The United States Embassy in Jerusalem, together with the United States Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, have recognized the City of David as a testament to America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and founding principles. The archeological discoveries at the City of David bring Biblical Jerusalem back to life and reaffirm the prophetic messages of freedom, justice and peace that inspired America’s founders.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, and Chairman of the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, Paul Packer, recently attended a special ceremony dedicating a plaque to honor the City of David in recognition of the seminal role it plays in connecting its visitors to the origins of the values that helped shape America..
Ambassador David Friedman was the first sitting U.S. Ambassador to tour the City of David and since then has visited with numerous senior U.S. officials. Together with many other American dignitaries, he was proud to participate on June 30, 2019 at the City of David’s inauguration of the Pilgrimage Road, the path millions of pilgrims ascended from the Pool of Siloam up to the Holy Temple more than 2,000 years ago.
In dedicating the plaque, Ambassador Friedman said: “In modern America, we are inspired by many monuments that remind us of the history of our Republic. I’ve often wondered, what monuments inspired our Founding Fathers. When the drafters of the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that our Creator had endowed each and every American with certain unalienable rights, what monuments inspired them? I suggest that those monuments are located right here, in the ancient City of Jerusalem. We have given this plaque to the City of David Foundation with the hope that it will prompt all who read it to think of the Judeo-Christian values upon which our country was founded and how those values were inspired by ancient Jerusalem and its inhabitants.”
Chairman Packer added: “With the unveiling of this plaque and the recognition of the City of David for its contribution to America’s heritage, we are fulfilling another, larger purpose: to unify Americans around our foundational principles and values. The City of David serves as a living testament to those enduring values, and it is our duty to ensure it remains for generations to come.”
The plaque dedicated to the City of David includes the following text:
The City of David brings Biblical Jerusalem to life at the very place where the kings and prophets of the Bible walked. It is the site where internationally acclaimed archeological discoveries have been unearthed, including the Pool of Siloam, the Pilgrimage Road, the Gihon Spring and Hezekiah’s Tunnel.
As the prophet Isaiah said, “Out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” The spiritual bedrock of our values as a nation comes from Jerusalem. It is upon these ideals that the American Republic was founded, and the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel was formed.
The City of David serves as a proud reminder of the glorious heritage of the United States of America.
“I REJOICED WITH THOSE WHO SAID TO ME, ‘LET US GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.’ OUR FEET ARE STANDING IN YOUR GATES, JERUSALEM.”
— PSALM 122:1 – 2
| DAVID FRIEDMAN U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL |
PAUL PACKER CHAIRMAN, U.S. COMMISSION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF AMERICA’S HERITAGE ABROAD |