Why we celebrate Jerusalem Day - As soon as Israel declared its independence in 1948, the tiny Jewish country was attacked en mass by its Arab neighbors. Jordan illegally occupied east Jerusalem and the Old City. Israeli forces made a concerted attempt to dislodge them, but were unable to do so. By the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War Jerusalem was left divided between Israel and Jordan. The Old City and East Jerusalem continued to be illegally occupied by Jordan, and the Jewish residents, some who's families had lived there for over 1000 years, were forced out. For the first time in millennium Jerusalem was uninhabited by Jews. For the next 19 years under Jordanian occupation, synagogues were demolished and the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives was plundered for its tombstones, which were used as paving stones and building materials. Jews were unable to visit Jewish holy sites and the Kotel (Western Wall) was used as a garbage dump. On June 5, 1967, after receiving many threats of annihilation from the surrounding Arab countries, Israel made a preemptive strike which resulted in the complete collapse of the Arab forces. On June 7, 1967 (28 Iyar 5727), Israel liberated the Old City of Jerusalem, the Golan heights, the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, and Judea and Samaria (Shomron). On May 12, 1968, the Israeli government proclaimed a new holiday—Jerusalem Day— to be celebrated on the 28th of Iyar, the Hebrew date on which the divided city of Jerusalem was reunified one. On March 23, 1998, the Knesset passed the Jerusalem Day Law, making the day a national holiday. One of the themes of Jerusalem Day, based on a verse from the Book of Psalms, "Built-up Jerusalem is like a city that was joined together" (Psalm 122:3). If you are visiting Israel, you should try to time your trip to coincide with Israeli Independence Day and Jerusalem Day which are just 23 days apart.

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