Let's jump, shout, and sing about! Happy 50th Anniversary of the Reunification of Jerusalem! In 70 A.D., the Jews lost control of Jerusalem when the Romans destroyed the temple. For almost 1900 years, Jerusalem remained in foreign hands and was divided in 1947. In 1967 (during the Six Day War), an incredible thing happened. Israel captured the old city and East Jerusalem, and the city of Jerusalem was reunified!
Brief Background:
In 1947, Jordan and an alliance of Arab nations rejected the United Nations Partition Plan which detailed Jerusalem to be corpus separtum (a fancy Latin phrase which means "separated body"). Jordan and the alliance of Arab states decided to invade (and ultimately conquered) the Old City and East Jerusalem. The alliance also made a failed attempt to conquer West Jerusalem, which ended up remaining in Israel's possession. The city of Jerusalem was divided along the 1949 Armistice Line until Jordan joined an array of Arab nations and invaded Israel in 1967, during the Six Day War. This time, Israel was triumphal, defeating the enemy and regaining control of all Jerusalem!
The reunification of Jerusalem ended the Islamization of Jerusalem by the Jordanian government. This program included the destruction of numerous synagogues, instituting Arabic as the official language, a ban on churches from purchasing property, a ban on church-funded social and medical programs (including funding of hospitals), and a total ban on Jews visiting Jewish holy places.
Immediately following the reunification of Jerusalem, freedom of worship for all faiths was restored! Hallelujah!
By the rivers of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
Upon the willows in the midst of it
we hung our harps.
For there our captors demanded of us songs,
and our tormentors mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion."
How can we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.
Psalm 137:1-6
No comments:
Post a Comment