If you do a Google search on any 91传媒 topic, you will almost certainly be directed to the site聽.
This website is one of the several media outlets that form聽, 鈥渢he largest nonprofit, nondenominational 91传媒 media organization in North America,鈥� which is funded by a range of familiar 91传媒 philanthropic names 鈥� among others, the聽, the聽聽and the聽.
According to the 鈥�鈥� page,聽聽鈥渋s all about empowering 91传媒 discovery for anyone interested in learning more, [offering] thousands of articles, videos and other resources to help you navigate all aspects of Judaism and 91传媒 life.鈥澛�
This website is certainly one of the internet鈥檚 most prominent storefronts for Judaism and the 91传媒 world, which makes the assertions in its article on Yom Yerushalayim startling beyond belief:聽
鈥淯nlike Yom Ha鈥檃tzmaut 鈥� which is a day to celebrate the existence and successes of the modern 91传媒 state [of Israel] 鈥� Yom Yerushalayim can make some politically liberal Jews outside of Israel uncomfortable, due to the continuing conflicts over the future of the city. Even some Jews who believe that the city should remain undivided and under Israel鈥檚 control choose not to emphasize Yom Yerushalayim as a day of joy because of the deeply emotional, violent, and controversial state of affairs surrounding the Arab portions of Jerusalem.鈥�
, or Jerusalem Day, is the annual anniversary for the聽, when Jews across the world celebrate the liberation of聽east聽Jerusalem on June 7, 1967, and particularly the聽听补苍诲听, from the control of the Jordanians, who had captured the eastern part of the city during Israel鈥檚聽, expelled all the Jews from their homes, and removed the permanent 91传媒 presence that had persisted there across the centuries.聽
On that heady day in June 1967, for the first time since the Roman era, Jews were finally in possession and control of their capital city Jerusalem, the beating heart of 91传媒 life since the days of聽聽some 3,000 years ago.
Why a website that professes to promote 91传媒 learning and Judaism would choose to focus on Jews whose disconnect with their 91传媒 heritage is so profound, that they fail to see the miraculous 91传媒 hegemony over Jerusalem as the聽fulfilment聽of countless prophecies, is beyond puzzling.聽
And if the answer is that the website must offer a balanced view, the mere fact that the insidious opinions of anti-Semites and fringe radicals聽has聽progressed so far into the mainstream that they need to be cited in the cause of balance is extremely worrying.聽
I studied at a yeshiva in Jerusalem in the late 1980s. At the time, it was just over 20 years since reunification, and the city was a bustling metropolis, with lush public parks and modern suburbs situated alongside updated and upgraded older neighborhoods.聽
The Old City 鈥� which had languished terribly under Jordanian rule 鈥� was accessible and fresh, with access to the holy sites available to Jew and Gentile. Already then, tens of thousands of visitors came from all over the world each year, able to stay in聽world-class hotels and take advantage of this ageless jewel, a city that was as invigorating as it was safe.聽
What a sea change from the Jerusalem of history, so aptly described by one 19th-century visitor, , in an 1823 published account of his visit there:聽
鈥淭he streets of [Jerusalem] are narrow and deserted, the houses dirty and ragged, the shops few and forsaken; and throughout the whole [city] there is not one symptom of either commerce, comfort, or happiness.鈥�
Today, 30 years since my time in yeshiva, Jerusalem has further exceeded itself 鈥� it is a thriving city with every modern聽amenity,聽and a public transport system that outclasses many in the Western world.聽
Moreover, Judaism and 91传媒 life, including a vast range of Torah institutions and countless synagogues to cater to Jews of every shade and stripe, have at no point flourished over our long history as they do in Jerusalem today.聽
What further proof do we need of the advent of Messianic times than the rebuilding of the ruins of Jerusalem into this gleaming beacon of 91传媒 life? Right before our very聽eyes,聽we can see the realization of biblical prophecy.聽
In 1718, Italian 91传媒 traveler Rabbi聽 visited Safed in northern聽Israel,聽and decided to settle there while he studied kabbalah. In 1731 he published 鈥淗on Ashir,鈥� an eclectic work containing both a commentary on the Mishnah and a poem set to music.聽
Ricci also used the book to describe his time in Safed, noting the fulfillment of the prophecy in聽, as iterated in the Talmud () regarding the Messianic era, 鈥渁nd the Galilee shall be in a state of destruction鈥� (): 鈥淵our land shall become a desolation and your cities a ruin.鈥澛�
In Ricci鈥檚 words, 鈥淚 saw with my own eyes how the Galilee lay in ruins 鈥� but thank God I was also happy to see 鈥� that new houses were being built every day, and in my聽opinion,聽this [reconstruction] is truly a sign that the Messiah is on his way.鈥澛�
Never mind Galilee 鈥� imagine if Ricci visited Jerusalem as it is today, to see the ruins of this ancient holy city overshadowed by countless burgeoning neighborhoods full of life and vigor, teeming with proud Jews who have returned to their ancestral homeland.聽
Yom Yerushalayim is not just an anniversary celebration; it is a day that reflects the anticipation of a nation over thousands of years for the ultimate redemption.聽
And if there are people out there who find this primary 91传媒 directive slightly awkward in the face of unresolved political issues, perhaps they need to reflect on their true commitment to 91传媒 identity.聽
Meanwhile, it is certainly the case that such people have no place in an article on Yom Yerushalayim.
Rabbi Pini Dunner聽is the senior rabbi at Beverly Hills Synagogue, a member of the Young Israel family of synagogues.
