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Judaism

History

Jews and Jerusalem: The Source of the Bond

The Protest
The phone rings. "You're coming to Jerusalem, right?" says Janice.
"What for?"
"For the protest!" Janice says, completely exasperated with me.
"Ah, I can't make it." jerusalem at night

"But, you HAVE to make it! Everyone has to come! Israel can not give up Jerusalem! Without Jerusalem, the Jews are again a scattered people with no live link to the past and only fragile hopes for the future. You better come to Jerusalem because this is a critical moment in Jewish history."
Jerusalem is holy to more people than any other city on earth. For Muslims, Jerusalem (known as Al-Quds, the Holy) is where Muhammad ascended to heaven. For Christians, Jerusalem is where Jesus walked, was crucified and resurrected. Why is Jerusalem a sacred city for Jews?

3000 Years of Jerusalem History

King David conquered Jerusalem in 1000 BCE. Today Jerusalem is a major issue in the Middle East Peace Process. To learn about the events which took place in this unique city over the past 3000 years, please click on the links below.

Ark of the Covenant

Question: What was the Ark of the Covenant?

Answer: The Ark of the Covenant, also known as the Tabernacle, was the chest which held the two stone tablets of law which Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments, the basis for God's covenant with the children of Israel, was engraved on the two stone tablets contained in the Ark.

Temple Mount

Question: What is the Temple Mount?

Answer: The Binding of Isaac

To test Abraham's faith in God, God said to Abraham, "Take, I beg of you, your son, your only son, whom you love, Yitzhak, and get yourself to the land of Moriah and offer him up there as an offering on one of the mountains on which I will tell you." (Genesis 22:2)

What was the First Temple

Question: What was the First Temple?

Answer: In the tenth century BCE, King Solomon, the son of King David, built the First Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. The First Temple is also referred to as the Jerusalem Temple, Solomon's Temple, and Beit HaMikdash (The Holy House).