O Jerusalem

Tonight marks the 42nd anniversary of the re-unification of Jerusalem. Since then, millions of Jews and non-Jews have visited and prayed at the Kotel--the Western Wall.

This is what General Moshe Dayan had to say at the time:

This morning, the Israel Defense Forces liberated Jerusalem. We have united Jerusalem, the divided capital of Israel. We have returned to the holiest of our holy places, never to part from it again. To our Arab neighbors we extend, also at this hour—and with added emphasis at this hour—our hand in peace. And to our Christian and Muslim fellow citizens, we solemnly promise full religious freedom and rights. We did not come to Jerusalem for the sake of other peoples' holy places, and not to interfere with the adherents of other faiths, but in order to safeguard its entirety, and to live there together with others, in unity.

When the Old City of Jerusalem was in Jordanian hands, our people were denied access to the holiest of our sites. In fact, many Jewish sites were destroyed. Still, we invited people of all faiths to come to Jerusalem to pray. And those people still come in droves.

Today and tomorrow Israel's Eternal Capital will celebrate her re-unification. There will be dancing and singing and the Kotel will be teeming. It's a remarkable time to be in this great city.

Happy Jerusalem Day!