Jerusalem Day

By Guy Rakover

According to Israeli law it is forbidden for a Jew to pray on the temple mount.

On Jerusalem day we marked 40 years since the modern liberation of Jerusalem in its entirety, reminiscent of when David conquered the city for the first time and moved the capital of the Hebrew kingdom from Hevron to the holy city. Out of all of the embassies of foreign nations, all but seven are boycotting the festivities celebrating the reunification and liberation of the Jewish capital, including our dear friend the United States. Most justify their actions by expressing their desire to remain impartial in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The truth is that by boycotting the event openly they are demonstrating their belief that Jerusalem can, and perhaps should, one day be divided again. The only way that our closest allies can entertain this scenario is because we allow them to believe that this is truly a possibility.

It was reported that Knesset member Yossi Beilin of the Meretz party is joining the Arab members boycott of the day. Not only after forty years since the liberation of the old city is it illegal for a Jew to pray on the temple mount, a law that was enacted shortly after the six day war, we have Jewish members of Knesset demonstrating to split the city in two.

The situation in Jerusalem is a microcosm of the condition of our state and nation as a whole. We are torn between a desire to emulate and appease the western civilizations and national pride in our history and traditions. The so-called balance a large percentage feels that we have reached is not working. Our enemies have not become our friends. Our compromises are not appreciated.

There cannot be a Jewish state without the state’s laws and character actually being wholly Jewish. We can’t claim sovereignty over the land if we are not justifying our claims through action. If we don’t defend our historical and traditional rights and beliefs then what are we doing in the land of Israel? We need to make a choice: either we close up shop or we start to identify with who we are and where we come from. We need to take pride in ourselves, and stop allowing the foreign nations make us feel guilty for being Jewish in its truest form. We must decide if we are bold and confident enough in our heritage to begin realizing the true dream that is the return to the land and the redemption of the nation: the rebuilding of the Temple on Mount Moriah and the true establishment of the State of Israel as the national center of the Jewish people.