Table of Contents. Enclosed are the following materials for Shabbat Yerushalayim. We hope you find them useful in your preparations.

Transcription

1 Table of Contents Enclosed are the following materials for Shabbat Yerushalayim. We hope you find them useful in your preparations. Proposed Schedule We Cannot Forget Jerusalem by Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb and Stephen Savitsky 20 Practical Ways Synagogues Can Help Jerusalem Tehillim 122 Shabbat Drasha Political Talking Points Shiur Study Guide Shiur Source Sheets Point/Counterpoint: The Jerusalem Debate Book Brownback-Lieberman Resolution Quotes on Jerusalem, Israel & the Middle East Youth Program Guide Youth Program Story Youth Program Trivia

2 Please note that this is a suggested schedule. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16 th, 2007 Ma ariv Recite Tehillim Chapter 122 Shabbat Yerushalayim Shabbat Parshat Vayetzei Proposed Schedule Announcements: Announce the Shabbat Yerushalayim programs Oneg: Use the OU s point/counterpoint materials for an informative adult education program about Jerusalem. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17 th, 2007 Shacharit: - Rabbi s drasha about Jerusalem - Recite Tehllim Chapter 122 (suggested times: before returning the Torah to the ark, after the drasha or at the end of davening) - Jerusalem Youth Program One Hour Before Mincha: Yerushalayim Shiur Mincha Maariv/Havdalah Melaveh Malkah: Use the OU s point/counterpoint materials and the additional enclosed information for a discussion about Jerusalem. Include food and music about Jerusalem for an enjoyable evening.

3 We Cannot Forget Jerusalem Tzvi Hersh Weinreb and Stephen Savitsky Wed. Nov 07, 2007 People often ask us why we, as leaders of a largely North American Jewish organization, should take such a deep and personal interest in the fate of Jerusalem, a city nearly 6,000 miles away. Its a fair question: Why should we care whether Jerusalem is divided into Jewish and Arab zones? The answer is simple: Jerusalem is not an ordinary city to Jews. King David made it his capital 3,000 years ago and since then Jerusalem has been both the spiritual and political capital of the Jewish people. From the point when Abraham came to Moriah, which later was the site of the holy Temples and the Sanhedrin, Jerusalem has had an irrevocable, unchallenged and unbroken claim as the center of Jewish life, faith and history. Jewish law and custom reinforce the bond with Jerusalem. Across continents and over centuries, Jews turned in prayer three times daily toward Jerusalem. Even in Israel itself, and even in other holy cities Hebron, Tiberias and Safed the Jew always prays facing Jerusalem. In grace after meals, we implore God to rebuild Jerusalem. We remember Jerusalem at our holiest moments of the year at the conclusion of Yom Kippur services and the Passover Seder. The beginning and the end of the wedding ceremony includes reminders of Jerusalems destruction, and many believing Jews leave a portion of their homes unpainted or unfinished, as if to say, until Jerusalem is rebuilt, our own homes can not be complete. Since the year 70, when the Romans conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple and sent our people into exile, Jews have continually observed that event on the Ninth of the Jewish month of Av as a day of national mourning. The Jews have always been part of Jerusalem, even when Jerusalem belonged to someone else. Jerusalem changed hands many times; its rulers hailed from Persia and Babylon, Greece and Rome, Istanbul as well as London. But though many foreign capitals conquered Jerusalem, only one people the Jewish people maintained its allegiance to the city. Other faiths built their spiritual citadels in Rome, Mecca and Medina. But Jews, even with thriving communities in other lands and other capitals, have always longed for only one place and only one city Jerusalem. When the day finally came in 1948 with the creation of a Jewish state, the Old City of Jerusalem was lost to the Jordanian Legion in an intense battle. Despite international assurances under the armistice, Jews were barred entry to the Old City, denied worship at the Western Wall, Judaisms holiest site, and denied access to the cemeteries on the Mount of Olives and Mount Zion. Jordanians pillaged and ravaged Jewish sites throughout the Old City, using gravestones for latrines and roads. Synagogues and houses of worship were vandalized and turned into chicken coops; slums were built up against the Western Wall. Not even a decade after

4 Kristallnacht, Torah scrolls and Jewish holy books were once again burned, this time in the city of peace. From 1948 until 1967, the Mandelbaum Gate, a Middle Eastern Berlin Wall, bisected the city, and the streets were filled with tank traps and barbed wire. Jerusalem was the frontline of the Arab war against the Jews, and Jewish residents endured continuous mortar fire and sniper attacks. After Israeli paratroopers liberated the Old City and reunited its eastern and western neighborhoods in 1967, the city was restored and improved, and its religious diversity was once again allowed to flourish. The citys economy is now vibrant, its history on full display and its security largely unquestioned. Today, diplomats in both Israel and faraway capitals think that a re-division of Jerusalem and the forced introduction of international overseers over the citys religious institutions would pacify the region. These diplomats may be well-meaning, but they are naïve and dangerously wrong such divisions never have worked, and international protection of religious sites also never work especially when those sites fall into Muslim hands, as Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and Jews have seen firsthand. As frequent visitors to the city, we find the prospect of a re-divided Jerusalem foolish such a city would be less prosperous, less free and less safe. As Jews, we are required to defend and rebuild Jerusalem, and if we do not take a stand now, history and we believe God Himself will judge us poorly. We must take action today, because never in 40 years since its reunification has the city faced such an existential threat as it does today, when internationally sponsored talks are aimed at re-dividing the city. We owe Jerusalem, Jewish history and those who died hoping for a rebuilt Jerusalem more than just our prayers. We pledge to keep this most unique and special place on earth unified, secure and free to all. Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb and Stephen Savitsky are, respectively, the executive vice president and the national president of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

5 Orthodox Union Jerusalem Task Force Jerusale m: ירושלים Eleven Broadway, New York, NY Keep it one. Keep it ours. 20 Practical Ways Synagogues Can Help Jerusalem 1. Participate in Shabbat Yerushalayim on Shabbat Parshat Vayetzei, November 16-17, Recite V liyerushalayim Ircha in the Shemoneh Esrei with special concentration. 3. Say Tehillim about Jerusalem, including chapters 79, 122, 125, 126 and 137. Use the OU s Tehillim 122 sign as a reminder to read this chapter during Shabbat morning prayers. 4. Increase your Torah study, and dedicate your learning for the merit of Jerusalem. 5. Spend a minute of your day contemplating the verse Im Eshkachech Yerushalayim. 6. Visit the new one stop, one-click hub for community information and activism to defend Jerusalem against division, and sign up for IPA Jerusalem updates. 7. Plan a trip to Jerusalem. The OU has missions planned for January and Yom Ha atzmaut. Visit or contact Allyson GurAryeh at allysong@ou.org or for more information. 8. Arrange a lecture about Jerusalem by the Rabbi or a guest speaker. 9. Hang the OU s Jerusalem poster in a visible location in your synagogue. 10. Encourage your congregants to write op-eds supporting a united Jerusalem with Jewish sovereignty, for local papers. Distribute the IPA s Jerusalem Op-Ed Talking Points for guidelines. 11. Organize a synagogue fundraiser for an organization that supports the needy in Jerusalem. 12. Create a partnership between your synagogue and a synagogue in Jerusalem. Contact jtf@ou.org for additional information. 13. Participate with other synagogues in dedicating an hour before mincha every Shabbat to learn for the merit of a united and secure Jerusalem. 14. The Beit Hamikdash was destroyed due to baseless hatred. Help rebuild it by going out of your way to treat others with respect and dignity. 15. Encourage congregants, colleagues and friends who have never been to Israel to go and experience Jerusalem first-hand. 16. Talk to your friends, family and colleagues about the importance of keeping Jerusalem united. 17. Have your youth department run Jerusalem programs using stories, trivia and games. Materials were sent to your synagogue for Shabbat Yerushalayim. 18. Create a letter writing campaign to elected officials. Download the OU s form letter and addresses for your convenience. 19. Encourage congregants to pair up with a Jerusalem based charity for their next family simcha and make a donation to it in honor of the occasion. 20. Choose a Jerusalem theme for your synagogue or organization s annual dinner. For more information about implementing these ideas contact the Orthodox Union Jerusalem Task Force at jtf@ou.org.

6 Orthodox Union Jerusalem Task Force Eleven Broadway, New York, NY Jerusale m: ירושלים Keep it one. Keep it ours. 1. A Song of Ascents of David. I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord." 2. Our feet shall stand inside your gates, O Jerusalem. 3. Jerusalem is built as a city which is bound firmly together; 4. There the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. 5. For thrones of judgment were set there, the thrones of the house of David. 6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; those who love you shall prosper. 7. May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces. 8. For my brothers and companions sakes, I will now say, "May peace be yours." 9. Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your welfare.

7 Shabbat Drasha Political Talking Points 1. You cannot divide Jerusalem and expect the city to remain safe and peaceful. When it was divided, Jerusalem was a city at war. 1. From , while under control of the Jordanian Legion, access for Christians to Christian holy sites and their right of worship/practice in Jerusalem were severely curtailed. 2. Jews were expelled from the Old City in 1948 and barred from entry and access to the Western Wall/Kotel, and to the cemeteries on the Mt. of Olives and Mt. Zion. Dozens of synagogues, houses of study, and the Wall itself were vandalized, desecrated and in some cases, destroyed. a. In the early 20th century, the Mufti of Jerusalem ordered Muslim believers to battle to save Haram al-sharif (the Har HaBayiyt/Temple Mount) and al- Buraq (the Kotel) from being taken over by the Jews. The Arabs smeared the prayer site with excrement, brought flocks there, littering it with animal droppings and used it as a garbage dump. The homes of the Mughrabi neighborhood built right up to the Kotel, with some toilets leaning against it. ( b. The cemetery on the Mount of Olives was completely vandalized, and thousands of graves dug up, human bones desecrated and tombstones destroyed or used to build houses and pave roads. c. In 1948, the Jordanians attacked Rechov HaYehudim, blowing up the ancient Hurva synagogue. ( 3. Divided Jerusalem was paved with tank traps and barbed wire with constant sniper and mortar fire. 4. Across the world, Muslim extremists have desecrated or destroyed Christian, Hindu and Buddhist shrines. a. The Taliban destroyed a 2,000 year old, 165 ft. high statue of Buddah. ( b. In 2002, Muslim gunmen killed 30 Hindu pilgrims praying at the Akshardham Temple in India. ( c. Bethlehem, the place of Christ s birth was 75% Christian sixty years ago. Today, they are 10%, having fled the intimidation, economic boycotts, and acts of violence. ( 2. Only under Israeli sovereignty has Jerusalem been free to all faiths and all religious pilgrims. 1. Under Israeli control, a united Jerusalem has seen free and open access to all holy sites for all people, no matter their faith, ethnicity or nationality.

8 2. Each of the three Abrahamic faiths Christianity, Islam and Judaism all have control of their sites, freedom to worship, educate and act as they wish, and have full autonomy over their religious needs. 3. Pastor John Hagee, a staunch Christian Zionist and chairman of Christians United for Israel says For the first time in the history of the world, we're talking about giving the holy sites over to someone other than Jewish control. I can tell you that would be the death of Christian tourism to Israel. They're not going to a holy site controlled by Palestinians who have machine guns on their shoulders of whom Christians by and large are terrified. (San Antonio Express-News from 10/14/07) 4. In the past four months, Israel s Interior Ministry has seen an unprecedented 3,000 applications for Israeli citizenship from Arabs living as permanent residents, primarily those of Arab neighborhoods that would likely be ceded to the PA if Jerusalem was ever re-divided. By contrast, since 1967, only 12,000 Arab residents have applied, averaging 300 a year. 33-year-old Samar Qassam said he sought Israeli citizenship to seek a better future for his family, telling Yediot Achronot I want to keep living here with my wife and child without having to worry about our future. That's why I want an Israeli citizenship. (Yediot Achronot, via 11/7/07) 3. Dividing Jerusalem will not placate Israel s enemies. 1. Jerusalem is not the sticking point in reaching a settlement with the Palestinians. Palestinian terror, their refusal to renounce violence, refusal to recognize Israel s right to exist, a demand of a right of return for Arab refugees and the Palestinian Authority s inability or unwillingness to maintain security for all, are at issue. a. But the Israelis will be doomed to live dangerously. They can withdraw from Gush Katif and later from Ofra or Beit El, but they cannot withdraw from the world in which they live. Old borders, new borders: There will be no end to Israel s vigilant existence. With or without diplomatic progress, the country will live by its wits and by its nerves. Martin Perez, Editor in Chief, The New Republic 2. Israel has made peace with two Arab nations Egypt and Jordan. In both cases, whenever an Arab leader has been willing to make peace, Israel made necessary sacrifices including return of territories conquered in war. As Shimon Peres once asked Yasser Arafat, What do you want more, a Palestinian state or a Palestinian struggle? 3. The experience of Gaza where Israel s voluntary withdrawal was followed by Palestinian social, economic, and political anarchy and a continuance of cross-border terror and rocket attacks suggests that Israel s Palestinian enemies would not be content with a handful of Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Rather, one suspects those neighborhoods free of Israeli oversight and security patrols would become staging grounds for attacks on the rest of Jerusalem. 4. Since the Disengagement, Israel, primarily Sderot, has endured a barrage of over 2,000 Kassam rockets. From Gaza, nearly 300 bombs were detonated, almost 150 separate attacks on Israeli tanks and over gunfire at Israeli soldiers over 250 times all at Israeli military and civilians outside of Gaza. ( ###

9 The Two Sides of Yerushalayim: Shiur Outline The goals of this shiur are: 1. To point out how the city of Yerushalayim was always a divided city it s origins began from two very different points of view 2. The nature of Yerushalayim depends on how we see it; she will only remain united if the people who control her future understand the significance of the city and her religious and spiritual value; otherwise, they will see no problem in dividing a city that must remain united. 3. It s up to us to protect the spiritual nature of Yerushalayim, and to educate and advocate on her behalf to ensure that it remains the united city of שלם and יראה as will be seen in the sources. Sources 1-4: מלכיצדק מלך שלם The Perspective of the Nations Who was he? See sources 3-4 that show how he is really שם בן נח and how the city of שלם is.ירושלים really Questions:?שלם what does he mean by calling the city,ירושלים 1. If it s really?תהלים use that very name so much later on (historically) in דוד המלך 2. Why does See source 4 Ramban: Even during the time of,שם the nations of the world knew about the value of that part of the world " מאז ידעו הגויים "כי. To my mind, שם represents the Semitic שלם (from Shem) nations of the world, and their attachment to the Holy City. He called it because according to that point of view, the city itself is complete, from God, without any additional needs. Sources 5-10: The Perspective of אברהם אבינו He sees and Brings ה' to that Place At the beginning of the story of the,עקידה the Torah tells us that את המקום מרחוק.וירא It s interesting to note that מקום refers both to the place, and of course to '.ה Avraham sees both together. See source 7 only Avraham and Yitzchak can see the unique nature of the city, while the others with them cannot see anything. Continue with the עקידה story Avraham names the place יראה the place where ' ה is seen. See Source 8 that ' ה doesn t want to lose either aspect of the name, יראה or,שלם so we.ירושלים combine both names and call it Source 9: According to the,מדרש Avraham really calls it יראה so that ' ה will see his dedication at that place and protect the Jewish people, teaching us the idea that the true spirituality of the visibility of God comes primarily from our devotion (following Avraham s ירושלים footsteps). Conclusion It s the mission of the Jewish people to ensure that the city is not just שלם an international city recognized by the nations of the world, but that it s also ה ' יראה a place where the glory of God is clearly visible, but only through the devotion and dedication of the Jewish nation. This shiur was prepared by Rabbi Reuven Spolter of the Young Israel of Oak Park in Oak Park, MI. If you have any questions about the shiur, comments or additional sources, feel free to contact me at rabbispolter@yiop.org.

10 Yerushalayim Page 1 Keeping Yerushalayim United: It s All Up to Us. רמב ן על התורה :2 Source בראשית פרק י ד בראשית פרק י ד :1 Source Sources prepared by Rabbi Reuven Spolter, Oak Park, MI

11 Yerushalayim Page 2 רש י ומדרשים :3 Source על בראשית פרק י ד תהלים פרק ע ו Source 4: בראשית פרק כ :ב Source 5: מדרש 6: Source תהלים צ שמובא בתורה שלמה Sources prepared by Rabbi Reuven Spolter, Oak Park, MI

12 בראשית רבה :7 Source המובא בתורה שלמה Yerushalayim Page 3 בראשית רבה פרק נ ו Source 9: מדרש תהלים :8 Source המובא בתורה שלמה ויקרא אברהם שם המקום ההוא ה ' יראה, ר' יוחנן אמר, אמר לפניו רבון העולמים בשעה שאמרת לי קח נא את בנך את יחידך היה לי מה להשיב, אתמול אמרת כי ביצחק וגו' ועכשיו קח נא את בנך וגו ' וחס ושלום לא עשיתי כן אלא כבשתי רחמי לעשות רצונך, יהי רצון מלפניך ה' אלהינו בשעה שיהיו בניו של יצחק באים לידי עבירות ומעשים רעים תהא נזכר להם אותה העקידה ותתמלא עליהם רחמים גמ תענית 10: Source ט ז ותוס שם Sources prepared by Rabbi Reuven Spolter, Oak Park, MI

13 THE JERUSALEM DEBATE BOOK Below are several topics relating to Jerusalem that you may see raised in the media, academia or elsewhere. We provide you here with both sides so you may be more fully educated on the topics and able to respond, refute myths and answer factually. Jerusalem divided would still be safe for Jews Jewish/Israeli View Sderot today, and Jerusalem b/t , proves otherwise. Jews were expelled from Jerusalem s Old City in 1948, denied access to the Kotel and other holy sites, despite armistice agreement. Hamas, as well as many other Arab and Palestinian militants - Al Qeda, Iran etc. say they will never allow Jews to live between the Jordan and the Sea. When other religious sites have fallen into Muslim hands (Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and Jews) they have not been protected. Joseph s Tomb, synagogues in Gaza, the shuls of the Old City, Buddhist statues, Christian churches, Hindu temples have all been attacked, defaced, sometimes destroyed. Since 1967, Jerusalem s holy sites have become the freest and most accessible that they have been in 2,000 years. Israeli law requires complete freedom of worship for all faiths and sites. During and post WWII, many Arab nations had pogroms or other state sponsored persecution of Jews, ending whatever had been the previous status quo in regard to Jewish rights and safety. Today, no such assurances are able to be given. The issue, of course, isn t really Israel, or even Zionism. It s the Jews. Again. Amos Oz has written with sadness about the irony that when his father was growing up in Europe, he saw signs that said Jews Go Home to Palestine, but that when he, Amos, was growing up in Palestine, the signs said Jews out of Palestine. Oz, one of Israel s best known left-wing intellectuals, summarizes the unavoidable point. Don t be here. Don t be there. In short, don t be. Rabbi Daniel Gordis Muslim/Arab View Jews lived for centuries in Muslim lands as dhimmis, protected from persecution. Jews live today in Iran, protected by the government there. The PA has already gives assurances to the international community that they will ensure and allow free access to religious holy sites. Many world leaders support the idea of dividing Jerusalem, or making it demilitarized and an international city. Palestinians are willing to share the city why not the Jews? Israel has already, on their own, commenced dividing the city by extending the security wall into Jerusalem, cutting neighborhoods off from each other. Palestinians cannot give up on Jerusalem on their own. They would lose Arab and Muslim good will across the world. Muslims have demonstrated throughout the world to support Palestinian/Arab control of Jerusalem. 1

14 THE JERUSALEM DEBATE BOOK If Jerusalem is divided the Kotel would still be protected and Jews would have full access to pray there. Jewish/Israeli View Muslim/Arab View Jews were expelled from the Old City in 1948 and barred from entry and access to the Western Wall/Kotel and to the cemeteries on the Mount of Olives and Mount Zion. There is guarantee Jews would have any safe access if the PA had control over parts of Jerusalem. The PA has suggested the Kotel would be protected by UN or international forces and that Jewish people would have full access to visit their holy cites there was only a wall separating East and West Jerusalem but since 1967 Jerusalem has become more divided since Israel took control. In 1948 after Jordan took control even a decade after Kristallnacht, Torah scrolls and Jewish holy books were once again burned, this time in the city of peace. 60 synagogues, many of them magnificent ancient structures, were destroyed during the period of Jordanian rule. Regarding access to the Walling Wall, the Arab Legion Commander agreed that Jews might have access for purposes of worship, but he pointed out that there was danger from snipers and that he could not accept responsibility for the safety of the worshippers along the road they wished to use. -- Report of the UN Mediator in Palestine to the UN High Commissioner, 9/16/48 2

15 THE JERUSALEM DEBATE BOOK The Jewish People have just recently returned to Jerusalem so we should give back eastern Jerusalem to the people who were there from the beginning Jewish/Israeli View Thousands of Palestinians in East Jerusalem are applying for Israeli citizenship in record numbers as talks of dividing Jerusalem begin to grow, and many wish to live on liberty/freedom in Israel, with their economic benefits, and human rights. (see eg, Yediot Achronot, 11/7/07) There has been a Jewish Presence in Jerusalem since King David established the city as Israel s capital 3000 years ago. (Weinreb/Savitsky op-ed, Forward, 11/7/07) Across continents and over centuries, Jews turned in prayer three times daily toward Jerusalem. Even in Israel itself, and even in other holy cities --Hebron, Tiberias and Safed -the Jew always prays facing Jerusalem. In grace after meals, we implore God to rebuild Jerusalem. We remember Jerusalem at our holiest moments of the year Yom Kippur services and the Passover Seder. (Weinreb/Savitsky op-ed, Forward, 11/7/07) Jerusalem symbolizes the reason and purpose for our lives here. It is the why and wherefore explaining why we are fighting as the Prophet Isaiah said 2,700 years ago: On your ramparts, O Jerusalem, I have placed guards all day and all night. IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, Arutz Sheva, 11/8/07 More than 3,300 years before the Mayflower set sail, the Jews left Egypt. Any Jewish child knows that his forefathers left Egypt at dawn on the 15th of Nisan knows the path of their journey through the desert and the events of those forty years in the desert can even quote the family names Jews worldwide retell the story of the Exodus, concluding with the fervent wish, Next Year in Jerusalem. This is the nature of the Jewish people. David Ben Gurion to U.N. Commission on the Partition of Palestine, 1947 Muslim/Arab View Israeli Jews rarely set foot in the parts of Jerusalem would come under the Palestinian rule. The Israelis are already dividing the city by never setting foot in East Jerusalem. PM Olmert has been quoted to say that there is not reason why total Arab neighborhoods, including Palestinian refugee camp need to be under Israeli rule. President Abbas is the best partner for peace in a long time. Secretary Rice has said if without a deal with Abbas now, Israel will soon be facing a Hamas controlled West Bank Why should the Palestinians have to pay the price for the terrible things that happened in Europe. This is the sticking point for relationships between the Islamic world and the West to improve: Palestinians must be allowed to determine their fate 3

16 BROWNBACK-LIEBERMAN RESOLUTION 110th CONGRESS/1st Session/S. J. RES. 12 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 25, 2007 Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. SMITH, and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations JOINT RESOLUTION Providing for the recognition of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel before the United States recognizes a Palestinian state, and for other purposes. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This joint resolution may be cited as the `Jerusalem Resolution'. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress makes the following findings: (1) Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years. (2) Jerusalem has never been the capital for any other state other than for the Jewish people. (3) Jerusalem is central to Judaism and is cited in the Tanach, the Hebrew Bible, 766 times. (4) Jerusalem is not mentioned by name in the Koran. (5) Every sovereign nation has the right to designate its own capital. (6) Jerusalem is the seat of the Government of Israel, including the President, the parliament, and the Supreme Court. (7) United States law states as a matter of United States policy that Jerusalem should be the undivided capital of Israel. (8) Israel is the only country in which the United States neither maintains an embassy in the city designated as the capital by the host country nor recognizes such city as the capital. (9) The citizens of Israel should be allowed to worship freely and according to their traditions. (10) Israel supports religious freedom for all faiths. (11) Relocating the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would express the continued support of the United States for Israel and for an undivided Jerusalem. (12) The year 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. SEC. 3. LOCATION OF UNITED STATES EMBASSY IN ISRAEL. Not later than 180 days before recognizing a Palestinian state, the United States shall move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. SEC. 4. RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL AS UNDIVIDED CAPITAL OF ISRAEL. The United States shall not recognize a Palestinian state until the international community resolves the status of Jerusalem by recognizing the city as the undivided capital of Israel. SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING FREEDOM OF WORSHIP. It is the sense of Congress that the citizens of Israel should be allowed, as a fundamental human right recognized by the United States and United Nations General Assembly resolution 181 of November 29, 1947, to worship freely and according to their traditions. END

17 Quotes on Jerusalem, Israel & the MiddleEast Being an Israeli is to know that you have risen from the ashes of those who were killed and knowing you have a responsibility for the coming generations. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, NY Times Magazine, 7/8/07 Jerusalem symbolizes the reason and purpose for our lives here. It is the why and wherefore explaining why we are fighting. We will continue to do whatever we can to ensure that Jerusalem will forever remain the capital of Israel. And as the Prophet Isaiah said 2,700 years ago: On your ramparts, O Jerusalem, I have placed guards all day and all night. -- Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, IDF Chief of Staff, Arutz Sheva, 11/8/07 More than 3,300 years before the Mayflower set sail, the Jews left Egypt. Any Jewish child, whether in America or Russia, Yemen or Germany, knows that his forefathers left Egypt at dawn on the 15th of Nisan. What did they wear? Their belts were tied and their staffs were in their hands. They ate matzot, and arrived at the Red Sea after seven days. He knows the path of their journey through the desert and the events of those forty years in the desert. They ate manna and slav birds and drank from Miriam s well. They arrived in Jordan facing Jericho. The child can even quote the family names from the Torah. Jews worldwide still eat matza for seven days from the 15th of Nisan, and retell the story of the Exodus, concluding with the fervent wish, Next Year in Jerusalem. This is the nature of the Jewish people. David Ben Gurion to U.N. Commission on the Partition of Palestine, 1947 Today we cannot envision the 250,000 Jewish settlers who live outside Israel s pre-1967 borders being permitted to live at all, much less live free and unmolested, in a West-Bank- Gaza Palestinian state. But some 1.2 million Arabs, almost all Muslim, today live in Israel in peace among some 5 million Jews -- about double the percentage of Jews now in the West Bank as a share of the Muslim population there. Israel s Arab citizens worship freely -- one hears muezzins calling the faithful to prayer as one walks around Tel Aviv. They vote in free elections for their own representatives in a real legislature, the Knesset. They give every evidence that they prefer being Arab Israelis to living in the chaos and uncertainty of a West Bank after Israeli withdrawal. R. James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence, co-chairman, Committee on the Present Danger But the Israelis will be doomed to live dangerously. They can withdraw from Gush Katif and later from Ofra or Beit El, but they cannot withdraw from the world in which they live. Old borders, new borders: There will be no end to Israel s vigilant existence. With or without diplomatic progress, the country will live by its wits and by its nerves. Martin Perez, Editor in Chief, The New Republic Over the years these extremists have used a litany of excuses for violence: the Israeli presence on the West Bank, the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia, the defeat of the Taliban, or the Crusades of a thousand years ago. In fact, we re not facing a set of grievances that can be soothed and addressed. We re facing a radical ideology with inalterable objectives: to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world. No act of ours invited the rage of killers -- and no concession, bribe, or act of appeasement would change or limit their plans for murder. On the contrary, they target nations whose behavior they believe they can change through violence. Against such an enemy, there is only one effective response: We will never back down, we will never give in, we will never accept anything less than complete victory. President George W. Bush, Veteran s Day 2005 The leaders of Hamas brim with the word of God and the certainty of their cause. From here on they will lie about their ultimate aim and smilingly assure us that what they have

18 always said they no longer mean. All over the world, people will believe them and urge the U.S. and Israel to do the same. Take my word for this. Anyone can see the future. It s all in the past. Richard Cohen, NYDN (1/31/06) Our right to exist - have you ever heard of such a thing? Would it enter the mind of any Briton or Frenchman, Belgian or Dutchman, Hungarian or Bulgarian, Russian or American, to request for its people recognition of its right to exist? -- Menachem Begin, 1977 We were granted our right to exist by the God of our fathers at the glimmer of the dawn of human civilization four thousand years ago. Hence, the Jewish people have an historic, eternal and inalienable right to exist in this land, Eretz Yisrael, the land of our forefathers. We need nobody s recognition in asserting this inalienable right. And for this inalienable right, which has been sanctified in Jewish blood from generation to generation, we have paid a price unexampled in the annals of nations. Mr. Speaker: From the Knesset of Israel, I say to the world, our very existence per se is our right to exist! -- Menachem Begin, 1977 But when Israel gives something back, it doesn t seem like they get anything for it. It seems like it just moves some angry people closer to them. Jay Leno, interviewing President Jimmy Carter The issue, of course, isn t really Israel, or even Zionism. It s the Jews. Again. Amos Oz has written with sadness about the irony that when his father was growing up in Europe, he saw signs that said Jews Go Home to Palestine, but that when he, Amos, was growing up in Palestine, the signs said Jews out of Palestine. Oz, one of Israel s best known leftwing intellectuals, summarizes the unavoidable point. Don t be here. Don t be there. In short, don t be. Rabbi Daniel Gordis What do you want more, a Palestinian state or a Palestinian struggle? -- Shimon Peres to Yasser Arafat You know the answer by yourself, and the whole world knows the answer. Israel is a small country with a small population. It is a democracy, but exists among neighbors who want to see her in the sea. Israel has made it clear that she does not want to be in the sea, and as a result, over several decades, has organized in such a manner so as not to be thrown into the sea. Then US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, responding to reporters questioning why the US is silent when Israel has more nuclear arms than any other nation in the world. ###

19 Shabbat Yerushalayim Jerusalem Youth Program Guide Introduction: Yerushalayim is the holiest Jewish site. Three times a day, in the Shmoneh Esrai, Jews pray for Hashem to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash, and Jews face Jerusalem when they pray. In addition, whenever we eat, we highlight Yeruhsalayim in birkat hamazon and al hamichya. The world was created from Zion, and all Jews will gather there at the end of days. How do we impart this message of the vitality of Jerusalem to our youth? Goals: 1. To begin the process of endearing Jerusalem to our youth and to inspire them about the importance of Jerusalem to the Jewish people. 2. Educate the children about Jerusalem. 3. Have fun! Please note that the following are guidelines of how to use the materials provided by the OU. We encourage you to adapt the materials to suite the particular needs and age groups of your synagogue. Part I: Story Jerusalem A Story of Two Brothers This story stresses the importance of looking out for your fellow Jew, and it teaches children that the Beit Hamikdash was built on a spot where two brothers exhibited their devotion towards each other. It is interesting to note that there is no source for this story in Jewish texts. Nonetheless, the fact that it is widespread indicates the power of treating others properly and the connection Jerusalem and the Beit Hamikdash have to Jewish unity. The following are discussion questions for after you read the story. Questions for Younger Children 1. Where did the brothers live? 2. What did the brothers do at night? 3. Why did the older brother want to give more wheat to his younger brother? 1

20 4. Why did the younger brother want to give more wheat to his older brother? 5. What happened on the third night? 6. What was built on the spot where there brothers met? Questions for Older Children: 1. Why did the brothers want to give more wheat to each other? 2. Which brother do you think should have gotten more wheat? 3. Why do you think the brothers did not say anything when they awoke in the morning and their piles were the original size? 4. Why did G-d bless the place where they met? 5. What lessons can we learn from this story? 6. Why do you think the Temple was built on the spot where they embraced? Part II: Snack Buy snacks from Israel. Suggestions include bisli, bamba and wafers. Ask the children if they know why you are having a different snack this week. Find out how many of them have been to Israel, and ask if they remember seeing or eating these snacks there. Before you recite a bracha achrona (blessing after one eats): Younger Children: Tell the children that Jerusalem is so important to the Jewish people that we ask Hashem to rebuild the Temple in Jerusaelm in our prayers after food. In birkat hamazon we have a blessing called U veneh Yerushalayim in which we ask Hashem to speedily rebuild Jerusalem. Al hamichya also has references to Jerusalem. Older Children: Ask them to pay attention to references about Jeruslaem when you recite al hamichya. The references are us asking Hashem for mercy over: a) Jerusalem, His city b) Zion, the resting place of G-d s glory c) G-d s alter and d) the Temple. Similar to birkat hamazon, we ask G-d to build the Beit Hamikdash speedily. After the bracha, ask them what references they heard and discuss why they think we mention Jerusalem after we eat. Part III: Trivia Game Use the included Jerusalem trivia questions for an interactive Jerusalem game. You can adapt these materials depending on the age of the children and their knowledge about Jerusalem. For younger children, give them the multiple choice options and provide candy or raffle tickets when they answer the questions correctly. For older children, you can use these questions for a Jewpardy game about Jerusalem. 2

21 The Two Brothers Translated by Adina Gordon from Gesher Kal series, stories adapted to simple Hebrew by Moshe Manor, Chaya Shenhav Illustrated by Michal Gamlieli The World Zionist Organisation Department of Education and Culture in the Diaspora Early Childhood Division

22 Many, many years ago, in Jerusalem, there lived two brothers. The older brother did not have a wife or children. The Younger brother had a wife and three children. Both brothers were poor farmers. Their father had left them one field to divide between them. The brothers loved each other very much. They did not know how to divide the field between them. "Let us farm the field together," they said to each other. And so they did. Before the winter season, the brothers ploughed their field and planted wheat. The rains were plentiful that year and the wheat grew and grew. When summer came, they harvested their wheat and divided it into two equal parts. The older brother took one half and the younger brother took the other half. Each stacked his wheat near his own tent. When night fell, each brother lay down to sleep beside his wheat stack. The older brother could not sleep. He thought to himself: "My brother has a wife and three children. He has to feed and clothe them. I have no wife nor children. It isn't right for me to take as large a portion as my brother's. I am not doing a good thing." So he rose quietly, took some wheat from his stack and added it to his brother's stack. Then he returned to his tent and went to sleep. The younger brother also could not sleep. He thought to himself: "I have a wife and three children. When I am old, my children will work and take care of me. My older brother has no children. Who will take care of him when he is old? He has to prepare for his old age. It is not right for me to take as large a portion as my brother's. I am not doing a good thing." So he rose quietly, took some wheat from his stack and added it to his brother's stack. Then he too returned to his tent and went to sleep. In the morning, the older brother rose and saw that his wheat stack was exactly the same size as it had been before! The younger brother also saw that his wheat stack was exactly the same size as it had been before! They both were puzzled but said nothing to each other. The next night, the older brother rose again, took some wheat from his stack and added it to his brother's wheat stack. The younger brother did the same thing. In the morning, each brother saw that his wheat stack was exactly the same size as it had been before! The brothers were even more puzzled but said nothing to each other. On the third night, the older brother again took some of his wheat to add to his brother's wheat stack. The younger brother also took some of his wheat to add to his brother's wheat stack. On the way, they met each other. Recognising one another in the dark, they embraced, weeping, because each understood what the other had thought to do.

23 They left the wheat on the ground where they met. God saw what happened between the two brothers and He blessed the spot where the wheat lay. And many years later, King Solomon chose that very place to build the Holy Temple.

24 Shabbat Yerushalayim Youth Trivia Questions 1. Who conquered Jerusalem in approximately 1004 BCE, made it the capital of his kingdom, and brought the Ark of the Covenant to the city? Correct Answer: King David - King Solomon - King Saul - King Nebuchadnezzar 2. Who built the first temple? Correct Answer: King Solomon - King David - King Saul - King Nebuchadnezzar 3. Which Jewish fast is in memory of the destruction of both temples?

25 Correct Answer: 9th of Av - 10th of Tevet - 17th of Tamuz - 15th of Shvat 4. In which year was the divided Jerusalem re-united and became part of the State of Israel? Correct Answer: Which animal is on the emblem of the Municipality of Jerusalem? Correct Answer: A lion - A tiger - A deer - An Eagle 6. What are the four quarters of the old city of Jerusalem? Correct Answer: Jewish, Armenian, Muslim and Christian - Jewish, Turkish, Muslim and Christian

26 - Jewish, Greek, Muslim and Christian - Jewish, Roman, Muslim and Christian 7. Which of these is not a neighborhood in Jerusalem: Correct Answer: Ramat Gan - Neve Shaanan - Romema - Talbiah 8. Who wrote the song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold)? Correct Answer: Naomi Shemer - Y. Gamzo - Ehud Manor - Haim Hefer 9. What is the Holy Land Hotel famous for? Correct Answer: It maintains a famous scale-model of Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple. - It houses stained glass windows in its synagogue - It is the largest hotel in Jerusalem - It is the oldest hotel in Jerusalem 10. What structure of the Israel Museum houses the Dead Sea Scrolls?

27 Correct Answer: Shrine of the Book - Keeper of the Scrolls - The Dea Sea Scrolls Hut - The Safe of the Scrolls 11. What is Hechal Shlomo? Correct Answer: The seat of Israel's Chief Rabbinate - A museum in memory of King Shlomo - The place were King Shlomo lived - The building were the government met before the building of the Knesset 12. What is Mahane Yehuda? Correct Answer: An outdoor marketplace - An artist center - A Jerusalem sports team - A political party 13. In what Jerusalem neighborhood is there an artist center? Correct Answer: Yemin Moshe - Kiryat Moshe - Rechavia

28 - Nachlaot 14. What is the reason they named the park, opposite Montefiore's Windmill, the Liberty Bell Park? Correct Answer: It contains a replica of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia - It contains a large mural of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia - The grass of the park is in the shape of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia - The person that donated the cost of the park was called Larry Bell 15. Which neighborhood was established in 1874 and was the fifth neighborhood outside of the walls of the Old City and today it is populated by the Ultra-Orthodox? Correct Answer: Me'a She'arim - Geula - Gilo - Ramat Eshkol 16. What do Har Hotzvim, Malha and Givat Shaul have in common? Correct Answer: They are industrial or high-tech parks - They are nature and green areas - They are shopping Centers - They are sports centers 17. On which mountain can you find both a Hebrew University campus and a branch of Hadassah Hospital?

29 Correct Answer: Mount Scopus - Mount Zion - Mount of Olives - Mount Herzl 18. What is the name of the Jerusalem Soccer team? Correct Answer: Beitar Jerusalem - Hapoel Jerusalem - The Jerusalem Lions - Maccabbi Jerusalem 19. What three Jewish holidays is Jerusalem the focal point? Correct Answer: Pesach, Sukkot, Shavuot - Rosh Hashana, Pesach, Shavuot - Pesach, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashana - Pesach, Rosh Hashana, Sukkot 20. What famous landmark did Moses Montefiore build in the late 1800's? Correct Answer: A Windmill - A Hotel - The menorah near the Knesset

30 - A tavern / inn 21. In what hills is Jerusalem located? Correct Answer: Judean Hills - Judaic Hills - Samaria Hills - Gush Etzion Hills 22. Who served as mayor of Jerusalem for 28 years? Correct Answer: Teddy Kollek - Ehud Olmert - Golda Meir - Moshe Dayan 23. How long ago was Jerusalem established? Correct Answer: About 3,000 year ago - About 1,000 years ago - About 2,000 years ago - About 5,000 years ago 24. What neighborhoods are in the area called French Hill? Correct Answer: Givat Shapira and Tzameret HaBirah

31 - Gilo and Shuafat - Ramot and Maalot Daphna - Givat Ze'ev and Pesgat Ze'ev 25. Near which neighborhood is the area called Armon Hanatziv? Correct Answer: East Talpiot - Geula - Gilo - Romema 26. After whom are the streets in the neighborhood Geula named? Correct Answer: Prophets of Israel - Torah Scholars - Commanders of the 1948 war - Famous poets 27. Which intersection connects King George Street and Ramban Street? Correct Answer: Kikar Paris - Kikar Tzahal - Kikar Pat - Kikar Rabin

32 28. Which streets intersect at Kikar Haherut (Davidka)? Correct Answer: Haniviim and Yaffo - Hillel and Yaffo - Shlom Tzion and Yaffo - Herzl and Yaffo 29. Where is the Tayelet (Promenade) located? Correct Answer: Near Armon Hanatziv in the south - In the old city - In Independence Park near the center of town - On Mount Scopus in the east 30. Where is the old city of Jerusalem located? Correct Answer: East - West - South West - North West 31. What is the most famous tower on the walls surrounding the old city? Correct Answer: David's Tower

33 - Shlomo's Tower - Hordus' Tower - Babylon Tower 32. Where is the Frank Sinatra building located? Correct Answer: Hebrew University - Mount Scopus - The Jerusalem Theater - At Hadassah Medical Center - Ein Kerem - In the Rechavia neighborhood 33. Why do Jews fast on the 17th of Tamuz? Correct Answer: The walls of Jerusalem were broken by the Babalonians - The seige of Jerusalem was started on this day by the Babalonians - The first temple of Jerusalem was destroyed on this day - The second temple of Jerusalem was destroyed on this day 34. Why do Jews fast on the 10th of Tevet? Correct Answer: The Babalonians started the seige of Jerusalem - The Babalonians broke the walls of Jerusalem - The first temple of Jerusalem was destroyed on this day - The second temple of Jerusalem was destroyed on this day

34 35. In what year did Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl visit Jerusalem? Correct Answer: Which of the following people is not buried in Jerusalem? Correct Answer: David Ben Gurion - Itzhak Rabin - Menachem Begin - Golda Meir 37. Throughout Jewish history, where did Jews always want to be buried? Correct Answer: Mount Olives (Har Hazeitim) - Mount Herzl (Har Herzl) - Mount Scopus (Har Hatzofim) - Har Hamenuhot 38. Where is the "Avenue of the Righteous" located? Correct Answer: Yad Vashem - Mount Herzl

35 - In the old city - Amunition Hill 39. Which institution in Jerusalem is in memorial to the Holocaust victims? Correct Answer: Yad Vashem - Yad Mordechai - The Ben Zvi Center - The Van Leer Center 40. What are the colors of the Jerusalem Beitar soccer team? Correct Answer: Black and Yellow - Blue and White - Red and White - Green and White 41. What is the name of the Jerusalem Airport? Correct Answer: Atarot - Ben Gurion - Ramat Rachel - Zion Airport 42. Which annual event occurs on Independence Day in Jerusalem? Correct Answer: The World Bible Contest

36 - The Jerusalem Song Festival - The Jerusalem Film Festival - The Jerusalem Dance Festival 43. Where was tourism minister Rechavam Ze'ev killed in Jerusalem in 2001? Correct Answer: The Hyatt Hotel (now known as the Regency Hotel) - On Ben Yehuda Street - In the old city - In the Knesset 44. What is the name of the largest shopping mall (Canion) in Jerusalem? Correct Answer: Malcha - Achim Israel - Center One - Clal 45. What material is mostly used in building many houses in Jerusalem? Correct Answer: Jerusalem Stone - Jerusalem Oak - Jerusalem Brick - Imported wood

37 These questions are courtesy of (currently We thank them for allowing us to use their material.