JERUSALEM DAY 2007 - May 16th

The following is a copy of information put out by

David Brog, Executive Director of

Christians United for Israel

I found it most interesting and informative and wanted to share it with you.

Jerusalem Day, 2007
God's miracles are all around us if we open our hearts and our eyes to them. Seeing the miraculous in our lives is often a challenge requiring a broader perspective and a heightened sensitivity. But this week, Israel and all those who love her will celebrate a miracle of truly Biblical proportions. This Wednesday, May 16th, is the 40th anniversary of Israel's liberation of Judaism's holiest sites in the Six Day War.

When the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD, the Jews lost control of their sacred capital not for years or decades, but for nineteen centuries. For all of this time, Jews who dared return to their holy city were tolerated at best, massacred at worst. For extended periods, Jews were simply banned from their city altogether. Even the euphoria over the birth of Israel in 1948 was tempered by the fact that the Old City of Jerusalem and the Western Wall fell under Jordanian control, and the Jordanians banned all Jews from these holy sites.

And then came the 1967 Six Day War. Within the space of six days, Israelis rode the wave from the depths of despair at their imminent destruction to the heights of euphoria at their sudden, total victory. And, in the process, Israel won control of the ancient Jewish holy sites: the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. Nothing captures the awe of this moment better than a famous photo of a group of Israeli paratroopers as they gaze at the Western Wall they had just liberated with a combination of relief and disbelief. Their eyes humbly ask: "Do we merit this right, to be the first Jews in almost two millennia to return triumphantly to our most holy site?" (Go to http://www.judaicaheaven.com/Detail.bok?no=307 to see a copy of this photo.)

The Israeli army actually recorded the transmissions from the battlefield that spring day 40 years ago as Israeli soldiers entered the Old City and then the Temple area. And it's impossible to listen to this recording without chills running down one's spine. One can hear Israeli Colonel Motta Gur announcing words that his ancestors had waited so many centuries to declare -- "The Temple Mount is in our hands!" And then one hears Rabbi Shlomo Goren reciting an ancient prayer with a suddenly new meaning, "Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, who comforts Zion and builds Jerusalem." Soldiers sing Israel' national anthem, Hatikva, by the Western Wall. And then Rabbi Goren recites the prayer for the soldiers who have fallen in battle. (Go to http://www.isracast.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ID=374 to hear this recording. A written English translation is provided.)

When we listen to this recording, we get to hear, live, the unfolding of a miracle like few others in the history of the Jewish people. In historical significance, this event rivals the order of Xerxes allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem from their Babylonian exile and rebuild the Temple. It rivals Xerxes' order, and even surpasses is, because this time the Jews were returning to these holy sites as an independent people, no longer ruled by a foreign power, friendly or otherwise.

Yes, God has his miracles. But these miracles are not an excuse for fatalism or inaction. These miracles do not free us from our responsibilities. We are called upon to be watchmen on Jerusalem's walls. And we are called upon to never be silent for Zion's sake. We are called to action on behalf of Jerusalem.

And our action is needed. Jerusalem is once again under siege. The Roman soldiers encamped at her base have been replaced by Hamas and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade terrorists sitting just as close. The Roman Empire that armed and supported the Roman legionnaires of old has been replaced by new powers such as Iran and Syria which are equally determined to see Jerusalem fall. Times have changed, years have passed, but Jerusalem still knows no peace.

This Jerusalem Day let us celebrate with thanksgiving. And let us celebrate with action.

May the God of Israel Bless You,

David Brog
Executive Director
Christians United For Israel

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