Happy Reunified Jerusalem Day

Today (28 of Iyar), as you know is Jerusalem Day (44). The day, that after much blood and battle, we managed to reclaim and reunite the City of Jerusalem after 19 years of Jordanian rule during which Jews were expelled from Arab-occupied Jerusalem, and Jewish religious sites were desecrated and destroyed.

It has been 44 years since we liberated the occupied half of Jerusalem and turned Jerusalem into a city with freedom of worship for all.

Happy Jerusalem Day.

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Lamenting Jerusalem

During a special Knesset meeting marking the "Jerusalem Day" national holiday,
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said "regretfully, only the religious sector marks Jerusalem Day."

"Jerusalem Day was created by law as a national holiday. And yet the nature of celebrations in Jerusalem and the identity of those dancing in the streets today teach us that the national holiday in its current form more resembles a sectoral holiday. To be honest, most of the main events in Jerusalem have long been held under the auspices of the religious public." [ynetnews]

It's unfortunate, but mostly true.

When it comes to the demonstrations on behalf of the Land of Israel, the vast majority of those present are religious. The celebrations for Jerusalem are organized by religious organizations.

Why? Rivlin knows the answer. Judaism is what connects us to the Land of Israel, and in absence of a strong religious connection, only a strong ideological Zionist connection will work. As "Zionism" becomes more and more an outdated cliche among modern Israel, is it any surprise that only a strong religious connection remains?

Who is supposed to foster the connection to Jerusalem?

- Ehud Barak offered to split the city with Yassir Arafat at Camp David.

- Ehud Olmert and Tzippi Livni offered it to the Palestinian Authority

- Netanyahu is freezing building in Jerusalem.

- Earlier today, a group of 60 Jews marching in Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon were pelted with stones after taking a wrong turn and entering the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat. [ynetnews]

- Earlier today, some 50 left-wing activists held a rally in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, in protest of the eviction of Palestinian families and the entry of Jewish residents. Two of the demonstrators were detained. [ynetnews]

- Yossi Sarid's blessing for Jerusalem Day is for the city to be split, soon. [srugim]

Celebrating Yom Yerushalayim doesn't mean running through the shuk in the old city at midnight, noisily banging on metal shop doors.

It means, legally building, legally buying homes, legally moving into all areas of Yerushalayim.

If Arabs can live wherever they wish, why can't Jews?

Yearn for Yerushalayim.

Educate.

And make it a national day of education and celebration, a day off from work.

Otherwise, only those deeply attached to it will celebrate.

The mainstream youth of the left doesn't show up to demonstrations without free buses and free Aviv Gefen concerts.

If we're going to encourage Jerusalem awareness to those who aren't that committed, its going to take a lot more incentive.


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Happy Yom Yerushalayim

Cool photos from old city in 1967 right after it's liberation.

Almost every Jew alive in 1967 felt the miraculous, sweeping victory of Israel over its enemies, as we liberated the Old City of Yerushalayim.

Today, we take the unified city for granted -- yet our sovereignty over the city dissipates day by day, year by year.

If we don't actively retain control over the city it will slip through our fingers.

Food for thought - Happy Yom Yerushalayim.

Chag Sameach,

Jameel


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Our Jerusalem - Their Delusion

When this fellow on the left dreamed of a Jewish State, musing, "if you will it, it is no dream", many thought he was an oddball. A Jewish State? A country with a Jewish army? In the land of Israel?

How foolish. How delusional.

And yet, here we are. It may not be perfect, there may be still what to fix, yet Israel is a thriving homeland for the Jewish people today.

Thanks to those who dared to dream -- we are able to live the dream today.

And yet, when while we continue to dream of an Israel that encompasses our historic borders, of a Jerusalem that isn't threatened with division, of the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash, the Third Temple, of a better society than we have today -- there are those who simply say we are "delusional".

"Only delusionists can believe that in this day and age, and in the current situation, it is still possible to cling to the vision of 'Greater Israel'", announced Ehud Olmert to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last Monday.

If anything, it was, and remains the dream for thousands of years for the Jewish people to return home to Israel.

At last night's Yom Yerushalayim celebration at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, the Rosh Yeshiva, R' Yaakov Shapira stated that "This is a day of self introspection as to the meaning of Yerushalayim. They say about us that only the delusional can G-d forbid think about the grains of Eretz Yisrael. We don't not live by their [ideologies] and Thank G-d, we dream and we are the fighters..."

Why do so many despise the dream of Jerusalem? Treppenwitz recounts the story of a hero of Jerusalem, Moshe Rusnak in the 1948 battle for Jerusalem -- and how the Mapai government at the time ignored the dream.

Yet to reclaim that moment, let's borrow this from Trep's site, to relive history 41 years ago, as we follow the IDF soldiers, the lions who liberated Jerusalem.

Shut off your cell phone... lock the door... set out a box of tissues... close your eyes... and listen...as the dream came alive 41 years ago...English translation here.

And if you don't mind Kol-Isha, here's a video that includes a camera that followed some of those historic moments, with one of my favorite songs about the Kotel.



Happy Jerusalem Day - יום שחרור ירושלים שמח

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Naqba Sameach!

Today marks the "Naqba" day!

Those who were upset by the creation of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948, annually commemorate "The Naqba" (The Catastrophe) on May 15th.

Let's examine how an Israeli newspaper, "Yediot Achronot" attempts to cover the same event on their Hebrew and English websites.

Hebrew Version:

סטודנטים ערבים ציינו את יום הנכבה באוניברסיטה העברית

פורסם: 15.05.07, 14:05

עשרות סטודנטים ערבים הגיעו למתחם האוניברסיטה העברית בהר הצופים בירושלים במטרה לקיים טקס לציון יום ה"נכבה". הסטודנטים הגיעו למקום כשהם לבושים בחולצות שחורות וכאפיות כשהם צועקים "ברוח ובדם נפדה אותך פלסטין".

מולם התייצבו סטודנטים יהודים, חלקם חברי תנועת "אם תרצו", והפריעו להם לערוך דקת דומייה על ידי שירת שירי ארץ ישראל וירושלים. במקום נמצאים שוטרים המאבטחים את שני הצדדים

I will translate this word for word, so you can accurately compare it to YNET's "translation"

Arab Students commemorate Naqba Day at the Hebrew University

Tens of Arab students arrived at the Hebrew University Mount Scopus campus with the intent of hold a commemoration ceremony of the "Naqba". The students arrived wearing black shirts and kafiyas and screaming, "With Spirit and Blood we will redeem you Palestine"

Opposite them, Jewish students arrived, some from the organization "If you will it", and disrupted the when they tried to hold a moment of silence, by singing songs about the Land of Israel and Jerusalem. Police are at hand to secure both sides.

The way YNET translated the article into English is as follows:

Jerusalem: Jewish students disturb Nakba cemmemoration

Published:

05.15.07, 14:19 / Israel News

Jewish students sang the Israeli national anthem and other nationalistic hymn at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in a deliberate attempt to disrupt a ceremony organized by Arab students to commemorate Nakba day, the day on which the State of Israel was established.

Arab students arrived at a location on the Mount Scopus campus wearing black T-shirts and shouting, "With our blood with our soul we die for you Palestine." (Lilach Shoval)

Questions for the objective reader:

Why is the headline in Hebrew start with the news event about (Israeli) Arab students at the Hebrew University commemorating the birth of the State, while the English edition gets straight to the point: "Jewish students disturb the Naqba Commemoration" Now that certainly puts things into perspective right way! The Jews dared to sing "nationlistic" songs, disturbing a peaceful Arab event.

The English version ends off with (presumably, as a result of the provocation of the Jews), Arab students arrived at a location on the Mount Scopus campus wearing black T-shirts and shouting, "With our blood with our soul we die for you Palestine." While in the Hebrew version, the Arabs started off their demonstration with the screaming...

Why the English edition is so Anti-Israeli, while the Hebrew edition gives a much more Pro-Israel version of the event?

In addition to the "moment of silence" in the Palestinian-occupied cities today, other noteworthy Naqba commemorations included:

9 Palestinians killed in Fatah-Hamas clashes in Gaza

Molotov cocktail hurled at Israeli car near Hebron

Palestinian-Launched Qassam Rocket falls in Sderot

Israeli lightly injured in Palestinian stone throwing attack

Palestinian Mortar shells launched from Gaza land in open field in Negev

IDF forced to open fire as two Palestinians terrorists approached Gaza fence

Gaza: Lecturer abducted from Islamic University


We wish a Happy Naqba to all the readers and visitors of the Muqata blog, and remind you that tomorrow is Jerusalem Reunification Day, Yom Yerushalayim, as Israel celebrates the 40th year of liberation and reunification of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights.

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