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Yom Yerushalayim: Jerusalem Is a City That Holds Us All
The Western Wall and Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
In 1790, when Washington, D.C., was designed to be the capital of the United States, it was envisioned not just as a seat of government, but as a place to gather a people. That aspiration — to create a space that could bring diverse citizens into shared purpose — is one Jerusalem has carried for thousands of years.
Israel is too often described in binaries: religious or secular, national or universal, particular or shared. But the ancient and eternal truth of Jerusalem resists that kind of thinking, and offers a sacred language of wholeness and holiness. The Holy City is, and has always been, both a center of Jewish identity and a city that speaks and hopes for the entire human community. It holds the sacred stories of the Jewish people, and yet its stones have also absorbed the prayers of Christians and Muslims for centuries. Its power and spiritual strength lies in this paradox — not in choosing one side, but in gratitude to be witnessing all faiths living side by side.
This is what we remember on Yom Yerushalayim. Beyond the historical moment of the city’s reunification, we are reminded of the deeper meaning of what it means to return to Jerusalem. Throughout Jewish history, even when only a small remnant returned from exile, Jews around the world kept their hearts and eyes turned toward this city. Jerusalem never belonged only to those who lived within its walls. It belonged to the entire people — a city where a Jew in Babylon, Paris, or Buenos Aires could feel connection and responsibility.
For us, Jerusalem is a city of belonging and longing. It is a spiritual home, a place where every Jew should find a foothold — not just in memory, but in presence. The city is incomplete if parts of our people feel excluded. We do both ourselves and Jerusalem a disservice when we treat it as territory to be claimed, rather than a spiritual inheritance to be shared by all. Our tradition has always insisted that each person has a place in Jerusalem — whether you live there or send your blessings from afar. It is this deep, enduring bond that makes Jerusalem our eternal capital.
And yet, Jerusalem is not ours. Jewish theology teaches that Jerusalem is the city of God — holy not only because we made it so, but because it bears the imprint of something beyond us, of the Eternal that we all belong to. That is why it has always drawn the attention and reverence of people of many faiths. To acknowledge this is not to weaken our claim; rather, it is to affirm the very essence of what makes the city sacred.
In the Jerusalemite communities and enterprises we each lead, we strive to reflect this vision and this language of Jerusalem. To build a Jerusalem that does not close in on itself, but opens its gates to others. A Jerusalem that welcomes the seeker, the dreamer, the stranger with humbleness and service. Where Jews of all denominations pray side by side, where Torah is studied in partnership with people of other faiths, where acts of charity, justice, and compassion are a central commitment of faith and fraternity. We believe that the truest strength of Jerusalem is not found in its walls — but in its windows.
That’s why we are proud to be part of Voice of the People, a collective effort to bring together Jews of diverse backgrounds and beliefs in a shared responsibility for our future. From the heart of Jerusalem, and under the auspices of the President of Israel, this initiative reminds us that unity does not mean uniformity. It means showing up for one another with humility and purpose. It means understanding that no one voice can carry the fullness of the Jewish story, duty, and destiny alone.
The Temple’s floor in Jerusalem was built from stones that were not identical — each was shaped differently, and yet each had its essential place. Its windows faced outward, not inward. Its design held space even for those who did not know where they belonged. That is our blueprint. That is the Jerusalem we are called to build.
Yom Yerushalayim is not only a celebration of what was reclaimed. It is a charge to create what still must be. A city where every person — Jewish or other — can see themselves reflected in its light. An Abrahamic center that teaches us how to hold dignity within difference, how to care across boundaries, and how to live with open hearts and extended hands.
May this Jerusalem — the Jerusalem of prayer, of justice, of shared hope and healing — continue to rise. May we be worthy of being its builders, together. Amen.
The post Yom Yerushalayim: Jerusalem Is a City That Holds Us All first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Security Warning to Israelis Vacationing Abroad Ahead of holidays
A passenger arrives to a terminal at Ben Gurion international airport before Israel bans international flights, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Ahead of the Jewish High Holidays, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) published the latest threat assessment to Israelis abroad from terrorist groups to the public on Sunday, in order to increase the Israeli public’s awareness of the existing terrorist threats around the world and encourage individuals to take preventive action accordingly.
The NSC specified that the warning is an up-to-date reflection of the main trends in the activities of terrorist groups around the world and their impact on the level of threat posed to Israelis abroad during these times, but the travel warnings and restrictions themselves are not new.
“As the Gaza war continues and in parallel with the increasing threat of terrorism, the National Security Headquarters stated it has recognized a trend of worsening and increasing violent antisemitic incidents and escalating steps by anti-Israel groups, to the point of physically harming Israelis and Jews abroad. This is in light of, among other things, the anti-Israel narrative and the negative media campaign by pro-Palestinian elements — a trend that may encourage and motivate extremist elements to carry out terrorist activities against Israelis or Jews abroad,” the statement read.
“Therefore, the National Security Bureau is reinforcing its recommendation to the Israeli public to act with responsibility during this time when traveling abroad, to check the status of the National Security Bureau’s travel warnings (before purchasing tickets to the destination,) and to act in accordance with the travel warning recommendations and the level of risk in the country they are visiting,” it listed, adding that, as illustrated in the past year, these warnings are well-founded and reflect a tangible and valid threat potential.
The statement also emphasized the risk of sharing content on social media networks indicating current or past service in the Israeli security forces, as these posts increase the risk of being marked by various parties as a target. “Therefore, the National Security Council recommends that you do not upload to social networks, in any way, content that indicates service in the security forces, operational activity, or similar content, as well as real-time locations.”
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Israel Intensifies Gaza City Bombing as Rubio Arrives
Displaced Palestinians, fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southward after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, in the central Gaza Strip September 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Israeli forces destroyed at least 30 residential buildings in Gaza City and forced thousands of people from their homes, Palestinian officials said, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on Sunday to discuss the future of the conflict.
Israel has said it plans to seize the city, where about a million Palestinians have been sheltering, as part of its declared aim of eliminating the terrorist group Hamas, and has intensified attacks on what it has called Hamas’ last bastion.
The group’s political leadership, which has engaged in on-and-off negotiations on a possible ceasefire and hostage release deal, was targeted by Israel in an airstrike in Doha on Tuesday in an attack that drew widespread condemnation.
Qatar will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Monday to discuss the next moves. Rubio said Washington wanted to talk about how to free the 48 hostages – of whom 20 are believed to be still alive – still held by Hamas in Gaza and rebuild the coastal strip.
“What’s happened, has happened,” he said. “We’re gonna meet with them (the Israeli leadership). We’re gonna talk about what the future holds,” Rubio said before heading to Israel where he will stay until Tuesday.
ABRAHAM ACCORDS AT RISK
He was expected to visit the Western Wall Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem on Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hold talks with him during the visit.
US officials described Tuesday’s strike on the territory of a close US ally as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests. Rubio and US President Donald Trump both met Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Friday.
Netanyahu signed an agreement on Thursday to push ahead with a settlement expansion plan that would cut across West Bank land that the Palestinians seek for a state – a move the United Arab Emirates warned would undermine the US-brokered Abraham accords that normalized UAE relations with Israel.
Israel, which blocked all food from entering Gaza for 11 weeks earlier this year, has been allowing more aid into the enclave since late July to prevent further food shortages, though the United Nations says far more is needed.
It says it wants civilians to leave Gaza City before it sends more ground forces in. Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have left but hundreds of thousands remain in the area. Hamas has called on people not to leave.
Israeli army forces have been operating inside at least four eastern suburbs for weeks, turning most of at least three of them into wastelands. It is closing in on the center and the western areas of the territory, where most of the displaced people are taking shelter.
Many are reluctant to leave, saying there is not enough space or safety in the south, where Israel has told them to go to what it has designated as a humanitarian zone.
Some say they cannot afford to leave while others say they were hoping the Arab leaders meeting on Monday in Qatar would pressure Israel to scrap its planned offensive.
“The bombardment intensified everywhere and we took down the tents, more than twenty families, we do not know where to go,” said Musbah Al-Kafarna, displaced in Gaza City.
Israel said it had completed five waves of air strikes on Gaza City over the past week, targeting more than 500 sites, including Hamas reconnaissance and sniper sites, buildings containing tunnel openings and weapons depots.
Local officials, who do not distinguish between militant and civilian casualties, say at least 40 people were killed by Israeli fire across the enclave, a least 28 in Gaza City alone.
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Turkey Warns of Escalation as Israel Expands Strikes Beyond Gaza
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not seen) at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, May 13, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas
i24 News – An Israeli strike targeting Hamas officials in Qatar has sparked unease among several Middle Eastern countries that host leaders of the group, with Turkey among the most alarmed.
Officials in Ankara are increasingly worried about how far Israel might go in pursuing those it holds responsible for the October 7 attacks.
Israel’s prime minister effectively acknowledged that the Qatar operation failed to eliminate the Hamas leadership, while stressing the broader point the strike was meant to make: “They enjoy no immunity,” the government said.
On X, Prime Minister Netanyahu went further, writing that “the elimination of Hamas leaders would put an end to the war.”
A senior Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, summed up Ankara’s reaction: “The attack in Qatar showed that the Israeli government is ready to do anything.”
Legally and diplomatically, Turkey occupies a delicate position. As a NATO member, any military operation or targeted killing on its soil could inflame tensions within the alliance and challenge mutual security commitments.
Analysts caution, however, that Israel could opt for covert measures, operations carried out without public acknowledgement, a prospect that has increased anxiety in governments across the region.
Israeli officials remain defiant. In an interview with Ynet, Minister Ze’ev Elkin said: “As long as we have not stopped them, we will pursue them everywhere in the world and settle our accounts with them.” The episode underscores growing fears that efforts to hunt Hamas figures beyond Gaza could widen regional friction and complicate diplomatic relationships.