Pundicity/JPost..
21 May '20..
Link: http://www.michaelfreund.org/24188/battle-to-retake-jerusalem
Every city has its symbols, be they landmarks or logos, which our minds immediately conjure up when thinking of a certain metropolis. The mere mention of New York, London or Rome can evoke a range of visual or verbal imagery, which reveals much not only about the city itself but also how each of us might perceive it in our own unique way.
Jerusalem, whose liberation and reunification by Israel in 1967 we celebrate today, is of course no exception. For some it is the Holy City, with the Western Wall, the tomb of King David and other sacred sites. For others, it is the seat of Israel's government, home to the Knesset and host to a variety of national institutions such as Yad Vashem.
Indeed, Jerusalem is many things to many people, which is part of its attraction and its mystique. But as many of us know, it is also a place that somehow touches the inner depths of our souls unlike any other in a way that is often difficult to articulate.
That is part of Jerusalem's power, in that it speaks to us as individuals but also summons our collective memory as a people.
Therefore, as I ponder the significance of this date, the 28th of the Hebrew month of Iyar, when Israeli troops defeated the Jordanian occupying army and restored the Old City to Jewish control, I find myself coming back again and again to the idea of the closing of a vast and ancient series of meta-historical concentric circles.
