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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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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.