During the Six Day War in 1967 on the 28th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, Israeli troops captured the eastern part of the divided city of Jerusalem and repatriated the Holy City and the Temple mount to Jewish sovereignty.

This was a liberation we had waited for, for almost 2000 years and part of our Jewish History that goes back almost 4000 years! Join us for a whirlwind tour of those 4000 years of history

Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day

with R. Shmuel Veffer and R. Ken Spiro

Source Sheet

This was a liberation we had waited for, for almost 2000 years and part of our Jewish History that goes back almost 4000 years!

3700 years ago – Abraham on Mount Moriah

The binding of Isaac – Genesis 22

וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֙בְתָּ֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּ֑ה וְהַעֲלֵ֤הוּ שָׁם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה עַ֚ל אַחַ֣ד הֶֽהָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ׃

And He said, “Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you.”

3300 years ago – Joshua Enters the Land of Israel

400 years – Period of Judges

Jerusalem is a Jebusite City
Unconquered city-state in the heart of the Land of Israel.

2900 – King David conquers Jerusalem

David conquers Jerusalem – II Samuel 5:7

וַיִּלְכֹּ֣ד דָּוִ֔ד אֵ֖ת מְצֻדַ֣ת צִיּ֑וֹן הִ֖יא עִ֥יר דָּוִֽד׃

But David captured the stronghold of Zion; it is now the City of David.

David Purchases the Land for the future Temple on Mount Moriah – II Samuel 24:24

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶל־אֲרַ֗וְנָה לֹ֚א כִּֽי־קָנ֨וֹ אֶקְנֶ֤ה מֵאֽוֹתְךָ֙ בִּמְחִ֔יר וְלֹ֧א אַעֲלֶ֛ה לַיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהַ֖י עֹל֣וֹת חִנָּ֑ם וַיִּ֨קֶן דָּוִ֤ד אֶת־הַגֹּ֙רֶן֙ וְאֶת־הַבָּקָ֔ר בְּכֶ֖סֶף שְׁקָלִ֥ים חֲמִשִּֽׁים׃

But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I will buy them from you at a price. I cannot sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that have cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

2850 years ago – King Solomon’s Rule

Solomon’s Temple and Palace above David’s City

- The first Temple is Built – I Kings 8:20

וַיָּ֣קֶם יְהוָ֔ה אֶת־דְּבָר֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֵּ֑ר וָאָקֻ֡ם תַּחַת֩ דָּוִ֨ד אָבִ֜י וָאֵשֵׁ֣ב עַל־כִּסֵּ֣א יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כַּֽאֲשֶׁר֙ דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה וָאֶבְנֶ֣ה הַבַּ֔יִת לְשֵׁ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

“And the LORD has fulfilled the promise that He made: I have succeeded my father David and have ascended the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the House for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel;

410 years the first Temple Period

2500 years ago Babylonians destroy Jerusalem

Nebuchadnezzar Destroys Jerusalem – II Kings 25 -8,9

וּבַחֹ֤דֶשׁ הַֽחֲמִישִׁי֙ בְּשִׁבְעָ֣ה לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ הִ֗יא שְׁנַת֙ תְּשַֽׁע־עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֔ה לַמֶּ֖לֶךְ נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֣ר מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֑ל בָּ֞א נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֧ן רַב־טַבָּחִ֛ים עֶ֥בֶד מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃

On the seventh day of the fifth month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, an officer of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

וַיִּשְׂרֹ֥ף אֶת־בֵּית־יְהוָ֖ה וְאֶת־בֵּ֣ית הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־בָּתֵּ֧י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֛ם וְאֶת־כָּל־בֵּ֥ית גָּד֖וֹל שָׂרַ֥ף בָּאֵֽשׁ׃

He burned the House of the LORD, the king’s palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down the house of every notable person.

70 year exile to Babylon
Purim Story – Book of Esther

2400 years ago – Return from Exile and rebuild Temple

כֹּ֣ה אָמַ֗ר כֹּ֚רֶשׁ מֶ֣לֶךְ פָּרַ֔ס כֹּ֚ל מַמְלְכ֣וֹת הָאָ֔רֶץ נָ֣תַן לִ֔י יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְהֽוּא־פָקַ֤ד עָלַי֙ לִבְנֽוֹת־ל֣וֹ בַ֔יִת בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר
בִּֽיהוּדָֽה׃

“Thus said King Cyrus of Persia: The LORD God of Heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has charged me with building Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Ezra and Nehemia – Ezra 1:2
420 year – Second Temple Period
Greek conquest of Israel (331 BCE)
Hanukkah Story
Roman conquest of Israel (Province of Judea 63 BCE)
Herod the Great remodels the Second Temple

70 CE – Romans Destroy the Temple and Jerusalem

132-135 CE Hadrianic Persecution – Bar Kochba Revolt

Romans built Temple to Jupiter on Temple Mount
Jewish revolt fails
Jerusalem renamed – Aelia Capitolina
Jews banned from city

324 CE – Jerusalem under Byzantine Empire

Eastern Roman Empire based in Constantinople
Transformation to Christian city
Church of Holy Sepulcher
Temple Mount Left in Ruins
Jews still banned from city but allowed in other parts of the country

Dome of the Rock and Al Aksa Mosque on Temple Mount

638 CE – Islamic Conquest of Jerusalem (1300 years of Islamic control)

Omar Ibn Al Khatab
Jews allowed to return
Dome of the Rock 691 CE
Al Aksa Mosque 701

1099 CE – Crusader Conquest of Jerusalem

1187 CE – Islamic Reconquest of City – Salah A Din

1517 CE – Ottoman Empire Conquest Jerusalem and the Land

Last Islamic Dynasty to control Jerusalem
400 years

1914 – 1918 – World War I

Ottoman Surrender of Jerusalem – Dec 9, 1917

November 1917 Balfour Declaration
December 1917 British Conquer Jerusalem
December 1922 British Mandate for Palestine Begins

1939 – 1945 – World War II

Holocaust – 1/3 of World Jewry Murdered
November 1947 – United Nations vote to Partition the Land
Jerusalem Under Siege by Arabs

1948 – Birth of Modern State of Israel

May 14 Early Afternoon- Ben Gurion Declares Independence
May 14 Afternoon War of Independence Begins
May 26 Old City Surrenders to Jordanian Army
Jerusalem becomes a Divided City (19 years)

1967 – Six Day War

Jewish Soldiers Taking Possession of Temple Mount

June 5- June 10
June 7 – 28 Iyar – IDF conquers old city “The Temple Mount is in our hands!”
City is reunified under Jewish Sovereignty for the first time in 2000 years.
Moshe Dayan gives control of the Temple Mount to the Wakf

1993 – US Congress Recognizes Jerusalem as Capital of Israel

2017 – US Moves Embassy to Jerusalem

Ivanka Kushner Opening the US Embassy in Jerusalem

Psalms 137:5

אִֽם־אֶשְׁכָּחֵ֥ךְ יְֽרוּשָׁלִָ֗ם תִּשְׁכַּ֥ח יְמִינִֽי׃If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither;

תִּדְבַּ֥ק־לְשׁוֹנִ֨י ׀ לְחִכִּי֮ אִם־לֹ֪א אֶ֫זְכְּרֵ֥כִי אִם־לֹ֣א אַ֭עֲלֶה אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֑ם עַ֝֗ל רֹ֣אשׁ שִׂמְחָתִֽי׃

let my tongue stick to my palate if I cease to think of you, if I do not keep Jerusalem in memory even at my happiest hour.

Isaiah 2:2 – 5

Marchers pose at the Isaiah Wall near the UN, March 28, 1959.

וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בְּאַחֲרִ֣ית הַיָּמִ֗ים נָכ֨וֹן יִֽהְיֶ֜ה הַ֤ר בֵּית־יְהוָה֙ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הֶהָרִ֔ים וְנִשָּׂ֖א מִגְּבָע֑וֹת וְנָהֲר֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו כָּל־הַגּוֹיִֽם׃

And it shall come to pass in the end of days, That the mountain of the LORD’S house Shall be established as the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow unto it.

וְֽהָלְכ֞וּ עַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֗ים וְאָמְרוּ֙ לְכ֣וּ ׀ וְנַעֲלֶ֣ה אֶל־הַר־יְהוָ֗ה אֶל־בֵּית֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְיֹרֵ֙נוּ֙ מִדְּרָכָ֔יו וְנֵלְכָ֖ה בְּאֹרְחֹתָ֑יו כִּ֤י מִצִּיּוֹן֙ תֵּצֵ֣א תוֹרָ֔ה וּדְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה מִירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃

And many peoples shall go and say: ‘Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; And He will teach us of His ways, And we will walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.וְשָׁפַט֙ בֵּ֣ין הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְהוֹכִ֖יחַ לְעַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים וְכִתְּת֨וּ חַרְבוֹתָ֜ם לְאִתִּ֗ים וַחֲנִיתֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ לְמַזְמֵר֔וֹת לֹא־יִשָּׂ֨א ג֤וֹי אֶל־גּוֹי֙ חֶ֔רֶב וְלֹא־יִלְמְד֥וּ ע֖וֹד מִלְחָמָֽה׃ (פ)

And He shall judge between the nations, And shall decide for many peoples; And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruninghooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more.

Holy Holy Holy Jerusalem