Resolution Adopted by the
CCAR
The Twenty-fifth
Anniversary of the Reunification of Jerusalem
Adpoted by the 103rd Annual Convention of
the
Central Conference of American Rabbis
San Antonio, Texas, April,
1992
The Central Conference of
American Rabbis calls upon its members to mark the approaching
twenty-fifth anniversary of the
reunification of Jerusalem with appropriate ceremony.
Jerusalem has been the heart of our people
for nearly three millennia. It is our mother
city. In times of Jewish sovereignty it has been the
nation’s capital; in times of
exile, our people turned in prayer and longing to Jerusalem.
Our religious festivals celebrate Jerusalem. Throughout all our
history, Jews have kept Jerusalem in mind
even at their happiest hours and have, by word and deed, never
forgotten the city
of
Zion.
We note by contrast that no other people has
had such regard for Jerusalem, Christian
and Moslem ties to the city’s holy places notwithstanding. We
also note that throughout
history,
Jews have had nearly continuous residence in Jerusalem, excepting the
period following the failure of the Bar Kochba revolt and in 1948-
1967, when Jews were
forbidden by
Jordan, in defiance of the cease-fire terms, to enter the Old City and
Mount Scopus. The reunification of
Jerusalem in June 1967 brought an end to an ugly
and illegal partition of the city, and began a
period of enlightened and cooperative
government symbolized by Jerusalem’s Mayor Teddy
Kollek.
The Conference has cited him for his
brilliant leadership in 1983 and again in 1988,
and we have commended his administration for the
democratic and inclusive patterns
of its operation. We note with regret the negative impact of
the Intafada on Jerusalem’s harmony; we deplore extremist
provocations of all kinds, be they Arab or Jewish,
and we pray for the peace of the
city.
As the twenty-fifth anniversary of
reunification approaches, we renew our affirmation
of Jerusalem as a united city and capital of the
State of Israel and we urge our
members to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim
(Iyar 28) with special ceremonies; call the
attention of congregation, religious
school and community to Jerusalem’s centrality in Jewish
history and to Israel’s
excellent
record as the city’s sovereign government; and to rejoice with
Jerusalem
and be glad with her;
pray for the peace of Jerusalem and its well-being, so that “out of
Zion
shall come Torah, and God’s
word from Jerusalem” forever.