Jerusalem

"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Jerusalem above my chiefest joy." (Psalms 137:5-6)

Jerusalem, capital of Israel and seat of its government, is the countrys largest city. Its population of some 634,000 (including about 14,000 Christians) is a mosaic of diverse national, religious and ethnic communities. Jerusalem is a city with carefully preserved and restored historical sites and modern edifices, ever-expanding suburbs, commercial districts, shopping malls, high-tech industrial parks and landscaped green areas. It is both an ancient and a modern city, with treasures from the past and plans for the future.

The sanctity of Jerusalem is recognized by the three great monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - but the nature of that sanctity differs for the three faiths.

For the Jewish people, the city itself is holy. Chosen by God in his covenant with David, Jerusalem is the very center of Jewish spiritual and national existence and continuity. For almost 3,000 years, since the days of King David and the building of the First Temple by his son, Solomon, Jerusalem has been the focus of Jewish prayer and devotion. For almost 2,000 years Jews have turned toward Jerusalem and the Temple Mount in prayer, wherever they were.

For Christians, Jerusalem is a city of holy places associated with events in the life and ministry of Jesus and the history of the early apostolic Church. These are places of pilgrimage, prayer and devotion. The traditions identifying some of these sites date from the first centuries of Christianity.

In Muslim tradition, the Temple Mount is identified as the "furthermost sanctuary" (Arabic, masjid al-aksa) from which the Prophet Mohammed, accompanied by the Angel Gabriel, made the Night Journey to the Throne of God (The Koran, Sura 17:1, Al-Isra).

Under the Protection of Holy Places Law (5727-1967), freedom of access is guaranteed to the places sacred to the members of the different religions.

Jewish sovereignty in the city ended in the year 135 with the suppression of the Second Jewish Revolt against Rome; it was not restored until 1948 when the State of Israel was established. During those intervening centuries, Jerusalem came under the rule of foreign powers. However, throughout the ages, Jews have always lived in Jerusalem, and since 1870, have been a majority of its population.

As a result of fighting during the 1948 War of Independence and the division of Jerusalem, the historic synagogues and religious academies in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City were destroyed or badly damaged. Following the reunification of the city after the 1967 Six-Day War, these were restored and the Jewish quarter was rebuilt.

Today, Jerusalem is a vibrant, living city. It is a cultural center of international renown, offering film and performing arts festivals, concerts, unique museums, expansive libraries and professional conventions.

"Three thousand years of history look down upon us today, in the city from whose stones the ancient Jewish nation sprang, from whose clear mountain air three religions absorbed their spiritual essence and their strength...

"Three thousand years of Jerusalem are for us, now and forever, a message for tolerance between religions, of love between peoples, of understanding between the nations..."
(Yitzhak Rabin, September 1995)

Over the centuries, Jerusalem has been known by many names of admiration and reverence. The most appropriate of these is "City of Peace".

   - Map of Jerusalem