Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) is approaching and this year we will mark the passing of 43 years since the reunification of Israel’s capital.

When I was in high school, we once debated the notion of whether Jerusalem was the centre of the earth. We concluded that while this was clearly not correct from a geographical perspective, it certainly was a centre for three of the world’s major religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam and definitely the centre for the former. 

Sometimes, when I read how much the city of Jerusalem dominates world news headlines, I begin to think that perhaps Jerusalem really is the centre of the earth after all and this has certainly been the case in the first few months of this year. 

In March, the US was deeply angered by the questionable timing of an Israeli announcement of the construction of 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem, which coincided with US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to the area (see more). Since then, many commentators on the Middle East have been more than willing to present the issue of the status of Jerusalem as the obstacle to peace in the Middle East. This has led many to speculate that the love affair between the US and Israel was over, particularly after Obama’s apparent snub of Prime Minister Netanyahu in late March (see more). Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, declared that Israel and the US were facing their worst crisis in 35 years (see more). 

In April, another surprising issue emerged, this time in the UK. The Advertising Standard Agency ruled that images of the Western Wall would no longer be allowed in Israeli tourism ads because “the status of the occupied territory of the West Bank was the subject of much international dispute and … the ad implied that the part of East Jerusalem featured in the image was part of the State of Israel… the ad was likely to mislead” (see more). 

That’s right. You have read it correctly: the Western Wall – the Kotel – the single most recognisable image of Jewish life in the world, the symbol of over two thousand years in exile, built by the sweat and toil of Jews, this most famous icon is considered so controversial that it has been omitted from a tourism advertisement for the Jewish State! 

While some might say that some little advert over in the UK is not such a big deal, it is worrying how widely this view has been accepted. It seems to me to be rather symbolic  of the entire debate surrounding Jerusalem, where somewhere along the line, any claims that Israel seems to have over the Old City now seem to be illegitimate. 

In the meantime, both of today’s local papers feature articles about the latest round of proximity peace talks. In these talks, the Israelis and the Palestinians would not meet directly, but would relay their positions through US envoy George Mitchell. Please read ‘Obama restates US duty to Israel’ by John Lyons in the Australian, and Jason Koutsoukis’ analysis entitled ‘Israel, Palestinians set for new talks but gap is a gulf’ from the Age. 

While Koutsoukis devotes most of his column space talking about why Israeli preconditions are going to spell the end to the peace process, he makes no reference at all to the fact that the Palestinians have not yet even announced their agreement to even begin proximity talks (see more), let alone their ever expanding statements on anticipated preconditions required before they are even prepared to start talking about anything, not to mention their failure to end incitement against Israel and their celebration of past terrorist mass murderers. 

So with Obama restating his commitment to Israel’s security, after months of a basic stand-off between Israel and the US, what does this all mean for Israel-US relations? 

Will the relationship between Israel and the US make it through this rocky patch?

These questions will be best answered by Ambassador (Ret) Yoram Ettinger, who will be speaking next Wednesday night at the Zionist Council of Victoria’s Yom Yerushalayim Oration.

Ettinger, who is an expert on Israel-US relations, will be speaking on the topic “Jerusalem, Washington and the Obama Factor” on Wednesday 12 May at 8:00pm, in Melbourne at Beth Weizmann Community Centre. Click here for more information. *

* note that Yoram Ettinger is also speaking on Tuesday 11th May in Sydney at the NSW State Zionist Council Annual General Meeting - see here.

*

It is complex to follow the manoeverings over what is happening in East Jerusalem now, however there appears to be a de facto hold to building or progress on plans, even though this is officially denied. 

While Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat was clear that he has ongoing plans for the development of a unified Jerusalem,  Isabel Kershner quotes Mark Regev as saying that prime minister Netanyahu wants to ensure that he would never again be surprised by an East Jerusalem housing announcement.  The new mechanism was intended to improve oversight and coordination, Mr. Regev said, “so that the lower levels of government will not take steps that have an impact on national security and foreign relations.” 

There is no doubt that any new building announcements in the current climate would provide fodder for those eager to criticise the Israeli government, and to blame it for failure to progress on a number of fronts, including Iran.  Nevertheless, for those who haven’t recently been to Jerusalem to appreciate how much it is one city e.g. going up to Hebrew U on Mount Scopus, Yaacov Lozowick provides an excellent overview. He begins with the telling comment  “Jerusalem cannot be divided without havoc and bloodletting.”

Mortimer Zuckerman provides a cogent analysis of the negative effect of the Obama policy changes on the political climate between the Israelis and Palestinians.

With Yom Yerushalayim coming up soon, here is a website devoted to the song Jerusalem of Gold (Yerushalayim shel Zahav) by Naomi Shemer, and a beautiful video of Shemer singing.

As we get closer to Pesach, when we will sing about  “Next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem”,  here is a wonderful story about the rebuilt Hurva Synagogue in the Old Jewish quarter of Jerusalem. 

The scaffolding and cranes that have been around the Synagogue for quite some time have now come away, and the reopening of the Shule is soon.  Arutz Sheva describes some of the history of the Hurva here, including a video with scenes inside and outside of the magnificent structure. 

Remember, this was the Shule in the historic Jewish quarter that was deliberately dynamited by the Jordanians in 1948, with the hope that Jews would not return.

I was interested to read that Princess Alice, the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is buried on the Mount of Olives.   The Frommers guide has a fascinating paragraph about Princess Alice, as part of their tour of East Jerusalem. 

The guide states that “in 1943, during the Nazi occupation of Greece, Princess Alice learned that the widow and children of close friend Haim Cohen were desperately trying to escape deportation to the death camps in Poland. At the risk of her life and with the help of two servants, Princess Alice hid her Jewish friends on the grounds of the royal palace in Athens for 13 months until Greece was liberated. Princess Alice died at Buckingham Palace in 1969, and in 1988, in accordance with her dying wish, was reinterred on the Mount of Olives.

In 1994, Prince Philip and his sister, Princess Sophie, traveled to Jerusalem to receive Yad VaShem’s Medal of Honor of Righteous Among the Nations, awarded to their late mother. A tree in memory of Princess Alice has been planted at Yad VaShem.  More about her is contained on the Yad Vashem site here which includes Prince Philip’s poignant talk at the ceremony honouring her.

Sheikh Jarrah has had an infamous ring to it since the 1948 Arab massacre of Jewish Doctors and Nurses on a convoy trip to Mount Scopus.  On April 13, 1948, a convoy of ambulances, armored buses, trucks loaded with food and medical equipment, and 105 doctors, nurses, medical students, Hebrew University personnel, and guards headed for Mt. Scopus. The convoy was ambushed in the middle of Sheikh Jarrah, the lead vehicle hit a mine, and gangs of armed Arabs attacked. Seventy-eight Jews were murdered, among them 20 women and Dr. Haim Yaski, the hospital director.  A detailed account suggests some British complicity.

More recently, Sheik Jarrah has been a site of controversy after the eviction by Israel of 2 Palestinian families.  For background information regarding Sheikh Jarrah and the nearby Shepherd Hotel, Nadav Shragai has provided a comprehensive summary and there has been additional commentary from Melanie Phillips and others.

As one drives from the Old City to Hebrew U on Mount Scopus, the centre of the main road is a beehive of activity with the building of a leg of the Jerusalem light rail system that will interconnect the city. Half way, a sign to the right points to Sheikh Jarrah. The American Colony Hotel is there, as well as the Mosque of Sheikh Jarrah, said to have been a doctor or soldier for Saladin. For a walking tour that gives an visual perspective, see here.

A great video clip is available on the IDF entering the Old City during the 67 war from the Muqata blog.

Also,  here are scenes of 67 with the backdrop of Yerushalayim Shel Zahav - and links to other related video clips.

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, will be guest speaker to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim and Tel Aviv at the University of NSW on Tuesday, May 19 at 7.30pm. For more information and booking see the State Zionist Council Website

Rabbi Lau’s visit will be accompanied by an extensive photographic exhibition of Israel.

In addition to being the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Rabbi Lau is the Chairman of Yad Vashem, and was previously the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel.

His published works include Practical Judaism, Rav Lau on Pirkei Avot, and Yichil Yisrael Shaelot u’Tshuvot. He also wrote an autobiography related to his experiences as a child Holocaust survivor entitled “Do Not Raise a Hand Against the Boy” .. for a moving account of his childhood experiences and survival see this article.,

At the 2009 March of the Living, he stated that the March of the Living was an answer to Durban 2.

His life story - from being saved from Buchenwald to becoming Chief Rabbi of Israel - is a remarkable one. The picture below shows him as an 8-year old in the arms of Eleazar Schiff, at their arrival at Haifa in 1945.

Aspects of his life were featured in a Yad Vashem link which is part of the extensive collection of Yad Vashem Exhibitions. Some of his comments on Antisemitism and the Holocaust are listed here 1, 2

Rabbi Lau, in calling for co-operation and dialogue between all Jews has said “Let’s sit down together, and let’s live together. We always knew how to die together. The time has come for us to know also how to live together.” He has also been active in interfaith dialogue.

His visit to Australia promises to be a special one.