Today is Jerusalem Day

It's no accident that the Covenant of HAMAS calls Palestine "the navel of the globe" (Article 34). But there was a time before HAMAS, a time before "Palestine." There was even a time before Islam. And in that very long ago time, the Jews lived in Jerusalem. -- Yael

"As the navel is set in the centre of the human body,
so is the land of Israel the navel of the world...
situated in the centre of the world,
and Jerusalem in the centre of the land of Israel,
and the sanctuary in the centre of Jerusalem,
and the holy place in the centre of the sanctuary,
and the ark in the centre of the holy place,
and the foundation stone before the holy place,
because from it the world was founded."

Midrash Tanchuma, Qedoshim.

It looks like everything you ever wanted to know about Jerusalem, might be found here.

Jerusalem was never an Arab city; Jews have held a majority in Jerusalem since 1870, and ‘east-west’ is a geographic, not political designation. It is no different than claiming the Eastern shore of Maryland should be a separate political entity from the rest of that state.

In 1880, Jews constituted 52 percent of the Old City population in East Jerusalem and were still inhabiting 42 percent of the Old City in 1914. In 1948, there were 100,000 Jews in Jerusalem, with 60,000 Arabs. A joint Jordanian-Israeli census reported that 67.7 percent of the city’s population in 1961 was Jewish. A 1967 aerial photo reveals the truth about the area called ‘East Jerusalem’: it was no more than an overcrowded walled city with a few scattered neighborhoods surrounded by villages. Prior to unification, Jordanian-controlled East Jerusalem was a mere 6 square kilometers, compared to 38 square kilometers on the Jewish side.

This site also pays tribute to the day, reminding us that "The Midrash states 'There are seventy names for Jerusalem.' "

And Israel Harel notes Gloom in Jerusalem today... at Haaretz.

Comments

[Smooth]

There are many names for G-d too, but not one of them is Allah.