Jews, mostly secular, are willing to live with a divided Jerusalem if it will bring peace, those whose identity is directly tied to their religious roots cannot imagine sharing control of their great city. Only the Jews can logically claim Jerusalem as their own.

AS I SEE IT

I have written often about dividing Jerusalem as part of the proposed Two State Solution. President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have increased the pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu. Not long ago, Menachem Begin found himself in a similar situation. At the Camp David Summit, President Jimmy Carter asked him to consider the “internationalization” of Jerusalem. Without hesitation, he refused to even consider it, stating, “There are some things in life, Mr. President,that a Jew cannot even think about – and relinquishing Jerusalem in any way, shape or manner is one of them.” Prime Minister Begin saw the big picture and understood the implications of such a foolish proposition. For Israel’s sake (and the world’s, as well), I hope Benjamin Netanyahu follows in his footsteps.

To learn more on this subject, check out my book, The Israeli Connection.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

How do crazy people go through the forest?  They take the psychopath.

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