Tens of thousands of Israelis, tourists and others from around the world gathered for the Jerusalem Day March that made its way from the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem to the Western Wall.
The event this year celebrated a half-century since the liberation of the other half of the holy city, whose sacred sites were held hostage for 19 years by Jordan behind a scramble of ugly barbed wire and a stinking pile of garbage.
Today, fifty years later, we celebrate the reunification of the eternal capital of the Jewish People as we have every year since that day in 1967 when the Israel Defense Forces declared the Old City of Jerusalem, with the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, had returned to Jewish hands.
“On the 50th anniversary of its reunification, Jerusalem is a flourishing, thriving city – in the fields of education, hi-tech and culture, in business and all areas of life,” Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said in a statement.
“On this day, as we celebrate Jerusalem, let us all ‘exalt Jerusalem above our utmost joy,’ and build her for future generations. I wish all of us a successful year in Jerusalem.”
The Israel Ministry of Tourism has put together a happy video to explain just some of the other joys of Jerusalem for those who choose to live here. Watch now.