Jerusalem Day 2013

This just in from the Jewish National Fund. My notes are in italics.  Today we celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem, a monumental day in Jewish history. It was 46 years ago that the Jewish people regained sovereignty over their spiritual capital for the first time in 2,000 years. It is true that June 1967, the Six Day War, was a monumental day in Jewish history. But Jerusalem, more precisely: West Jerusalem, was already the internationally (though not universally) recognized capital of Israel. Only after Israel conquered East Jerusalem by force and annexed the city, extending Israeli civilian jurisdiction to a dramatically enlarged municipal area called "Jerusalem", only then did many countries decide to move their embassies back to Tel Aviv. -- What does it mean to have sovereignty over a "spiritual capital"? Isn't that a contradiction in terms? A forcing of end-times? Yet the United States, as an ally nation, has not yet embraced Jerusalem with the same enthusiasm as the Jewish nation. As a friend to the only democratic nation in the Middle East, should we not show our support by recognizing the same capital as they do?

Good for the US and others who have resisted the false rhetoric of unification. As Bernard Wasserstein shows in his excellent book Divided Jerusalem, Jerusalem is anything but united. It is a highly segregated city of Israelis and Palestinians, and also includes a significant expatriate community with a strong and long-standing interest in the sacred places in and around the Old City.

Jerusalem is the lifeblood of the Jewish people and the heart and soul of our nation.

Sentimental nonsense. Our collective soul is damaged by chauvinism and the oppression of others.

This Jerusalem Day is the perfect time to show Israel our support and send a message to the world that the United States is, and will continue to be, the greatest ally that Israel has in this world.

I support Israel. It is an amazing place with an amazing history and an interesting culture. As a Jew I am grateful that the US and other states support Israel. I am also grateful when supporters of Israel, Jews and non-Jews, can distinguish between supporting Israel and supporting every policy of the Israeli government. As a friend of Israel and someone who loves Jerusalem, I would like to see Jerusalem's holy basin internationalized and not run aground by Israeli chauvinists or national-religious radicals. The Arabs are people, too. They have rights and interests. Jerusalem's holy places should not be exploited for political purposes. The future of Jerusalem needs to be negotiated and settled between Israelis, Palestinians, and the wider world, which also has a stake in Jerusalem. It is not just a Jewish holy city, it is also a Christian holy city, let alone a Muslim holy city. We need mutual respect, not infinite feeding of the self-assertion of just one party in this cluster of communities.  

Send this message to President Obama urging him to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel today. Be sure to share this message with your friends, family members, and social circles to help us reach as wide an audience as possible.

Don't send this message.

Spotlight on neighborly sentiments

Would you buy an apartment in a place where you're not wanted? Where your neighbors hate you and would like to see nothing better than the day when you will be forced out? Why on earth would you do that? Because the apartment is larger and cheaper than where you lived before? Because your great great grandfather is buried nearby? Because you've been brought up on the belief that this is your place, not theirs? Because it is a "very holy place"? All of the above?  You mistrust your neighbors; they don't love you and you don't love them. -- This, as reported by Jodi Rudoren in today's New York Times, is the state of affairs in Ma'alot David, in Beit Orot, in Kidmat Zion, and many other small apartment complexes that have sprung up across the eastern perimeter of the "holy basin," the area around the Old City that includes the most important sacred sites of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, the Temple Mount/Haram ash-Sharif, with the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the ancient cemeteries outside the Ottoman walls, the City of David/Village of Silwan, the Garden of Gethsemane, and Mount Olives. -- Whatever happened to the command to "love thy neighbor" (Leviticus 19:18)? Perhaps Francis I can put in a good word. He seems to have the right idea.

J'lem in the Great War-a talk at BU

What was it like in Jerusalem during the First World War? How was it to live in the transition from Ottoman rule to British military occupation? And how do we know? On Wednesday, January 30, at 5pm, Dr. Abigail Jacobson, author of From Empire to Empire and visiting research fellow in Israel Studies at the Elie Wiesel Center for Judaic Studies, will introduce the diary of Ihsan Tourjman as a source of study for the holy city in transition. (For more on Dr. Jacobson, see http://www.bu.edu/judaicstudies/faculty/visiting-faculty/) Join me at 147 Bay State Road, Room 201.

Haaretz: Jerusalem a de-facto divided city

On the occasion of this year's Jerusalem-Day celebration, a summary of why the politics of Judaizing the de facto divided city of Jerusalem have failed: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/the-lies-of-jerusalem-1.431602